True Detective‘s first season will have a conclusive ending with future seasons focusing on a new story, according to EP Nic Pizzolatto.

The upcoming serial killer drama will bring the central murder mystery and the ongoing debate between Detectives Cohle and Hart to full closure. As Pizzolatto told TVGuide:

“There’s no way to solve a philosophical discussion, but you can bring it to a nice ending point. I take it as my job to resolve or bring to a point of closure every conflict I introduce. … This show needs to give the audience back something commensurate with the energy they’re putting in. The audience should feel like that was worthwhile. They might be depressed, but I want them to feel like it was really worthwhile.”

With future seasons having all-new cast and stories – per its serial-anthology set-up – Pizzolatto offered some clues on what kinds of stories we might see, telling EW:

“There could be a season that’s much more of a wide-spread conspiracy thriller, a season that’s a small town murder mystery, a season where nobody is murdered and it’s a master criminal versus a master detective. Even the title True Detective is meant to be, of course, purposefully somewhat generic. There are deeper indications, the word true can also mean honorable….as long as there is some crime in there.”

True Detective premieres Jan. 12, 9/8c on HBO.