True Detective Season 5 is officially on the way with Night Country showrunner, writer, director, and executive producer Issa López back at the helm.
HBO announced plans to continue its anthology crime drama following the success of its Alaska-set fourth season. Season 4, subtitled Night Country, concluded its icy mystery with its sixth and final episode on February 18. It brought in 12.7 million viewers across HBO platforms, making it the show’s most-watched season ever.
True Detective Season 5 will exist as part of a new multiyear overall deal with López that will see her creating exclusive content for HBO and Max.
“Issa López is that one-of-a-kind, rare talent that speaks directly to HBO’s creative spirit,” HBO Programming Executive Vice President Francesca Orsi said in a statement. “She helmed True Detective: Night Country from start to finish, never once faltering from her own commendable vision, and inspiring us with her resilience both on the page and behind the camera. Alongside Jodie and Kali’s impeccable performances, she’s made this installation of the franchise a massive success, we are so lucky to have her as part of our family.”
True Detective: Night Country takes place in the fictional town of Ennis, Alaska, and follows Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis) as they seek to uncover the area's best-kept secrets. Like the other three previous seasons of the show, this six-episode run explored new characters and stories. There are currently no details on Season 5 or its cast.
“From conception to release, Night Country has been the most beautiful collaboration and adventure of my entire creative life,” López said. “HBO trusted my vision all the way, and the idea of bringing to life a new incarnation of True Detective with Casey, Francesca, and the whole team is a dream come true. I can't wait to go again.”
We gave Night Country a 9/10 in our review. We loved the show's latest outing, saying that the story delivered “the best season of the series since the original.”
Not all of the news surrounding the most recent addition to the True Detective catalog has been positive. In January, López called out “bros and hardcore fanboys” for review bombing the show. Nic Pizzolatto, the original creator of the series, even chimed in with his own criticisms, which both López and Reis took the time to respond to. For more on Night Country, be sure to read our analysis of the show and how it confronts the trauma its characters face.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
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