HBO has not yet announced the third season renewal of the star-studded anthology crime drama "True Detective." However, there are strong signs that it will return to the small screens.

The first season of the HBO drama gained positive reviews both from critics and the viewers. However, things turned a bit sour in the second season after it garnered mostly negative reviews even though it maintained above-average TV ratings.

It was previously rumored that the show will no longer return for a third season. However, new signs suggest that there is still hope. According to SCPR, HBO president of programming Michael Lombardo admitted that he made show creator Nic Pizzolatto finish season 2 speedily, which may have led to the downturn of its quality.

Lombardo said, "Our biggest failures — and I don't know if I would consider 'True Detective 2' — but when we tell somebody to hit an air date as opposed to allowing the writing to find its own natural resting place, when it's ready, when it's baked — we've failed...And I take the blame. I became too much of a network executive at that point."

Apparently, HBO has learned its lesson and will give the creator and the production team enough time to helm a top-quality third season. Variety also reports that Pizzolatto still has a contract with HBO until 2018. Although he is expected to work on other projects, it is also likely that "True Detective" is still included in it.

HBO may have set a good future with Pizzolatto, another thing the network has to face is convincing the previous cast or introduce a fresh roster of characters that could live up to fans' expectations. The past seasons featured some of Hollywood's A-listers including Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Vince Vaughn, Rachel McAdams, and Colin Farrell.

Now, what HBO is only waiting for is the go signal from Pizzolatto and the production will start right after.