2025 was filled with excellent television. Finding your way to the top against some major returning shows and highly anticipated new shows is quite hard, but FX introduced an underdog hit serving as a vehicle for a major star. In a time when audiences adore a good crime thriller, FX countered with a whip-smart, quippy, neo-Western crime drama: The Lowdown.
Running a rare bookstore in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Lee Raybon (Ethan Hawke) is a self-proclaimed “truthstorian” who spends most of his time investigating local corruption. After digging into the suspicious death of Dale Washberg (Tim Blake Nelson), Lee falls down a rabbit hole of a conspiracy involving the Washberg family. From strained family bonds to skinheads and a dive into Tulsa’s past, The Lowdown achieves everything audiences love about the genre while infusing the rise of neo-Western into the soul of the series.
‘The Lowdown’ Is a Witty, Gritty, Face-Paced Storytelling From Start to Finish
Lee Raybon (Ethan Hawke), with a bloody face, at the wheel of a car in ‘The Lowdown’Image via FX Networks
Created by Sterlin Harjo and living in the same universe as Reservation Dogs, The Lowdown is the type of layered series that does everything right. Built around a mystery, The Lowdown brings audiences into a noir-style story through the dusty terrain of Oklahoma. Even if the landscape might be a bit brighter than in other mystery thrillers, The Lowdown infuses Western elements to revitalize the genre and meld it with a gripping crime story. The draw into this world are the various elements that make up the season’s mystery. From neo-Nazi skinheads running an underground criminal syndicate in Tulsa, a closeted member of a power city dynasty, and a cast of eccentric characters who are not always good at their mission, the pieces are put together to generate a fantastic puzzle.
With Hawke in the leading role as a citizen journalist, he’s able to keep us glued to the twisty story. He’s an affable character who won’t stop until he’s brought the entire truth to light. He stands strong in his convictions. If his naysayers mock his profession, believing it to be a “sh–y f—ing newspaper,” he hits back with the truth, “It’s a long-form magazine!” He’s a bit single-minded, but determined nonetheless.
In pursuit of the truth, Lee pays a personal cost. To say he has a punchable face in this series is an understatement. For many characters who might be on the wrong side of a fight, they could understandably feel down and out. Not Hawke’s Lee. He takes it on the chin and makes the most of it through humor and expletives. For someone who gets beaten down and kidnapped more often than he remains in the safety of his own bookstore-turned-home, he does so for the greater good as a crusader for truth. There’s no way not to adore him. Like Justified before it, there’s something appealing about a charismatic lead in a hat hunting down criminals.
Ethan Hawke’s FX Series ‘The Lowdown’ Boasts a Star-Studded Ensemble
Beyond the award-worthy performance from Hawke, the ensemble that makes up The Lowdown is as bright and engaging as the lead. Harjo has introduced an eccentric cast of characters that brilliantly play beyond stock characters. Each character, even if just present for a bit in the plot, is well-rounded and dynamic. They may be a bit kooky and off-kilter, but that’s what keeps The Lowdown moving and gives the show its unique style.
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Jeanne Tripplehorn also talks about being a huge admirer of show creator Sterlin Harjo and how badly she wanted to be a part of ‘The Lowdown.’
The brilliant cast makes the series top-rate. There’s Keith David as Marty, the mysterious poetry-loving private investigator who has a hand in everyone’s business. There’s Ryan Kiera Armstrong as Lee’s daughter, Francis, who emerges as a chip off the old block, much to Lee’s delight and concern. Jeanne Tripplehorn plays Betty Jo, Dale’s double-dealing widow. (Her post-credit karaoke scene at the end of the season is top-notch entertainment.)
Kyle MacLachlan has all the makings of the devious bad guy suppressing the truth as gubernatorial candidate Donald Washberg. But the moment the series becomes the best it can be is with the guest appearance by Peter Dinklage as Wendell, Lee’s estranged buddy, for lack of a better word. The dynamic Hawke and Dinklage have is worthy of a buddy-duo prequel series. Their dynamic and ability to play off of one another showcases the witty writing and how, even with a dark tone underneath, there can be fun while investigating the truth.
FX Crime Series ‘The Lowdown’ Is a Love Letter to the Past
Ethan Hawke as Lee Raybon sitting at a table across from Graham Greene as Arthur Williams in The LowdownImage via FX
What makes The Lowdown feel raw and authentic is the inspiration for the story. Hawke’s Lee is loosely inspired by Lee Roy Chapman, a citizen journalist known for unearthing Tate Brady, one of Tulsa’s founding fathers, and his involvement in the Tulsa Race Massacre. Like the character in the series, he was a Jack-of-all-trades and dealer of rare books, who just so happened to be a friend of Harjo’s. Sadly, Chapman died in 2015, but his legacy lives on in The Lowdown.
Oklahoma has been ripe for usage in entertainment in recent years. From the HBO miniseries Watchmen to Martin Scorsese‘s Killers of the Flower Moon, the state’s rich history has provided for intriguing, meaningful stories. With Harjo at the helm, there’s a personal approach to his depiction of Tulsa. By presenting the Native American characters as essential and important individuals, Harjo ensures that they’re not just background players. They mean something to the story and to the land.
Now that all episodes are available, The Lowdown is a wonderful binge-watch. It’s not just an engaging mystery to pass the time; it’s also a good hang that feels like you’re watching your friends get down to business. Hawke’s performance may be one of his strongest in recent memory. He’s reinvented himself, owning the bumbling middle-aged man trying to maintain the past archetype. There are certainly more places the series can go, and we hope that FX gives the series the chance to uncover more history.
- Release Date
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September 23, 2025
- Directors
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Sterlin Harjo