Is ‘True Detective’ Season 5 Heading to the Past? 3 Major Clues It Might

True Detective Season 5 is on the horizon as official casting has been revealed, but one question still looms: When will the latest chapter of HBO’s hit anthology be set?

After helming Season 4 of the series, True Detective: Night Country, Issa López is once again set to put her signature touch on the drama that will feature Nicolas Cage and Antonio Banderas in the leading roles as Henry Logan and Rai Garcia. Season 5 is et in Jamaica, New York, but details remain minimal, so we’re eager to decode more based on what we know already.

Considering past seasons of the series, it’s not impossible that the next chapter could be situated somewhere in the past, despite Season 4 being set in present-day Alaska. And López previously hinted that there would be connective tissue between Seasons 4 and 5. With these facts on the table, below, we’re breaking down why we believe Season 5 could be set in the past.

Navarro’s History

(Credit: HBO)

Despite working in the fictional town of Ennis, Alaska, Detective Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis) was originally born in Boston and lived there until she was 15. Navarro’s mother left her abusive father and took her and her sister to Alaska, where they eventually resettled. If HBO sets its latest chapter in the past, could there be a connection to Navarro’s family? We didn’t really learn much about her father, but if he was both abusive and into criminal pursuits, who is to say he couldn’t become tied up in something based out of New York, which isn’t that far from Boston.

Also, should the show be set in the past, there’s also room for one of the leading detectives to have worked in Boston and maybe have crossed paths with Navarro during their earlier casework.

Repeating patterns

Since Season 1 of True Detective, there’s been no aversion to playing with time, and while López has taken a more supernatural and surreal approach to her storytelling with the series, it would be a return to form if Season 5 were to set some of the action in a different time than present day. Considering her teases to Rust Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) in Season 4, with the inclusion of his father, López’s already paid respects to the seasons that came before Night Country.

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'True Detective': Nicolas Cage & Antonio Banderas to Lead Season 5

Old New York

New York is a setting that works in any time period, but if the show’s going to differentiate itself from some of HBO’s other detective fare as of late, an ’80s, ’90s, or even early 2000s-set story would help Season 5 stand out. While crime continues to unfold across the country, something about New York during these decades offers even more for the detectives to work with.

But for now, these are merely theories. Do you think True Detective Season 5 will be set in the past or present? Let us know in the comments section below, and stay tuned for news and updates about the latest chapter in the months ahead.

True Detective, Season 5 Premiere, TBA, HBO