https://www.vulture.com/2019/02/true-detective-season-3-true-criminal.html

Creator Nic Pizzolatto came full circle with the Season 3 finale, says Kenny Herzog. "It’s conceivable that Pizzolatto — blown back by the hostile response to True Detective season two — assessed audience appetites and realized there’d been a shift in how gritty mysteries are told and sold since season one debuted way back in 2014," says Herzog, adding: "That’s where True Detective came full circle this season, reinforcing the series’ familiar themes while tackling its near-obsolescence head-on. Season one was an alchemical wonder, but also well-timed and well-crafted escapism that helped to jolt the cops-and-killers genre out of its procedural coma. Season two was, to put a fine point on it, a cannily cast curiosity. Season three, though, positioned itself as a response to the way in which true crime had, ironically, posed an existential threat to TV fiction about crimes that could be true."

ALSO:

Season 3 failed as a mystery but confirmed Mahershala Ali's greatness (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/fien-print/true-detective-season-3-failed-as-a-mystery-but-confirmed-mahershala-alis-greatness-1190472)
This season was less a retread of Season 1 than a slight overcorrection (https://www.theringer.com/tv/2019/2/25/18240263/true-detective-season-3-season-1-connected)
Season 3 finale betrayed a bloated, frustrating, murky attempt at storytelling (https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/02/true-detective-season-3-finale-review-recap#~o)