Mahershala Ali is one of the biggest stars in Hollywood right now. He first caught my attention as Cotton Mouth in Netflix and Marvel's Luke Cage. Ali spiraled to the top of success in 2016 after winning an Oscar for his role in Moonlight. Just recently, Ali was awarded the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Green Book. The film also won Best Musical or Comedy Motion Picture. With all the hype surrounding Ali, HBO had their sights set high for the season premiere of True Detective season 3. The first season of the series debuted in 2014 and starred Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. It was critically lauded and became an instant classic. Season two was not as well received. The combined star power of Colin Farrell, Vince Vaughn, Rachel McAdams, and Taylor Kitsch couldn't save a boring plot, and HBO's hit series seemingly died.
Fast forward three and a half years and HBO is back with season three of True Detective. Mahershala Ali is in the starring role, and critics have hailed the new season as a return to form. The audience may have to be rebuilt though. According to The Wrap, the season premiere of True Detective season 3 brought in 1.4 million total viewers at 9 PM, and the second of the back-to-back episodes grabbed 1.2 million viewers at 10 PM. 3.2 million watched the first episode of season 2 and the 2.3 million tuned in for the first season's debut. The low numbers don't look good on their own, but it beat the season premiere of HBO's Sharp Objects (1.3 million) and Big Little Lies (1.1 million).
