True Detective renewed for Season 5 with Night Country showrunner returning

True Detective Season 5 has been given the green light at HBO, with Season 4: Night Country showrunner Issa López at the helm once more.

Hot off the heels of True Detective Season 4’s divisive finale, HBO has renewed the series for a fifth season. Not only that, but Night Country showrunner López is leading the charge once again.

The Jodie Foster and Kali Reis-led run of the show broke records for the crime drama franchise, quickly becoming the most-watched season of the show. However, it wasn’t all good news. Season 4’s finale also set a record for the lowest-rated episode in the show’s decade-long history.

Currently, there’s no telling what the focus of True Detective Season 5 may be, though as with all previous seasons, it’s all but guaranteed to focus on a new setting with a new batch of conflicted characters.

Although the series’ original creator Nic Pizzolatto has been outspoken in his criticism for Season 4, HBO has opted to move forward with new showrunner López steering the ship for Season 5. Furthermore, her role at HBO as a whole has now expanded too.

Set to develop more projects under the acclaimed HBO umbrella, López has been enlisted for more than just the future of True Detective. “Issa López is that one-of-a-kind, rare talent that speaks directly to HBO’s creative spirit,” HBO’s Head of Drama Francesca Orsi said in a statement provided to The Hollywood Reporter.

“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,” HBO’s head of drama Francesca Orsi said in a statement. “

With a four to five-year gap between each of the last three seasons, there’s no quite telling if Season 5 will follow the pattern and take a while to get off the ground. In speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, however, López teased she already had a plan in place for another season, should it be picked up.

The idea being to “weave the mystery” in a more unique way so as to keep ‘obsessed’ fans of the series on their toes from start to finish.