Did 'True Detective' Creator Nic Pizzolatto Plagiarize? The Evidence Is Stacking Against Him
HBO’s True Detective has been hailed as one of TV’s most groundbreaking new dramas — nominated for 12 Emmys in the major drama series categories, including Best Drama, Best Actor for both Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, and Best Writing and Directing for Nic Pizzolatto and Cary Fukunaga, respectively — but it hasn’t been without controversy.
The latest accusations of plagiarism against Nic Pizzolatto, the creator and sole credited writer of Season 1, are huge enough to blow up all of True Detective’s “time is a flat circle” wisdom.
This week, Lovecraft eZine published an in-depth article asking one very big question: Did the writer of True Detective plagiarize Thomas Ligotti and others?
The site gathered a few experts on Ligotti, an author known for his Lovecraftian horror fiction, to flag dialogue from True Detective lifted directly from Ligotti’s work, among others. Pizzolatto has openly stated that McConaughey’s character Rust Cohle “borrowed” some of his philosophical wisdom from Nietzsche, but has never credited Ligotti as an influence.
Throughout Season 1, Cohle spouted wisdom like a Doomsday fortune cookie: “It’s all one gutter, man. A giant gutter in outer space.” But the comparisons to text from Ligotti’s work, “The Frolic” in this case, are undeniable: “…in the black-foaming gutters and back alleys of paradise, in the dank windowless gloom of some galactic cellar, in the hollow pearly whorls found in sewerlike seas, in starless cities of insanity, and in their slums…”
And there are plenty more examples where that came from. Pizzolatto was asked about Ligotti in an interview with the Wall Street Journal back in February: “In episode one [of True Detective] there are two lines in particular (and it would have been nothing to re-word them) that were specifically phrased in such a way as to signal Ligotti admirers. Which, of course, you got.” But is that nod enough to clear him from plagiarism claims?
UPDATE: HBO and Pizzolatto have both issued statements denying the claims of plagiarism. Take a look:
HBO Statement:
"True Detective” is a work of exceptional originality and the story, plot, characters, and dialogue are that of Nic Pizzolatto. Philosophical concepts are free for anyone to use, including writers of fiction, and there have been many such examples in the past. Exploring and engaging with ideas and themes that philosophers and novelists have wrestled with over time is one of the show’s many strengths — we stand by the show, its writing, and Nic Pizzolatto entirely.
Nic Pizzolatto Statement:
Nothing in the television show “True Detective” was plagiarized. The philosophical thoughts expressed by Rust Cohle do not represent any thought or idea unique to any one author; rather these are the philosophical tenets of a pessimistic, anti-natalist philosophy with an historic tradition including Arthur Schopenauer, Friedrich Nietzche, E.M. Cioran, and various other philosophers, all of whom express these ideas. As an autodidact pessimist, Cohle speaks toward that philosophy with erudition and in his own words. The ideas within this philosophy are certainly not exclusive to any writer.
True Detective’s eight-episode first season made waves a few months back by submitting in the Emmys Drama categories instead of as a miniseries, even though its first season was a stand-alone, anthology style format, and Season 2 will feature an entirely new story, new cast, and new characters.
Pizzolatto was nominated for writing the episode “The Secret Fate of All Life” after only being allowed to submit one episode for consideration thanks to having sole writing credit on the entire first season. Sole writing credit is something he’s been very vocal about, especially on Twitter:
Pizzolatto is currently gracing the cover of The Hollywood Reporter, being dubbed one of the TV industry’s “New Disrupters,” and in the interview he seemed to hint at the fact that people would be out to discredit him because the show was such a massive success right out of the gate:
“As a creator, you always have one eye on the back of the room, where you know they’re loading their guns and building your gallows,” he told THR. “You almost feel like issuing a disclaimer: ‘This show will not change your life.’”
The article also includes praise for Pizzolatto from his HBO boss Michael Lombardo: “He is not uncomfortable exploring the darkness in men and women and not judging it, and that’s very powerful. The corners of the psyche that most people are hiding or unaware of, he goes right for.”
[Related: ‘True Detective’ Plot Details Emerge; Vince Vaughn in Talks, Elisabeth Moss Circling]
HBO and Pizzolatto have been keeping details about True Detective Season 2 under wraps, promising news weeks ago that’s still yet to be revealed; this week names like Vince Vaughn and Elisabeth Moss have been floating around, although the rumors are just that for now — unconfirmed. Pizzolatto, who reportedly signed a two-year deal with HBO worth nearly $1 million a year, must be feeling the pressure.
At the Television Critics Association summer press tour in July, FX boss John Landgraf was asked to comment on True Detective when talking about his own Emmy-nominated Fargo, which had the same format but submitted in the expected miniseries Emmys categories (and, for the record, received 18 total nominations, just behind HBO’s Game of Thrones, which garnered the most with 19):
“You know, I think True Detective’s going to have to prove that it’s more than just a vehicle for movie stars. I think it’s going to have to prove that — Nic’s going to have to prove that he can write something truly great every single year,” Landgraf said. “Because if the writing is not great, it doesn’t matter who is in it. It’s not going to be a great show.”
Now, with the writing credits coming under fire, the question is less about “Can True Detective Season 2 be great?” and more about “Will HBO still go forward with production?” Either way, this kind of negative buzz can’t be good during Emmys voting…
Read the examples and tell us: Do you think the plagiarism claims are valid?
