Night Country’ is now the show’s most watched season

True Detective: Night Country has set a major viewing record for HBO following its release on January 14.

The fourth season of the crime drama series, which stars Jodie Foster, Kali Reis, Christopher Eccleston, and Fiona Shaw, just released its penultimate episode, contributing to the new record it holds.

According to The Wrap, True Detective: Night Country has gained 12.7million viewers, making it the show’s most watched season. This record is based on figures from Nielsen and Warner Bros. Discovery, and are calculated as an average from views across HBO and Max.

The previous record holder was the fan-favourite season one, starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, which had 11.9million viewers.

The first episode debuted to 2million viewers, and has seen steady increases for each episode since. Episode five, which aired early due to the Super Bowl, had 5 million viewers, helping Night Country to surpass the record held by season one.

True Detective: Night Country, created by Issa López, is set in the fictional town of Ennis, Alaska. Starring Foster and Reis as police detectives, it explores the investigation behind the disappearances of eight men working at a research station.

The series received some negative reviews upon its release, with some viewers speculating and criticising possible echoes of season one. The original series creator Nick Pizzolatto has even bashed 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.”

In a five-star review of the series, NME wrote: “This iteration of True Detective is a female-driven return to form that weaves supernatural elements and a sensitive mental health narrative into a riveting and intricate detective story.”