It's been three years since True Detective's clusterfuck of a second season ended, disappointing basically everyone who loved season one and forcing us all to picture robot dicks whenever we looked at vapes afterward. But now, finally, the third season of HBO's anthology series is on its way to finally cleanse our palates of that godawful season and bring the show back to its original glory. And from the look of the first full trailer that dropped Friday, it's on track to do just that.The new season will star Moonlight's Mahershala Ali as an Arkansas detective named Wayne Hays who has spent decades investigating a series of child murders in the early 1980s. Like the first season, this one will also span multiple timelines, with Ali playing Hays at different points throughout his life.The trailer certainly feels like a welcome return to the glory of that Cary Fukunaga-directed, Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey-starring original season. The same dark, brooding tone is there, along with what feels like similarly complex storytelling. There's even a police investigation at one point, though it's unclear if Hays will suck down a few Lone Stars and start talking space-time during the process.The new season was originally set to be entirely helmed by Jeremy Saulnier, the brilliant director behind Green Room and Blue Ruin, but Saulnier left the production after finishing just a few episodes. A team of replacement directors—including show writer Nic Pizzolatto himself—stepped in to divvy up the remaining duties and finish things off without him. Saulnier's departure seemed a bit like a red flag at the time, but the footage in the trailer looks absolutely gorgeous, so maybe there isn't so much to worry about after all.True Detective season three is set to premiere January 13 on HBO. Until then, watch the trailer above and try to drive Vince Vaughn's terrible dieting advice from your memory forever.Sign up for our newsletter to get the best of VICE delivered to your inbox daily.Follow VICE on Twitter.
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