The creator of True Detective has flatly denied accusations that portions of its central character’s dialogue were plagiarised from the work of cult horror author Thomas Ligotti. Nic Pizzolatto, the writer and executive producer of the Emmy-nominated TV crime drama, yesterday refuted claims by bloggers who suggested the pessimistic worldview of Detective Rust Cohle – played by Matthew McConaughey – was lifted from Ligotti’s writings.

The moody Cohle was given to musing, for instance, that, “[Humans] became too self-aware. Nature created an aspect of nature separate from itself. We are creatures that should not exist by natural law.” In a 4 August blog post, Mike Davis, editor of the Lovecraft eZine, and Jon Padgett of Thomas Ligotti Online, discussed that line’s resemblance to a previous Ligotti passage, which reads: “Nature has veered into the supernatural by fabricating a creature that cannot and should not exist by natural law.”

In a densely worded statement, Pizzolatto responded: “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 Nietzsche, 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.”

HBO released a more straightforward statement, saying, “True Detective is a work of exceptional originality and the story, plot, characters and dialogue are that of Nic Pizzolatto.”

True Detective season 2 cast Show all 5 1 /5 True Detective season 2 cast True Detective season 2 cast True Detective season 2 cast Colin Farrell will play Ray Velcoro, 'a compromised detective whose allegiances are torn between his masters in a corrupt police department and the mobster who owns him' Getty Images True Detective season 2 cast True Detective season 2 cast Rachel McAdams will play Ani Bezzerides, 'a Ventura County Sheriff's detective whose uncompromising ethics put her at odds with others and the system she serves' Getty Images True Detective season 2 cast True Detective season 2 cast Kelly Reilly will play Frank's wife Jordan Semyon, 'a former D-list actress who is a full partner in his enterprises and ambitions' Getty Images True Detective season 2 cast True Detective season 2 cast Vince Vaughn will star as Frank Semyon, 'a career criminal in danger of losing his empire when his move into legitimate enterprise is upended by the murder of a business partner' Getty Images True Detective season 2 cast True Detective season 2 cast Taylor Kitsch, pictured in the title role of John Carter, will play Paul Woodrugh, 'a war veteran and motorcycle officer for the California Highway Patrol, running from a difficult past and the sudden glare of a scandal that never happened' Disney

The unlikely brouhaha blew up online just as details of the drama’s hotly anticipated second series have begun to surface. As an “anthology” show, True Detective will return with an entirely new plot, setting and cast, and this week The Wrap reported that Vince Vaughn was likely to be cast its principal antagonist, with Colin Farrell, Taylor Kitsch and Mad Men star Elisabeth Moss in line for the roles of three very different detectives.

The second series will be set in California, and it is believed the story turns on the murder of a corrupt local government official. Pizzolatto has previously described the script as being about “hard women, bad men and the secret occult history of the United States transportation system.”