# List of True Detective episodes

True Detective is an American anthology crime drama television series created and written by Nic Pizzolatto, that premiered on the premium cable network HBO on January 12, 2014. The series focuses on police investigations and on the effect they have on troubled detectives that carry them out. Each season is structured as a self-contained narrative with different sets of characters and settings. A fourth season, created by Issa López, premiered on January 14, 2024.
As of February 18, 2024, 30 episodes of True Detective have aired, concluding the fourth season. In February 2024, the series was renewed for a fifth season.

## Series overview

| Season | Episodes | Episodes | Originally released | Originally released | Average viewers (in millions) |
| Season | Episodes | Episodes | First released | Last released | Average viewers (in millions) |
| 1 | 8 | 8 | January 12, 2014 (2014-01-12) | March 9, 2014 (2014-03-09) | 2.33 |
| 2 | 8 | 8 | June 21, 2015 (2015-06-21) | August 9, 2015 (2015-08-09) | 2.61 |
| 3 | 8 | 8 | January 13, 2019 (2019-01-13) | February 24, 2019 (2019-02-24) | 1.25 |
| 4 | 6 | 6 | January 14, 2024 (2024-01-14) | February 18, 2024 (2024-02-18) | 0.654 |

## Episodes
### Season 1 (2014)

In 2012, two former homicide investigators with the Louisiana State Police's Criminal Investigations Division, Rustin "Rust" Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) and Martin "Marty" Hart (Woody Harrelson), are summoned for questioning by detectives Maynard Gilbough (Michael Potts) and Thomas Papania (Tory Kittles), about the Dora Lange murder investigation of 1995; they have not seen nor spoken to each other since an altercation concerning Martin's wife Maggie Hart (Michelle Monaghan) over a decade prior. With many of the old files destroyed in Hurricane Rita, the two men are asked to recount the history of their working relationship, personal lives, and the Dora Lange murder investigation, as well as a series of other related individual cases as new evidence suggests that the perpetrator remains at large.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 1 | 1 | "The Long Bright Dark" | Cary Joji Fukunaga | Nic Pizzolatto | January 12, 2014 (2014-01-12) | 2.33 |
| 2 | 2 | "Seeing Things" | Cary Joji Fukunaga | Nic Pizzolatto | January 19, 2014 (2014-01-19) | 1.67 |
| 3 | 3 | "The Locked Room" | Cary Joji Fukunaga | Nic Pizzolatto | January 26, 2014 (2014-01-26) | 1.93 |
| 4 | 4 | "Who Goes There" | Cary Joji Fukunaga | Nic Pizzolatto | February 9, 2014 (2014-02-09) | 1.99 |
| 5 | 5 | "The Secret Fate of All Life" | Cary Joji Fukunaga | Nic Pizzolatto | February 16, 2014 (2014-02-16) | 2.25 |
| 6 | 6 | "Haunted Houses" | Cary Joji Fukunaga | Nic Pizzolatto | February 23, 2014 (2014-02-23) | 2.64 |
| 7 | 7 | "After You've Gone" | Cary Joji Fukunaga | Nic Pizzolatto | March 2, 2014 (2014-03-02) | 2.34 |
| 8 | 8 | "Form and Void" | Cary Joji Fukunaga | Nic Pizzolatto | March 9, 2014 (2014-03-09) | 3.52 |

### Season 2 (2015)

California Highway Patrol officer Paul Woodrugh (Taylor Kitsch) discovers the dead body of a city manager who was involved in a major land deal. Given the ambiguous jurisdictional nature of the crime scene, two other officers, Vinci Police Department Detective Raymond Velcoro (Colin Farrell) and Ventura County Sheriff's Office CID Antigone "Ani" Bezzerides (Rachel McAdams), along with Woodrugh are assigned to investigate the murder. The crime soon involves Frank Semyon (Vince Vaughn), a career criminal who was involved in the land deal and whose life savings were stolen when the murder took place. The three detectives, plus Semyon, quickly realize a larger conspiracy at play involving the victim's ties to the city of Vinci's deepening corrupt proliferations.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 9 | 1 | "The Western Book of the Dead" | Justin Lin | Nic Pizzolatto | June 21, 2015 (2015-06-21) | 3.17 |
| 10 | 2 | "Night Finds You" | Justin Lin | Nic Pizzolatto | June 28, 2015 (2015-06-28) | 3.05 |
| 11 | 3 | "Maybe Tomorrow" | Janus Metz | Nic Pizzolatto | July 5, 2015 (2015-07-05) | 2.62 |
| 12 | 4 | "Down Will Come" | Jeremy Podeswa | Nic Pizzolatto & Scott Lasser | July 12, 2015 (2015-07-12) | 2.36 |
| 13 | 5 | "Other Lives" | John Crowley | Nic Pizzolatto | July 19, 2015 (2015-07-19) | 2.42 |
| 14 | 6 | "Church in Ruins" | Miguel Sapochnik | Nic Pizzolatto & Scott Lasser | July 26, 2015 (2015-07-26) | 2.34 |
| 15 | 7 | "Black Maps and Motel Rooms" | Daniel Attias | Nic Pizzolatto | August 2, 2015 (2015-08-02) | 2.18 |
| 16 | 8 | "Omega Station" | John Crowley | Nic Pizzolatto | August 9, 2015 (2015-08-09) | 2.73 |

