Time is a flat circle — an inescapable one for Mahershala Ali in the first trailer for HBO's "True Detective" Season 3.

The Oscar winner stars as Detective Wayne Hayes, who is haunted by a the case of two missing children in the Ozarks in the 1980s. Much like in Season 1, the story will unfold over three separate timelines.

Season 3 boasts a terrific ensemble cast, with Stephen Dorff playing Hayes' partner, Roland West, and Carmen Ejogo as a schoolteacher connected to the two kids. Scoot McNairy and Mamie Gummer play the kids' parents.

The trailer indicates the crime drama is returning to its Season 1 form and Ali's performance looks to rival Matthew McConaughey's. The show took a bit of a tumble in storytelling quality in Season 2, but the time that creator Nic Pizzolatto took to craft these new episodes seems to have paid off.

"True Detective" Season 3 premieres January 13, 2019 on HBO.