After years of waiting, fans of HBO anthology series "True Detective" now know exactly when the show will be back for its highly-anticipated third season.

The premium cable outlet announced on Thursday that the season three premiere is scheduled for January 13 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The eight-episode season will center around what's being described as "a macabre crime in the heart of the Ozarks," and will span three different time periods.

Oscar winner Mahershala Ali ("Moonlight") will play the main character, Wayne Hays, a state police detective from Northwest Arkansas. The supporting cast includes Stephen Dorff (playing Roland West, an Arkansas State Investigator), and Carmen Ejogo (playing Amelia Reardon, an Arkansas schoolteacher with a connection to two missing children in 1980).

Season one of the HBO series, created by Nic Pizzolatto, starred Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, and was a huge hit with both viewers and critics alike. But the second season -- featuring stars Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams, Taylor Kitsch, and Vince Vaughn -- was decidedly less successful, leading HBO at one point to put plans for a third installment on indefinite hold.

This new version, though, has fans hopeful that "True Detective" can once again return to its first season heights. They'll only have to wait a few more months to find out for sure.

[via: Variety]