Forget all the pair-up jokes we used to make about future True Detective seasons. This one appears to be more of a solo affair, with Academy Award-winner Mahershala Ali investigating a mystery set in southern Missouri that plays out over decades with Ali’s Wayne Hays, an Arkansas detective, following leads in three distinct time periods (watch his hair change and you’ll see).

They definitely got the right guy to play haunted. He looks like he has a lot to unpack.

The central mystery involves missing children in 1980. Carmen Ejogo plays an Arkansas teacher with a connection to them, while Stephen Dorff is a state investigator whose career is tied to what is described as a baffling crime that may or may not involve the missing kids. And presumably in the most modern time period, Justice League‘s Cyborg, Ray Fisher, plays Hays’ son. Naturally, HBO likes to be a scryptic as possible with their teases, so it’s hard to tell what specifically is going on in what we see. But with David Milch, of Deadwood and NYPD Blue, joining the creative team this season, we’re guessing the odds are strong that characters will swear up a storm and thoroughly get their hands and souls dirty.

True Detective Season 3 is set for an as-yet-non-specific date in January, so it’s something to look forward to after the holidays. What do you think is happening in the clips above? Does it actually begin in the ’80s, or is that one of the later periods and other things happen earlier? HBO wouldn’t use misdirection, would they? Let us know what you think in comments.

Image: HBO