If you’ve checked the Max app lately, you’ve likely seen True Detective: Night Country perched atop the top 10 series charts. True Detective is an anthology series, which means each season tells a self-contained story, but this season is notable for being the first not written by the series creator, Nic Pizzolatto. If you aren’t a Max subscriber but are curious to see how the series has evolved, you can now watch the first episode for free on YouTube.
This isn’t the first time HBO has uploaded its shows to YouTube. In fact, in September of 2022, HBO put the first episode of House of the Dragon up on YouTube. It is actually still online if you haven’t gotten around to watching the Game of Thrones spinoff series.
You can watch the first episode of True Detective: Night Country here (but it’s age-restricted, so you’ll probably have to click through to watch it on YouTube):
All six episodes of Night Country were written and directed by Issa López (Tigers Are Not Afraid), with Pizzolatto credited as an executive producer.
The new season stars Jodie Foster as Chief Liz Danvers and Kali Reis as Trooper Evangeline Navarro – two detectives trying to solve a mysterious case involving the disappearance of eight men working at an Alaskan research station. The cast also features Fiona Shaw, Finn Bennett, Christopher Eccleston, Isabella Star LaBlanc, and John Hawkes.
Reviews have been generally positive, and viewership has increased every week. That said, series creator Nic Pizzolatto has made it clear that he isn’t thrilled with the direction of the new season. “I certainly did not have any input on this story or anything else,” Pizzolatto said in an Instagram comment. “Can’t blame me.”
López responded to that criticism in a recent interview with Vulture, saying that “every storyteller has a very specific, peculiar, and unique relation to the stories they create, and whatever his reactions are, he’s entitled to them.”