For months, eager fans have been awaiting the first episode of True Detective: Night Country.

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The fourth season of the highly regarded crime mystery anthology series has some serious star power driving it, with Jodie Foster taking on the lead role of Liz Danvers, a canny detective who is investigating the disappearance of eight researchers from an Arctic research station.

Although only one episode has dropped so far, the internet is already ablaze with controversy about the show (shocking, we know). This is most clearly shown by the disparity in True Detective: Night Country‘s RT score, which currently sits in the nineties for critics but is lingering at a lowly 69 percent for audiences.

So, is the series a bit middling, or are misogynistic fanboys of the iconic first season just giving it a bad rating because it’s a women-led production? We look into whether or not True Detective: Night Country is bad or just getting review-bombed, and why the controversy exists in the first place.

Why would viewers review bomb True Detective: Night Country?

As anybody who’s been on the internet for longer than five minutes knows, it’s rife with misogyny. It’s also rife with racism, misandry, homophobia, ableism, and all the rest of the hateful ideologies that make up bigotry bingo, but those online do seem to have a special predication for despising women.

The newest outing in the True Detective universe is the first one to have a female lead (prior seasons were led by Matthew McConaughey, Colin Farrell, and Mahershala Ali). And given that Foster is the most visible lesbian in the industry, there’s sure to be a double whammy of hatred aimed at the series.

The other leading part is played by the former boxer Kali Reis, which is another bone of contention for those who are set on hating the fourth installment of True Detective. In the depths of Reddit, some are arguing she only received the role because she ticks the boxes when it comes to diversity. Never mind that Reis has been nominated for an Independent Spirit Award.

The acclaimed first season of the show did have a bit of a masculine energy to it, and given how fickle and obsessive fandoms are, it’s not surprising that having a women-led cast would get the backs up of some of the more incel-adjacent viewers.

Of course, this kind of unwarranted hatred from a group of fans isn’t limited to men who hate women. Just ask one of the more unhinged Swifties about someone who’s perceived to have wronged the singer. The impulse to spew hatred at something because of what it represents is one that the internet seems to have deepened in many, and may be behind the negativity that’s souring the newest season of True Detective.

What did True Detective: Night Country showrunner Issa López say about review bombing?

As a creative you always want to defend your work, but it still was quite surprising to see True Detective: Night Country showrunner Issa López come out swinging against the negative RT reviews the show was getting. As per Variety, she tweeted the following:

“So, if you liked last night’s [episode] of [True Detective: Night Country], and have a Rotten Tomatoes account, maybe head over there and leave an audience review? The bros and hardcore fanboys of [Season 1] have made it a mission to drag the rating down, and it’s kind of sad, considering all the 5 star ones.”

López is bound to defend her project, but later reconsidered her words, deleting that tweet and replacing it with:

OK. I removed a post. I despise review bombing of any kind, but A: our audience score in RT is much better now, and B: I used a generalization about who was bombing. And geralizations are ALWAYS a mistake.
And! SO MANY beautiful bros and TD S1 hard-core fans loved our ep 1! 🙏

— Issa López (@IssitaLopez) January 15, 2024

So, is ‘True Detective: Night Country’ actually bad or is it getting review-bombed?

There are legitimate criticisms of the series, like the poorly rendered CGI animals. The True Detective universe demands that viewers are pulled in, but the dodgy use of the technology might be enough to smash the suspension of disbelief for some. There’s also a worry that the idea of having two no-nonsense lead characters will stem their development. But that’s something that can only be discussed when we’re deep into the season.

One fair thing to say is that the first episode of True Detective: Night Country wasn’t as good as the scintillating, captivating season one pilot. However, as that episode is widely considered to be one of the best openers in television history, it’s not a fair standard to hold it up to.

When it comes down to it, True Detective: Night Country is worth watching if you’re a fan of the anthology series, but isn’t quite as perfect as the first season. With that said, there’s a big difference between one and five stars, and it undoubtedly sits towards the higher end of that spectrum.

Our verdict: inconclusive. Let’s see how the rest of the season pans out.