‘The Lowdown’: Why FX’s Tulsa Noir Is Still Worth Watching in Season 2

Meaghan Darwish October 13, 2026, 5:38 pm

Ethan Hawke in 'The Lowdown' Season 2 — Shane Brown/FX

What To Know

Season 2 of FX’s The Lowdown shifts its focus from Native land disputes to exposing corruption and systemic issues within Oklahoma’s prison system.
The show deepens its character dynamics as Lee Raybon navigates newfound recognition, family tensions, and a challenging investigation sparked by a missing inmate case.

When it comes to television, it’s rare to find a show that has more to say than FX‘s compelling Tulsa-set noir, The Lowdown, which continues into the show’s second season.

While the first season of the series from creator Sterlin Harjo (Reservation Dogs) focused on “truthstorian” Lee Raybon’s (Ethan Hawke) quest to uncover the mystery behind Dale Washberg’s (Tim Blake Nelson) death, which ultimately revealed a larger problem about the control over Native land in Oklahoma, this latest chapter explores the issues surrounding the prison system at large.

Fresh off the success of his Heartland Press story about Dale, Lee kicks off Season 2 with the kind of recognition someone hoping to highlight the truth would normally want, but he’s no good at center stage. Mixed emotions only become stormier when Lee’s estranged father, Lee Raybon Sr. (Tommy Lee Jones), blows into town and attempts to build a relationship with his daughter Francis (Ryan Kiera Armstrong).

Tommy Lee Jones in 'The Lowdown' Season 2

Shane Brown / FX

When public defender Ginger (Betty Gilpin) seeks out Lee’s help to find a client who went missing in prison, it sends him down a dark path of corruption within the criminal justice system in Oklahoma. And while the frantic and occasionally manic countenance of Lee can be a bit much for the people in his life, it conveys a sense of urgency in the storytelling and the messages Harjo is trying to get out to viewers.

From the uneven class systems, prisons, and underlying racism to he marginalization of Indigenous people, The Lowdown continues to make the most of its time with the episodes it’s allotted. An impressive ensemble helps bring the story to vivid life, giving old favorites an opportunity to press their skills with lived-in roles, and introducing audiences to new performers worth watching.

'The Lowdown': Ethan Hawk Previews Tommy Lee Jones's Season 2 Role

A uniquely funny undertone makes The Lowdown a drama set apart from its contenders, and tagging along with Lee for his latest exploits is the furthest thing from chore; it’s a pure delight. Don’t miss it for yourself; check out The Lowdown Season 2 as it arrives on FX and Hulu this fall, and hitch a ride for Lee’s latest adventure.

The Lowdown, Season 2 Premiere, Wednesday, October 14, 9/8c, FX