'True Detective' season 3 news update: Series cancelled as new HBO chief takes control?

With a new president of programming on board, HBO is said to be looking to make some big changes to its roster of shows and, possibly, cancelling "True Detective" in the process.

According to a recent report from The Hollywood Reporter, HBO may be pulling the plug on its Emmy-winning anthology crime drama series, the first season of which featured "The Lincoln Lawyer" star Matthew McConaughey and "The Hunger Games" actor Woody Harrelson.

The second season of "True Detective," which aired in 2015, echoed the freshman season's stellar casting, with Collin Farrell, Rachel McAdams, Vince Vaughn, and Tayor Kitsch joining the main cast.

However, while the first season received rave reviews from critics, the second season's reviews were mixed. With a season 3 renewal still uncertain, fans are speculating that the lackluster reception to the sophomore season may be giving the HBO head honchos pause.

In addition, THR suggests that the organizational shake-up at the network and a new project for "True Detective" creator Nic Pizzolatto could be the main reasons behind a possible cancellation. With former HBO Comedy Programming Chief Casey Bloys having been promoted to President of Series, Late-Night and Specials, a program reshuffling seems imminent.

According to Den of Geek, while former programming head Michael Lombardo seemed happy to renew "True Detective" for a third season, the decision would have been up to series creator Nic Pizzolatto.

But according to the THR report, HBO insiders suggest that a new project from Pizzolatto is "more likely" than a third season of the detective drama.

While Pizzolatto is still under contract and won't be leaving the network anytime soon, the novelist-turned-screenwriter let on in a 2014 interview that the process of writing for "True Detective" was exhausting.

"Every season, I'm essentially creating a brand-new TV show," Pizzolatto told reporters at the Banff World Media Festival (via Vulture).

He added: "It can't have any growing pains like a regular first season. If it works it has to work right out of the box. That's incredibly exhausting. I mean, the job is exhausting to begin with, but it's doubly exhausting and I'm writing every episode. I can't imagine I would do this more than three years."

While no official announcement has been made regarding the future of "True Detective," many are taking the news of its possible demise as indication that the network may be getting to ready to release an announcement about the show's cancellation.