True Detective season 4: Night Country release date, cast with Jodie Foster - and how to watch in the UK

It's been years in the making, but the wait for True Detective season 4 is nearly over. The fourth season in the franchise, True Detective: Night Country stars Jodie Foster and Kali Reis as a pair of detectives who are working to solve the mysterious disappearance of eight Alaskan scientists. Written by Issa López and set in the snowy fields of Alaska the theme couldn't be anymore different than season 1 which debuted in 2014 staring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson and focused on a gritty story in the Louisiana Bayeux. Season 2 followed in 2015 featuring Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams and Season 3 in 2019, starring Mahershala Ali which drew inspiration from the West Memphis Three.

The last two seasons have failed to live up to the hype of season 1, but maybe True Detective: Night Country can do it. Early reviews have already begun to pour in and they appear to be overwhelmingly positive, with NationalWorld scoring it an impressive 4.5 stars out of 5.

So, when is the release date True Detective season 4, what is it about and when can you watch True Detective: Night Country in the UK? Here's everything you need to know.

What is True Detective season 4 about?

Each season of True Detective tells its own stand alone tale, set in a brand new location, along with a fresh cast. For True Detective season 4 we are travelling to the icy landscape of Alaska to solve the mysterious disappearance of eight scientists who have vanished without a trace.

Here is the official plot of True Detective: Night Country: "When the long winter night falls in Ennis, Alaska, the eight men who operate the Tsalal Arctic Research Station vanish without a trace. To solve the case, detectives Liz Danvers and Evangeline Navarro must confront their pasts and the dark truths lying underneath the Arctic ice."

True Detective season 4 trailer

To give you a flavour of what to expect, HBO have released a trailer for True Detective: The Night Country - you can watch it below.

Who stars in True Detective: The Night Country?

True Detective never pulls its punches with a big name starring in each series and season 4 is no different with Jodie Foster taking up the lead as Detective Liz Danvers. The Hollywood icon is best known for her roles in Taxi Driver, The Silence of the Lambs and most recently Netflix's Nyad.

Starring alongside her is professional boxer and actor Kali Reis, who is taking on the role of Detective Evangeline Navarro and is best known for her roles in Catch the Fair One and Black Flies.

The rest of the cast includes: John Hawkes (The Perfect Storm), Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who), Fiona Shaw (Killing Eve), Finn Bennett (Domina), Anna Lambe (Three Pines) and Joel D. Montgrand (DC's Legends of Tomorrow).

Where is True Detective season 4 filmed?

True Detective season 4 is set in Alaska but the snowy scenes are actually filmed in Iceland, with locations on both the north and south of the island including around the capital of Reykjavik.

Speaking about filming conditions to IcelandAir, Foster explained: "You get that little bit of sunlight between 11am and 3pm, and even though the sun doesn’t really get up very high on the horizon, you still get the ambient light, so it’s not like there’s no daylight."

When does True Detective season 4 start?

If you want to catch episode one of True Detective 4 at the same time as US audiences you have a late night ahead of you. Due to time zones differences, it will be airing at 2.05am on Monday (January 15) on Sky Atlantic. But fear not, the episode will also repeat for UK audiences at the more respectable time of 9pm, with episodes available to stream on NOWTV. Just be mindful to avoid those Monday morning spoilers.