FX has renewed its crime comedy The Lowdown for a second season with Ethan Hawke returning as the truth-obsessed journalist Lee Raybon.
Created by Sterlin Harjo and based loosely on journalist Lee Roy Chapman, the series sees Hawke as Lee Raybon who investigates the corruption in Tulsa, often coming in the way of his relationship with his daughter Francis. The first season saw one of Lee’s exposes result in an apparent suicide of one of its subjects, immediately ringing Lee’s alarm bells that something more is amiss. As he investigates further, more and more forces try to stop him from discovering their dark secrets.
The second season will begin production in Tulsa this spring. Harjo executive produces alongside Hawke, Ryan Hawke, Garrett Basch and Duffy Boudreau.
Lee lives and works in a rare bookstore tucked in the heart of Tulsa – a local refuge and unofficial community hub. While Lee’s no idealist, he’s fiercely committed to exposing corruption and unearthing the city’s hidden rot, even when it puts him at risk. His constant sleuthing pulls him deep into Tulsa’s underbelly – and often away from his 14-year-old daughter “Francis” (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), a precocious kid who’s inherited his curiosity and longs to join him on his adventures. His ex “Samantha” (Kaniehtiio Horn) is exasperated by Lee’s endless digging, but still sees the good in him – especially when it comes to Francis, the one thing they’ve never stopped showing up for.
When the publication of Lee’s latest exposé – a deep dive into the powerful Washberg family – is immediately followed by the suspicious suicide of “Dale Washberg” (Tim Blake Nelson), the black sheep of the family, Lee knows he’s stumbled onto something big. Following a trail of breadcrumbs Dale has left behind, urging someone to dig deeper into the circumstances surrounding his death, Lee does just that. What Lee finds is that “Betty Jo” (Jeanne Tripplehorn), the grieving widow, seems to be more interested in her brother-in-law “Donald Washberg” (Kyle MacLachlan), a gubernatorial candidate, than in her dearly departed. And powerful forces want to prevent Lee from learning anything more.
Lee has also gained the attention of a mysterious stranger who seems to appear whenever Lee least expects it: refined and suave, “Marty” (Keith David) shares Lee’s appreciation of great literary minds, and seems unusually interested in his investigation into the Washberg family.
The Lowdown stars Ethan Hawke, Keith David, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Kyle MacLachlan, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Tim Blake Nelson, and Kaniehtiio Horn, Tracy Letts, Peter Dinklage and the late Graham Greene.
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