Murder Was the Case That They Gave Mahershala in New ‘True Detective’ Season 3 Trailer (VIDEO)

Mahershala Ali is potentially on his way to his second Oscar in three years with his universally acclaimed performance alongside Viggo Boombatz in Green Book. But before Oscar night rolls around, we'll get to see the phenomenally talented actor break bread with Stephen Dorff on the third season of HBO's True Detective.

A similar pre-Oscar positioning of True Detective worked wonders for Matthew McConaughey in early 2014 when he won Best Actor at the same time the show's first season was wrapping up. It's nice to have a really solid show or movie happening right before the Oscars, and it could play out similarly for Mahershala this year.

On the other hand, a bad movie or show right before the Oscars can kill your momentum. Eddie Murphy was on his way to an Oscar for Dreamgirls in 2007 when Norbit was released between nominations being announced and votes being due, thus killing his chances. The same fate nearly befell Eddie Fancylad in 2015 thanks to Jupiter Ascending, but he beat the odds to win his Oscar.

Let's hope season three isn't as unwatchable as season two was, and Mahershala gets the exact boost he needs heading into Oscar night. True Detective season three debuts on HBO January 13, 2019, a mere two weeks before Oscar nominations are announced. Let's see how this plays out.