Warning: The below contains spoilers for the second episode of True Detective: Night Country.
True Detective: Night Country showrunner Issa López has explained why an apparent AI poster appears in the background of a scene in Episode 2 after it became a hotly-debated topic on social media.
Eagle-eyed viewers spotted the AI-style art during a pivotal scene in Episode 2 when Kali Reis' trooper Evangeline Navarro visits the residence of Edward Fletcher's Ennis miner Chuck Mosely to question him. However, the exchange left fans with more questions than answers after they noticed a bizarre concert poster adorning the wall.
The poster features a few head-scratching details, such as the band or tour name simply being "Metal," a performance advertised as the "2st" rather than the "2nd," and other grammatical issues and odd phrasing choices like "Coundown Live" and "Comeback Live," leading many to believe that it is the work of AI.
what is going on with the AI generated posters in True Detective pic.twitter.com/hLEM7pmAUM
— rachel (@rachelmillman) January 22, 2024
tired: obsessing about the AI poster in True Detective
— Michæl ? (@itsamemikey) January 22, 2024
wired: obsessing about in what world would that character ever be a DIVE pic.twitter.com/di7TVWqzDw
I have to say, massive downer to use AI in a True Detective season to print out posters, especially because any show like this is going to have everyone combing over every piece of set design to look for clues. pic.twitter.com/VUp0Tc6Rx2
— grimm (@ExileGrimm) January 22, 2024
What in the unholy fuck is this poster from last night's True Detective?
— Brian Bitner (@BrianBitner) January 22, 2024
Did they just AI generate a poster and not spend one second looking at the result?
Coundown Live!
2st LIVE! pic.twitter.com/Rn8zyotQv4
The AI posters in last night's True Detective are so weird and disappointing. They went through all the effort to stock an entire wall of DVDs in the first episode, but did that for two posters in the background of a 1 minute scene? Why?
— Mark Primiano (@Doctor1Hundred) January 22, 2024
As speculation grew, Night Country showrunner Issa López weighed in on the dicussion and explained the reason for the inclusion of the poster. She revealed it was an intentional choice to feature art that looks AI-generated, though she initially said: "The story behind that poster is so long, it would require its own season of TD."
López expanded in a post responding to someone criticizing the "lack of care" of including such an image in a show that encourages viewers to comb each scene for clues. "The idea is that it's so sad up there that some kid with AI made the posters for a loser Metal festival for boomers," she wrote. "It was discussed. Ad nauseam."
The idea is that it's so sad up there that some kid with AI made the posters for a loser Metal festival for boomers.
— Issa López (@IssitaLopez) January 22, 2024
It was discussed. Ad nauseam.
In a separate post, she added: "Chat GPT came as.we [sic] were shooting. So, we were — feeling not kind towards AI."
Exactly! Chat GPT came as.we were shooting. So, we were-- feeling not kind towards AI.
— Issa López (@IssitaLopez) January 22, 2024
The poster adjacent to the highly-scrutinized "Metal" image also attracted attention, as viewers questioned why Chuck would have a K-Pop poster for the girl group IVE. López explained the scene originally featured a line about Chuck's daughter enjoying K-Pop, but they cut it because it "dragged the scene down."
López's responses go some way in explaining why the posters appeared in the scene, but some mystery still remains. For instance, some people have quizzed whether the "Metal" poster is, in fact, AI-generated or whether an artist deliberately designed it to emulate the style of AI and emphasize the negatives of using it.
True Detective: Night Country marks a new chapter in the acclaimed HBO crime series, as it is the first season without series creator Nic Pizzolatto as showrunner or writer. López has instead taken up that mantle while also directing all six episodes. The series has received glowing reviews from critics (despite some suspected review bombing), with IGN calling it "the best season of the series since the original."
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on X @AdeleAnkers.
