Ethan Hawke Digs for the Truth in FX’s ‘The Lowdown’ Trailer

FX is stepping into the shadows with The Lowdown, a noir-inspired series from Reservation Dogs co-creator Sterlin Harjo. The trailer, released this week, positions Ethan Hawke at the center of the storm as Lee Raybon, a journalist whose relentless pursuit of corruption leaves him bruised, battered, and unwilling to quit.

Hawke’s character calls himself a “truthstorian,” a label that reflects both his obsession with uncovering lies and his willingness to take the hits that come with the job. The Tulsa-set story follows Lee as he investigates the wealthy and influential Washberg family, a dynasty whose secrets run deep and deadly.

The official logline sets the stage: “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.” That suspicion drives the series forward, as Lee follows cryptic breadcrumbs left behind by Dale, pulling him further into a tangled web of grief, power, and politics.

The ensemble cast brings serious heft. Jeanne Tripplehorn plays Betty Jo, a widow with divided loyalties, while Kyle MacLachlan steps in as gubernatorial candidate Donald Washberg, whose ambitions may not withstand scrutiny. Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Kaniehtiio Horn, and Keith David round out the supporting players, adding generational and cultural depth to Harjo’s latest project.

True to its noir influences, the trailer shows Hawke’s Lee beaten, shoved, and thrown into car trunks, suggesting the series will lean hard into the physical and psychological toll of digging too deep. Yet the noir grit is balanced by Harjo’s sharp eye for place and community, a hallmark of his work on Reservation Dogs.

Set to premiere September 23 on FX, with streaming available on Hulu, The Lowdown arrives as Harjo’s most ambitious project to date. Produced with Ethan Hawke, Garrett Basch, and Ryan Hawke, the series has all the makings of a tense, layered mystery — the kind where truth comes at a cost, and the shadows fight back.

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