‘The Lowdown’ Season 1 Review: A Vibey Noir Mystery

Sterlin Harjo, best known for creating and showrunning Reservation Dogs, is back with The Lowdown for FX. Usually when showrunners are done with massively successful shows, they take a break from the format or even the job so it’s surprising the quick turnaround this show has had. Reservation Dogs ended in 2023, The Lowdown received a pilot order in early 2024, after which it received a season order later that year, and now it’s out. It’s impressive how quick the turnaround has been for Harjo, especially considering how different in approach the two shows are.

A self-proclaimed truthstorian, Lee Raybon (Ethan Hawke) is a journalist who publishes a scathing story about the Washberg family, after which one of the family members, who’s sort of estranged from the family, Dale Washberg (Tim Blake Nelson), supposedly commits suicide. Lee, however, believes it was a murder. This leads him to investigate this very suspicious death, which uncovers something that goes far deeper than just Dale.

A lot of how great this show is can be attributed to the vibes, which are immaculate to say the least. What’s so impressive about this show is that even when the main storyline isn’t in full effect, there’s so much to chew on scene-to-scene. It’s almost rare to find a scene that isn’t entertaining at minimum and absolutely perfect at maximum. 

There are two anchors to this show—the mystery and the Lee story. Both heavily revolve around Lee, but the mystery/conspiracy is what keeps the plot going, while the Lee story (focusing on his relationship with his daughter and ex-wife) is what makes it a perfect balance. The Lowdown’s best quality is being able to balance the two, especially when the two can offer completely different tones at different times. 

The show is effortlessly funny. Ethan Hawke is absolutely stellar as this zany, eccentric character who creates the vibe of the show. He’s in almost every single scene of the show and the beauty of the performance is how natural Lee feels. The performance has so many nooks and crannies but it never gets too showy or unbelievable which a lesser actor would’ve made it be. 

Even beyond Lee, the side characters—particularly the ones that serve comedic purposes are amazing. The side characters add so much with so little. They serve the purpose of full tilt entertainment—every single interaction with Ethan Hawke and almost any character is gold. It’s the fuel the show needs to build up the mystery. Keith David, the only other starring-billed actor, Jeanne Tripplehorn, and Kyle MacLachlan are major parts of the mystery side of the story, and they’re all great in different ways. Francis (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), Lee’s teenage daughter, helps ground the show and Lee in a really nice way.

The mystery itself takes a bit to get going. It points Lee in a lot of directions but the journey is rewarding enough to be worth it. There’s a lot that the show asks you to chew on, particularly with the history of Tulsa, Oklahoma and its native population. Even with the show being led by Ethan Hawke, just like Reservation Dogs, The Lowdown is so deeply ingrained with native american culture, both with the mystery and a lot of the characters. It all feels so authentic and well done. The show is paced so well with the mystery as each episode gives you just enough to chew on, which never makes it feel like it’s stalling for time which can sometimes be an issue with conspiracy shows.

Perhaps what I loved most about this show, in a TV world filled with cliffhangers and teases for the future, particularly with mystery show, The Lowdown forgoes all of that and tells a complete story. There’s a room for a lot more with the show because Sterlin Harjo crafted the world of Lee Raybon so perfectly that there’s so much you can do with and around him. But the conspiracy itself? It’s solved, and we can move on without any need to stretch that story. 

Admittedly, the one downfall of this is perhaps that the bow feels a bit too neat on the mystery. The conclusion to the story all makes sense, and it’s certainly a well-done ending, but the actual unfolding has fewer turns than it probably should. The plotting before points you in different directions as it takes turns here and there, which I wish the finale had more of. 

Outside of that, the finale is great, and the show itself is so good at crafting a world. I’m itching for more of The Lowdown and more of Ethan Hawke’s Lee Raybon and all the fantastic side characters that made the show what it is. There’s so much that you can do even if the show doesn’t tease a future plot. The show is billed as a multi-season series, but it hasn’t yet been renewed, which I hope it is. I need more!

The Lowdown stars Ethan Hawke, Keith David, Tim Blake Nelson, Kyle MacLachlan, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Scott Shepherd, Devery Jacobs, and Peter Dinklage. It was created by Sterlin Harjo.

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