True Detective: Night Country has become the most-watched season of the HBO crime drama series, surpassing the critically acclaimed first season.
Created by Issa López and starring Jodie Foster, Season 4 has set a major viewing record since its premiere on January 14.
The fourth season—which also stars Kali Reis, Christopher Eccleston, and Fiona Shaw—just debuted its penultimate episode, which helped the season achieve its viewership record.
According to The Wrap, True Detective: Night Country has a total of 12.7 million viewers, which is more viewers than any prior season. Viewership data was obtained from Nielsen and Warner Bros. Discovery, and are calculated as an average of views across HBO and Max.
Season 1 starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, which had 11.9 million viewers, was the original record holder.
The first episode of Night Country debuted to 2 million viewers and has seen a steady increase for each additional episode. Episode five, which aired early due to the Super Bowl, had 5 million viewers, helping Season 4 surpass the Season 1 record.
True Detective: Night Country is set in the fictional town of Ennis, Alaska, where eight men working at a research station have mysteriously disappeared. The two detectives, played by Foster and Reis, are tasked with investigating the case.
While the new season attracted some negative reviews upon its release, it has clearly become a fan favorite. Some viewers had originally criticized Season 4 for having similarities to Season 1.
Series creator Nic Pizzolatto has even critiqued the fourth season, responding to an unimpressed fan online: “I certainly did not have any input on this story or anything else. Can’t blame me.”