True Detective showrunner teases season 5 and its possible connection to Night Country

A fifth season of True Detective is on the way from Night Country creator Issa López  – and the filmmaker is keeping it vague when it comes to prior season connections.

"It might, or not, be connected to Ennis," López said during the Deadline TV Contenders panel. "We will see."

True Detective: Night Country, the fourth installment in the HBO anthology series, follows detectives Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis), as they are tasked with solving the mystery of six men who, while operating the Tsalal Artice Research Station in Alaska, vanish without a trace. Fiona Shaw, Finn Bennett, John Hawkes, Christopher Eccleston, Isabella Star LaBlanc, Dervla Kirwan, Anna Lambe, Joel D. Montgrand, and Owen McDonnell also star.

Night Country became the most-watched of the entire series, with a total of 12.7 million cross-platform viewers, and was swiftly renewed for a fifth season with López at the helm. The director referred to the show as the "most beautiful collaboration and adventure of my entire creative life," adding that HBO trusted her vision "all the way."

Despite each season being a standalone story, season 4 has slight connections to season 1 – which starred Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson as two detectives tasked with investigating the 1995 murder of Dora Lange.

All episodes of True Detective: Night Country are available to watch now on Sky Atlantic and NOW in the UK. Across the pond, you can find it on HBO's streaming service Max. Check out our guide to the True Detective season 4 ending explained for more.