True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto scathingly eviscerates ‘stupid’ Night Country

‘I certainly did not have any input on this story,’ he allegedly said of new season

True Detective creator Niz Pizzolatto has criticised season four, titled True Detective: Night Country, calling it “stupid”.

Pizzolatto was the creative mind behind the first three seasons of the HBO anthology series, which has returned under the guidance of writer-director Issa López.

Throughout the first four episodes of the Alaska-set True Detective: Night Country, which stars Jodie Foster and Kali Reis, viewers have been detecting several links to the hugely acclaimed first season, which starred Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson.

While many fans are enjoying the direct link, others have branded it “lazy” and are now review bombing the show – something that has frustrated Evangeline Navarro actor Reis.

“Review bombing” is a term used to describe when people post negative reviews of a film, TV series or video game en masse, in a coordinated effort to lower its rating on aggregator websites like Rotten Tomatoes.

However, one critic of the new season appears to be Pizzolatto himself who, despite having an executive producer credit on the show, has distanced himself from the episodes in alleged Instagram posts that have been shared on Reddit.

In one of the screenshots, he seemingly replied to a comment about the season one homages, branding them “stupid”.

He allegedly wrote in another comment, which was complaining about the season: “I certainly did not have any input on this story or anything else. Can’t blame me.”

Addressing a theory that McConaughey’s character Rustin “Rust” Cohle might show up in Night Country, following the introduction of his father, Pizzolatto appeared to write: "Matthew doesn't show up, nor would he."

López has issued a response to Pizzolatto’s alleged comments, defending her usage of symbols, themes and Easter eggs related to the first season, which was broadcast in 2014.

‘True Detective’ creator Nic Pizzolatto has seemingly criticised ‘Night Country’ (Reddit)

She told 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.

“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.”

The Independent has contacted Pizzolatto for comment