Ethan Hawke’s new FX drama opens with a bruising introduction and an unmistakable Tulsa pulse. In the premiere of The Lowdown, Hawke’s Lee Raybon staggers into view already bloodied, a signal from creator Sterlin Harjo that the series’ “cowboy noir” will put its reporter-protagonist through the wringer as he chases stories about power and money.
Harjo explained that the scene sets the tone for an investigation that won’t spare its lead from consequence, and Hawke has described Lee as a flawed idealist whose stubborn honesty keeps getting him hurt. The episode features a quick sidewalk appearance by Paulina Alexis, a wink to Reservation Dogs that Harjo says arises from a shared world rather than franchise sprawl.
The Lowdown follows Lee, a bookshop owner and citizen journalist, as he probes a death tied to a well-connected family and the orbit of a gubernatorial campaign. Hawke, who executive produces, has called the character a “truthstorian,” a man who still clings to the ideals of his youth even as life complicates them. The choice to rough up the protagonist early leans into noir tradition, and Hawke has said the series embraces that lineage while keeping the bruises literal.
Harjo situates the story in a version of Tulsa that mixes beauty with shadow, extending the regional project he began on Reservation Dogs to an urban canvas. He has pointed to the late Tulsa historian Lee Roy Chapman as a key inspiration for Lee, linking the show’s mystery to the city’s buried histories and the people who try to unearth them. The series premiered September 23 on FX, with episodes streaming next day on Hulu and internationally on Disney+.
Early coverage highlights a case that entangles political ambition, real-estate deals, and family secrets, with the two-episode launch laying out the Washberg clan’s influence and the hazards of poking at it. The production’s Oklahoma footprint and a cast that includes Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Tim Blake Nelson, Jeanne Tripplehorn, and Kyle MacLachlan sharpen the show’s local texture while keeping the stakes firmly in the realm of civic power.
