The Lowdown TV Review: Ethan Hawke channels The Big Lebowski in this Tulsa-set noir comedy

Plot: Follows the gritty exploits of citizen journalist Lee Raybon, a self-proclaimed Tulsa “truthstorian” whose obsession with the truth is always getting him into trouble.

Review: If you didn’t watch the three-season run of FX series Reservation Dogs, you missed out on one of the better shows of the last decade. Co-created by Sterlin Harjo, the series was set in rural Oklahoma and gave a glimpse at the lives of indigenous teenagers in the heart of America. For his follow-up, Harjo channels his inner Coen Brothers for a mystery with a pitch-black sense of humor set in Tulsa. Inspired by citizen journalist Lee Roy Chapman, The Lowdown follows Ethan Hawke as a writer with a penchant for sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong and ends up embroiled in a mystery involving politicians, white supremacists, pulp fiction writers, hitmen, and femme fatales. With a wicked sense of humor and an engaging whodunit at its core, The Lowdown is another winner from Starlin Harjo that is just as good as Reservation Dogs but in very different ways.

This review is based on the first five episodes of the eight-episode season (the first two episodes debuted tonight at TIFF), which opens with Dale Washberg (Tim Blake Nelson) writing a suicide note before shooting himself in his office. The story then shifts to follow Lee Raybon (Ethan Hawke), a struggling writer who bills himself as a “truthstorian” as he deals with the fallout of his exposé on the Washberg family, including the late Dale and his gubernatorial candidate brother, Donald (Kyle MacLachlan). Lee has made many enemies in Tulsa, including some Neo-Nazis who are trying to track him down, as well as a fixer (Scott Shepherd) for a local real estate mogul (Tracy Letts). Trying to get his hands on some pulp novels housed in Dale’s study, Lee realizes that the death may have been more nefarious than he realized. As he tries to pull together money to buy a home for his ex-wife, Samantha (Kaniehtiio Horn), and their daughter, Francis (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), Lee crosses paths with a private investigator named Marty (Keith David) and multiple characters around town.

Uncovering letters from Dale that expose the truth behind Donald’s political ambitions, Lee finds himself repeatedly getting his ass kicked as he tries to put together a massive story that could be his ticket to the big time. Ethan Hawke plays Lee as a disheveled mess with a mop of gray hair and an unkempt beard in the vein of Jeff Bridges’ turn as The Dude in The Big Lebowski. Both characters have their vices and find themselves at the mercy of various parties, all vying for their own motivations. Still, Hawke consistently reveals more layers to who Lee Raybon is as each chapter unfolds. Halfway through the series, we meet a character played by Peter Dinklage who has a history with Lee and gives us our most candid look at the man behind the sunglasses and fedora. Ethan Hawke has made a career out of playing good and evil characters who are far better equipped for the world. Lee Raybon may be the most distinctly realistic and strikingly bizarre role that Hawke has had yet. Still, he inhabits the role fully, making it very easy to like Lee even when he makes very unlikeable decisions.

Much of the charm of The Lowdown comes from the colorful characters who are played by a mix of indigenous actors (Kaniehtiio Jorn, Cody Lightning), Oklahoma natives (Jeanne Tripplehorn, Tim Blake Nelson, Tracy Letts), and talented performers like rapper Killer Mike, filmmaker Macon Blair, and comedian Michael Hitchcock. Few series have embraced the Tulsa setting until recent series like Reservation Dogs and Taylor Sheridan’s Tulsa King. Still, The Lowdown brings a swagger and off-kilter charm that reminds me of The Coen Brothers crossed with Noah Hawley. The Lowdown has a fantastic soundtrack and a visual style that blends surreal and gritty through each chapter, which gives the story an almost ethereal charm. The series also gives standout supporting roles to great actors like Jeanne Tripplehorn and Keith David, who are exceptional in their scenes, and Peter Dinklage in a role that may garner him recognition come awards season.

Showrunner and series creator Sterlin Harjo boasts writing credits on the first and final episodes of the series, with the other chapters written by Sneha Koorse, Scott Teems, Duffy Boudreau, Olivia Purnell, Jason Sack, Liz Blood, and iconic mystery novelist Walter Mosley. Harjo also directed the first three episodes of the series, with Macon Blair helming the next two, followed by Danis Goulet on two episodes. Harjo sets the series with a noir quality that never betrays the wicked sense of humor pervading this story, which Ethan Hawke supports as star and executive producer. The Lowdown makes excellent use of every cast member as the story develops, all narratives surrounding the focus on Lee Raybon while giving the supporting players time to shine alongside Hawke. Hawke gets to spend a great deal of the series working with Michael Hitchcock, Keith David, and Kyle MacLachlan, all of whom bring elements out of each other in ways that allow The Lowdown to feel cinematic, as well as allowing audiences to invest in the story like a great novel.

The Lowdown is probably the closest we will come to a worthy successor to The Big Lebowski. A great cast of characters, led by Ethan Hawke in one of the best performances of his career, is amplified by the unique Tulsa setting that turns this from just another mystery limited series into a tale worthy of getting lost in. Having only seen five of the eight-episode series, I am already confident that The Lowdown will be worth investing in for the whole season run and may even be looked at as a potential ongoing series chronicling Lee Raybon’s quest for truth, pulp novels, and literary success. The Lowdown is an excellent work of mystery, comedy, and surreal storytelling that few movies have done well, and even fewer television shows. Check out the first two episodes, and you will become an instant fan of Ethan Hawke’s character and want to find out what really happened to Dale Washberg.

The Lowdown premieres with two episodes on September 23rd on FX.