'True Detective' Season 3 trailer: See Mahershala Ali solve crime in 3 time periods

(Circa) — HBO’s critically-acclaimed and then critically-derided anthology series “True Detective” returns in January for a third season, and the network just released a first look at Academy Award-winner Mahershala Ali in the lead role.

Shaking up the formula somewhat with a less star-studded cast, the season features Ali as Northwest Arkansas police detective Wayne Hayes. Carmen Ejogo, Stephen Dorff,Josh Hopkins, Scott McNairy, andMamie Gummer also star.

Few plot details have been released, but HBO says the story focuses on “a macabre crime in the heart of the Ozarks, and a mystery that deepens over decades and plays out in three separate time periods.”

Series creator Nic Pizzolatto returns as writer of the season's eight episodes--with the fourth episode co-written by "Deadwood" creator David Milch--and he will be sharing directing duties with Jeremy Saulnier and Daniel Sackheim.

No premiere date has been announced, but the trailer promises new episodes are coming in January 2019.