Actor Mahershala Ali is on a roll. He won his second Oscar for actor in a supporting role for his performance in “Green Book.” On the same night, the third season of “True Detective,” in which Ali plays the lead, concluded marking a successful return after a much-maligned second season.

It’s ironic. “Green Book” was lambasted by many as an unrealistic examination of race relations in America. “True Detective” managed to delve into the issue of race in a more credible way, despite not confronting the issue head-on. And part of that may have been the result of Ali convincing series creator Nic Pizzolatto to make the lead character in season three a black man.