Plagiarism Accusations To Ruin ‘True Detective’ Season 2?

HBO and the creator of "True Detective" Nic Pizzolatto have broken their silence regarding accusations that the writer plagiarized some of the dialogue in the hit series, according to Entertainment Weekly.

Amidst the ongoing production of season 2 of "True Detective," the creator has reportedly been accused of "directly lifting phrases" from various authors including cult horror novelist Thomas Ligotti.

HBO issued a statement on the plagiarism accusations first.

"'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 have been many such examples in the past," stated the network in a statement.

HBO added, "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."

The writer for the first season of "True Detective," as well as the upcoming season 2, had previously explained that he was inspired by various works of literature, including Ligotti's. Thomas Ligotti Online founder Jon Padgett reportedly claims that "Pizzolatto only acknowledged the debt of his work under pressure," according to the entertainment website.

"Usually I would give any kind of writer who appeared so praising of Ligotti the benefit of the doubt, but I knew how deep the plagiarism issue ran, and I had no illusions that Pizzolatto suddenly and coincidentally wanted to talk about Ligotti after already having dozens and dozens of opportunities to do so before," explained Padgett.