True Detective: Night Country Creator Issa López Responds To Nic Pizzolatto's Criticisms

Grisly murders, strange (possibly supernatural) happenings, and more polar bears than you can count aren't the only sources of drama associated with this ongoing season of "True Detective: Night Country." You know that old axiom about how you can't please everybody? Oftentimes, that goes double and even triple for creatives who used to be involved with a particular production. Boy, howdy, do we have fresh proof of that today.

New writer, director, and showrunner Issa López has already faced more than her fair share of unwarranted hate for the newest season of the HBO series, which had fallen on hard times prior to her involvement. That was primarily thanks to two straight seasons commonly considered to be far inferior to the acclaimed debut. Even the most diehard fans of season 1 agreed that original series creator Nic Pizzolatto simply hadn't been able to recapture the lightning-in-a-bottle phenomenon from 2014, though there's hardly much shame in that. What is pretty appalling, however, was the fact that certain disgruntled viewers went on a review-bombing tantrum aimed at season 4 without ever even giving "Night Country" a chance. (López subsequently, and rightfully, called out their immaturity.)

Now, however, things have reached a new low. Pizzolatto, of all people, has now gotten in on the bad-faith reactions to what most agree is the best season of "True Detective" since the first, once again putting López on the defensive. To her credit, however, she has gracefully taken the high road with her response.

There's bitterness, and then there's whatever unprofessional nonsense Nic Pizzolatto is up to these days. After Reddit took notice of the former "True Detective" creator agreeing with some particularly negative comments directed at "Night Country" on Instagram, it felt inevitable that Issa López would eventually be asked about the unfolding awkwardness. In a recent interview, Vulture did exactly that and, frankly, the writer/director's thoughts couldn't possibly feel more dignified compared to Pizzolatto's sour grapes. According to López:

"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."

Hear, hear! Despite the internet's best efforts to turn "True Detective: Night Country" into the next battleground of a culture war, López chose to simply let the work — and the almost universal praise for it — speak for itself. While she remains booked and busy (López has the buzzy-sounding original "The Girl with a Thousand Names" next on her docket), Pizzolatto has been associated with yet another "Magnificent Seven" reboot, salvaging Marvel's troubled "Blade" series, and racking up some seriously bizarre "likes" on X (formerly known as Twitter). That also speaks for itself, I'd say.

"True Detective: Night Country" is currently available to stream on Max.