True Detective: Night Country Creator Responds to Online Backlash After Season Finale

True Detective: Night Country's creator is responding to the online backlash after that massive season finale. Issa López has made it a point to respond to individual fan inquiries on social media. However, she is responding to the outright abuse coming from some members of the families. GQ caught up with the show runner to discuss True Detective: Night Country and all the tendrils spreading out from it. This season of the show manages to reference earlier entries and build upon the Erie ethos of the long running HBO series. López is it upset about the passion of the viewership, because she understands how protective they can be of their favorite show.

"I do it because of passion," the showrunner revealed. "When you ask the way you just asked [about details], I'm super happy to provide answers, because I'm excited! This is what I've devoted years of my life to. And I get excited to share it."

"The love [we've received] outweighs the hostility, and I think the hostility comes from possessiveness," she continued. "The [first] series was made from a very, very male perspective, and I think it was brilliantly made from that male perspective — but it was before Donald Trump was elected. For me, it was before David Bowie died, and then everybody went to hell forever. It was before MeToo. It was before the pandemic. It was before George Floyd. That series was kind of the last one that could go to a lot of places that are not okay anymore. And the people that love it want to keep it sacred."

True Detective: Night Country Tension With Creator

Previously, the original True Detective creator had some thoughts about this season of the HBO series. The fourth entry in the long-running franchise actually stand as the best received critically on Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 93% on the Tomatometer. That makes True Detective: Night Country the highest in the rankings since 2014's debut season. One sticking point is that series creator Nic Pizzolatto wasn't involved in it. That displeasure with the current run was felt on Instagram. López empathizing with his grievances. After all, he has that strong connection to the concept.

"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," López told Vulture when asked about the comments. "I wrote this with 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."  

How Good Is Night Country?

There was a lot of anticipation for True Detective: Night Country as it got ready to roll on HBO. ComicBook.com's Patrick Cavanaugh reviewed the series for the site. Our credit card a lot of praise for how much new life this season injected into the existing franchise. However, he couldn't help but wonder if Night Country would have been better served its own original premise rather than in service of an HBO favorite.

"Night Country proves there can still be life in the True Detective brand, so long as HBO continues to empower ambitious storytellers like López, while also showcasing that a gripping adventure is comprised of far more than just a recognizable title," Cavanaugh argues. "Whether Night Country would have been better as a standalone series or not will never be known, but after waiting nearly a decade, longtime True Detective fans will be pleased to see that this new season is the best the franchise has been since we first learned that time was a flat circle."

Did you enjoy this season of True Detective? Let us know down in the comments!