### Season 3 (2019)

The story takes place in the Ozarks over three separate time periods. In 1980, partner detectives Wayne Hays (Mahershala Ali) and Roland West (Stephen Dorff) investigate a macabre crime involving two missing children. In 1990, Hays and West are subpoenaed after a major break in the case. In 2015, a retired Hays is asked by a true crime documentary producer to look back at the unsolved case.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 17 | 1 | "The Great War and Modern Memory" | Jeremy Saulnier | Nic Pizzolatto | January 13, 2019 (2019-01-13) | 1.44 |
| 18 | 2 | "Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye" | Jeremy Saulnier | Nic Pizzolatto | January 13, 2019 (2019-01-13) | 1.19 |
| 19 | 3 | "The Big Never" | Daniel Sackheim | Nic Pizzolatto | January 20, 2019 (2019-01-20) | 1.06 |
| 20 | 4 | "The Hour and the Day" | Nic Pizzolatto | Nic Pizzolatto & David Milch | January 27, 2019 (2019-01-27) | 1.45 |
| 21 | 5 | "If You Have Ghosts" | Nic Pizzolatto | Nic Pizzolatto | February 1, 2019 (2019-02-01) (online) February 3, 2019 (2019-02-03) (HBO) | 0.88 |
| 22 | 6 | "Hunters in the Dark" | Daniel Sackheim | Graham Gordy & Nic Pizzolatto | February 10, 2019 (2019-02-10) | 1.25 |
| 23 | 7 | "The Final Country" | Daniel Sackheim | Nic Pizzolatto | February 17, 2019 (2019-02-17) | 1.32 |
| 24 | 8 | "Now Am Found" | Daniel Sackheim | Nic Pizzolatto | February 24, 2019 (2019-02-24) | 1.38 |

### Season 4: Night Country (2024)

In Ennis, Alaska, detectives Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis) investigate the disappearance of eight men who operate the Tsalal Arctic Research Station and vanish without a trace.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 25 | 1 | "Part 1" | Issa López | Issa López | January 14, 2024 (2024-01-14) | 0.565 |
| 26 | 2 | "Part 2" | Issa López | Issa López | January 21, 2024 (2024-01-21) | 0.678 |
| 27 | 3 | "Part 3" | Issa López | Story by : Issa López Teleplay by : Issa López and Alan Page Arriaga | January 28, 2024 (2024-01-28) | 0.602 |
| 28 | 4 | "Part 4" | Issa López | Namsi Khan and Chris Mundy and Issa López | February 4, 2024 (2024-02-04) | 0.722 |
| 29 | 5 | "Part 5" | Issa López | Katrina Albright & Wenonah Wilms and Chris Mundy & Issa López | February 9, 2024 (2024-02-09) (online) February 11, 2024 (2024-02-11) (HBO) | 0.371 |
| 30 | 6 | "Part 6" | Issa López | Issa López | February 18, 2024 (2024-02-18) | 0.983 |

## Ratings

| Season | Season | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Average |
| Season | Season | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Average |
| | 1 | 2.33 | 1.67 | 1.93 | 1.99 | 2.25 | 2.64 | 2.34 | 3.52 | 2.33 |
| | 2 | 3.17 | 3.05 | 2.62 | 2.36 | 2.42 | 2.34 | 2.18 | 2.73 | 2.61 |
| | 3 | 1.44 | 1.19 | 1.06 | 1.45 | 0.88 | 1.25 | 1.32 | 1.38 | 1.25 |
| | 4 | 0.565 | 0.678 | 0.602 | 0.722 | 0.371 | 0.983 | – | – | 0.654 |