How to watch ‘True Detective’

When it comes to anthology crime dramas, True Detective is the undisputed chief.

When the first season came out all the way back in 2014, it quickly became must-watch television. The hype around the mysterious show was so intense that it was even being compared to HBO greats like The Sopranos. The second and third seasons weren’t quite as epoch-defining, but viewing figures remained high, and the general quality of the show remained incredibly high.

The sheer starpower involved was a sure sign of the show’s brilliance, but the smart writing and tension-heavy plots ensured it became a real hit. Plus, as we all know, there are few more compelling pieces of content than crime dramas.

Season one saw Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Michelle Monaghan, Michael Potts, and Tory Kittles take on the case of a serial killer with links to the occult. The next season, which came out a year later, starred Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams, Kelly Reilly, and Vince Vaughn. The setting moved to California, and the mystery at the heart of the show was the death of a corrupt politician. The third season, starring Mahershala Ali, Carmen Ejogo, Stephen Dorff, Scoot McNairy, and Ray Fisher, involved the search for some missing children, and was set in the Ozarks.

Now, a fourth season, set in the wilds of Alaska and entitled True Detective: Night Country, is about to premiere. Starring Jodie Foster and Kali Reis, the first episode is out on Jan. 14 2024. If you’re a fan of the show and want to know how to rewatch the previous gripping seasons, or haven’t yet had the pleasure of entering the True Detective world and want to know how to go about it, then you’re in luck. Here’s our easy guide on how to watch True Detective.

How to watch True Detective

Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to watch True Detective, especially if you’re based in the U.S.

If you’re a subscriber to HBO’s streaming service, Max, you will have access to the previous three seasons of True Detective, as well as the new season when it is released.

If you’re not a HBO or Max subscriber, then you can find all three previous seasons available to stream on Hulu.

Additionally, you can rent all three seasons from Prime Video and Apple TV, if you’d rather not purchase a new streaming service just to watch True Detective. This is also a great option for those outside the U.S. who can’t find the show on their preferred streaming service.

That’s not to say that you can’t stream the show if you’re outside the U.S. — U.K.-based fans of True Detective can watch it on Sky Go or Now TV. If you’re a Sky subscriber, you can even watch season 4 live on the Sky Showcase or Sky Atlantic channels. The new episodes will air at 2am U.K. time.

For Australian viewers, True Detective is available on Binge and Foxtel Now. Canadians can find it on Crave.

If you’re committed to your Netflix account, then we have bad news: no HBO shows are on Netflix, and frankly we don’t see a time when they will be.