True Detective season 5 is set to return with Night Country showrunner Issa López back at the helm. Here’s our wishlist for season 5’s protagonists.

With True Detective season 5 recently being confirmed by HBO, there are many celebrated actors who would be perfect to take on the next installment of the beloved crime franchise. Despite True Detective: Night Country being so divisive, showrunner Issa López is set to return to oversee the anticipated fifth season of True Detective. There is no indication of whether True Detective season 5 will still take place in Ennis, Alaska, or feature some of Night Country’s recurring characters such as Jodie Foster’s Liz Danvers.

While True Detective: Night Country had many plotholes and headscratchers, viewership for the acclaimed anthology series reached an all-time high across HBO and its MAX streaming platform. The collective pool of viewers who both enjoyed and were frustrated by Night Country ended up working to HBO and MAX’s benefit as it ultimately performed better than the brilliant True Detective season 1. Without much information available about López’s vision for True Detective season 5, here are 10 outstanding actors who would excel as the new faces of True Detective.

10Emily Blunt

Similar works include Sicario & Edge of Tomorrow

Emily Blunt would make an outstanding female lead in True Detective season 5. She has demonstrated the necessary grit and levelheadedness to play a convincing detective in previous works such as Sicaro (2015) and Edge of Tomorrow (2014). Both of these roles were also quite action-heavy, indicating that she would bring a lot to the table in True Detective season 5 after a relatively mundane season 4. Following her recent Oscar nomination for Oppenheimer, she would be a tough but amazing actor to get on the series.

9Edward Norton

Similar works include Red Dragon & The Bourne Legacy

Edward Norton is exceptional in just about everything he’s in, from his iconic roles in Fight Club and American History X to his work on several Wes Anderson films. One area that the Oscar-nominated actor has generally stayed away from is television, having only appeared as himself or in guest roles throughout his decade-spanning career. If HBO was able to get Norton on board for True Detective season 5, it would be an incredibly anticipated and monumental event that could result in one of the best roles of Norton’s career.

8Charlize Theron

Similar works include In the Valley of Elah

Charlize Theron would also be another dream casting in True Detective season 5, one that likely wouldn’t even require a typical True Detective cop counterpart. Theron was an executive producer on the acclaimed Netflix crime series Mindhunter, indicating an interest in the genre at large. Her performance as Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) is cemented in film history as one of the best performances by a female lead in an action movie. Theron played a great detective in the acclaimed 2007 film In the Valley of Elah alongside Tommy Lee Jones.

7Jeff Bridges

Similar works include Hell or High Water & The Old Man

Jeff Bridges has already played the classic modern Western Sheriff in the celebrated Hell or High Water and was so good that he should play a similar role in True Detective season 5. Needless to say, Bridges fits the look of the classic True Detective season 1 and is still a bonafide action star with serious depth as a dramatic actor as well. His recent Hulu series The Old Man demonstrates that Bridges still has the energy and appeal for leading roles, indicating that would be a formidable yet accessible True Detective protagonist.

6Jessica Chastain

Similar works include Zero Dark Thirty

Jessica Chastain’s Oscar-nominated performance in Zero Dark Thirty proves that she is well-equipped to take on something like a leading role in True Detective season 5. She has demonstrated a wide range of acting abilities across various genres and has appeared in some of the most masterful films ever made such as Interstellar and The Tree of Life. She also played a detective previously in 2011’s Texas Killing Fields. Chastain excels in whatever role she puts herself in and would make for a captivating lead detective in the HBO series.

5Benicio del Toro

Similar works include Sicario & Reptile

Benicio del Toro would make for an incredible True Detective season 5 lead. His recent performance in Netflix’s 2023 crime drama Reptile showcased his abilities as a seasoned police detective, making a transition to True Detective effectively seamless. He excels at playing noble characters with an air of immorality, which aligns perfectly with True Detective’s historical protagonists. Del Toro offered a scene-stealing performance in 2015’s Sicario, which could set up a reunion for him and Blunt in True Detective season 5.

4Kerry Washington

Similar works include Scandal

Kerry Washington is best known for her leading role as Oliva Pope in Scandal, in which she played a crisis management handler in the corrupt and deceptive world of Washington D.C. politics. Since Scandal ended in 2018, Pope has appeared in the psychological drama series Little Fires Everywhere and the comedy series Unprisoned, but she has yet to truly sink her teeth into a substantial crime drama. Although it would be delving into uncharted territory for Washington, her impact on Scandal proves she could carry in a season of True Detective.

3Sam Rockwell

Similar works include Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Sam Rockwell won an Oscar for his performance as a small-town cop in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, making him somewhat of a no-brainer for a True Detective season 5 star role. Rockwell recently starred in the action spy comedy Argylle in which he played a secret agent with a likable soft side. Even if True Detective season 5 returns to Ennis, Alaska, or takes place in another small American town, Rockwell would make for an outstanding and natural lead detective in the series.

2Rebecca Ferguson

Similar works include Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning

Rebecca Ferguson has emerged as a top-tier female lead in sci-fi and action franchises such as Dune and Mission: Impossible and would likely be one of the best True Detective characters of the entire series. Ferguson demonstrated her ability to shine on television with the acclaimed Apple series Silo, which is expected to return sometime in the near future. Ferguson could be a major reach for True Detective considering how sought after she is in the industry, but it’s plausible that HBO and the True Detective name could attract the star actor.

1Michael Shannon

Similar works include Waco: The Aftermath

Michael Shannon was exceptional as FBI negotiator Gary Noesner in the Showtime miniseries Waco: The Aftermath, hinting at his potential as a lead in True Detective season 5. Shannon has a unique ability to play both antagonists and antagonists convincingly, making him a prime candidate for the typically morally ambiguous leads seen in past seasons of True Detective. He already played a corrupt cop in the 2012 thriller Premium Rush, making him one of the best candidates for True Detective season 5.