Casting surrounding the HBO drama True Detective's second season has become a popular topic online, but now it appears that the show might only have three seasons total.

HBO Scrambling To Produce True Detective Season 2?

Series creator Nic Pizzolatto recently said in E! that he only intends to write another two seasons for the program before calling it quits.

"Every season, I'm essentially creating a brand new TV show..." explained Pizzolatto. "It has to work right out of the box."

True Detective Season 2 Spoilers

Pizzolatto, who is also the show's sole writer, explained that the process of constant reinvention can become a lot. "I can't imagine I would do this more than three years" he added, and since True Detective has been Pizzolatto's creation from the very beginning, it is unlikely that HBO would try to continue the series without him.

If the series were to continue in Pizzolatto's absence, it would not be the first time a network decided to continue along with a show minus the creator. The CW carried on with Supernatural following the departure of the program's creator after Season 5. While an obvious stylistic shift has occurred, the angel and demon-clad series is currently going strong as the network's longest running drama still on the air. Before Supernatural, the CW previously did the same with the popular Gilmore Girls.

While Pizzolatto considers the hit criminal drama to be a three season pursuit, Pizzolatto does like television as a medium. "I mean, I'd like to have a regular TV show. We'll have some fixed sets, regular actors and I could bring people to help and I don't have to be there every second. It'd be great."

True Detective returns for a second season on HBO January 2015.