True Detective: Night Country showrunner Issa López isn’t concerned about criticisms from the original show’s creator, Nic Pizzolatto.
Earlier this month, comments from Instagram appeared clipped on Reddit, showing Pizolatto seemingly distancing himself from Night Country. Among other things, Pizolatto remarks that one of Night Country’s callbacks is “stupid” and says, “I certainly did not have any input on this story or anything else. Can’t blame me.”
Following those criticisms, Lopez — who’s credited with writing and directing the fourth season’s six episodes- responded in a new interview with Vulture.
“I believe that every storyteller has a very specific, peculiar, and unique relation to the stories they create, and whatever his reactions are, he’s entitled to them. That’s his prerogative,” says López. “I wrote this with a profound love for the work he made and love for the people that loved it. And it is a reinvention, and it is different, and it’s done with the idea of sitting down around the fire, and [let’s] have some fun and have some feelings and have some thoughts. And anybody that wants to join is welcome.”
The original True Detective was created and written by Pizalatto in 2014, starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson as two homicide detectives in Louisiana, chronicling their pursuit of a serial killer with occult connections across 17 years. Despite some connections and callbacks, each season contains a new cast of characters and a largely self-contained story.
True Detective: Night Country stars Jodie Foster and Kali Reis as detectives in Ennis, Alaska, as they investigate the disappearance of eight men from a research station. Night Country is the highest-rated season since the show’s debut and has garnered a wealth of critical praise. The season currently sits at 93 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
True Detective: Night Country is available for streaming on Max, as well as Prime Video and Hulu for an extra fee.
