Mahershala Ali Is Hot in Any ‘True Detective’ Time Period

True Detective Season 3 is here with enough gritty brooding and time leaps to last Reddit through the end of January (at least). But in between all its talk about suspicious trash men and PTSD there’s one important detail we’ve all been ignoring: no matter the age, Mahershala Ali is hot.

There are a million reasons why True Detective Season 3 is Ali’s show. Spanning three different timelines, this installment explores how Detective Wayne Hays’ (Ali) life was forever changed by the missing children case that’s haunted him for nearly 30 years. The season lets Ali essentially embody three different evolutions of the same man: the young and hopeful new detective; the grizzled family man; and the delirious old man Wayne later becomes, haunted both by this case and his own PTSD.

Ali is a breathtaking actor in even the smallest role. Giving him an entire season to flex his acting muscles as he performs the complicated emotional life of Wayne Hays is such a treat, it almost feels sinful. Between his Golden Globe win for The Green Book and what feels like a destined Emmy nomination this year, 2019 is shaping up to be an incredible year for the actor.

Which is nice and all, but also he’s very, very hot.

Mahershala Ali is objectively a very attractive man, but there’s something about Wayne’s genuine goodness and quiet nature that amplifies his natural hotness tenfold.

I mean just look at his fiery intensity as a detective in the ’80s. Look into those quietly soulful eyes. Look at that suit! That’s a guy who will take care of you, but won’t hesitate to threaten the gross bar guy groping his date’s ass. And just when you think that Wayne Hays is in peak hottie form…

BAM! There he is 10 years later. You know what 10 years brings for most people? Expanding waistlines and diminished standards. You know what it means for Wayne Hays? More gym reps and some sexy introspection. Sure, his equally hot wife Amelia (Carmen Ejogo) is the half of this couple more likely to quote poetry in casual conversation, but you know that Wayne understands it on a deep level.

Even 15 years later, you can tell Wayne still has it going on.

If he did let his son put him in a retirement home (and if he could move on from his wife), he’d be a heartbreaker no doubt. Also, you know who else is hot? His son Henry (Ray Fisher). Those are some excellent genes. Bravo, Hays family.

True Detective had a complicated relationship with sex even before the series made Rachel McAdams wax poetic about anal. This was the show that tried to convince us that 20-something women were desperate to throw themselves at angry cop Woody Harrelson. But somehow, in this show’s complicated distortions of sexiness, True Detective has found the real deal. The fact that Wayne is/was in a loving marriage with at least one kid who likes him only makes him hotter.

I’m sure as this season progresses and Wayne’s half-remembered nightmares start to flesh out we’ll have to reckon with his dark side. There will likely be several revelations about his past that will make us hate, or at least distrust this seemingly wholesome veteran. But for now, let’s live in glorious ignorance and appreciate Wayne Hays for who he is: truly the hottest detective.

Watch True Detective on HBO Go and HBO NOW