True Detective Season 4 Episode 5 Release Time: Schedule Change Explained

There are only two episodes left to go in the latest season of True Detective and viewers are starting to get antsy for some answers about what killed the Tsalal research station nerds. Thankfully, the wait for the fifth and penultimate episode is going to be shorter than anticipated.

After showrunner Issa López accidentally scooped them, HBO has officially announced that True Detective: Night Country episode 5 will be available to stream on Max beginning Friday, Feb. 9 at 9 p.m. The episode will still air on HBO at its usual 9 p.m. time on Sunday, Feb. 11 and there is no change in schedule announced for the sixth and final episode on Sunday, Feb. 18.

Though HBO never mentions the reason why for the scheduling change, it’s already pretty apparent for anyone with passing knowledge of the U.S. TV calendar. This Sunday, Feb. 11 is the date of Super Bowl LVIII – the NFL’s premier championship event to be fought between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs. For any of our non-U.S. readers who are unaware, the Super Bowl is something of a de facto holiday for Americans regardless of their sports fandom status. It’s a TV event that will find much of the country glued to their couches, eating bespoke greasy appetizers. And yes … she’s gonna be there.

Funnily enough, this is the second time in as many years that HBO has opted to bump up the fifth episode of one of its successful dramas to avoid the Super Bowl. In advance of Super Bowl LVII last year, The Last of Us episode 5 was made available two days early as well. Start placing your bets as to what HBO drama’s fifth episode will be affected next year by Super Bowl LIX.

HBO has not released an official synopsis for episode 5 but the teaser trailer does feature some notable nuggets.

Navarro’s still hearing ghosts, Christopher Eccleston’s Captain Ted Connelly is still a dick, and … wait a minute. Oh God. Who gave Prior a gun??? At trailer’s end Liz Danvers sternly intones “It ends here. It’s over.” Far be it from us to disagree with Jodie Foster but something tells us that won’t be the case at all.