The Lowdown Season 2: Release Date, Cast, Plot and How to Watch Ethan Hawke’s FX Drama

Ethan Hawke returns as troublemaking Tulsa journalist Lee Raybon when FX crime drama The Lowdown makes its comeback for Season 2 on 14 October 2026. The new eight-episode season brings Academy Award winner Tommy Lee Jones and four-time Emmy nominee Betty Gilpin into the cast, as Lee finds himself caught up in another investigation involving corruption, missing prisoners and the powerful figures hiding behind the respectable face of Tulsa.z

Created by Sterlin Harjo, the series follows Lee, a self-proclaimed “truthstorian” whose determination to expose the truth regularly lands him in dangerous situations. Part citizen journalist, part relentless investigator, Lee is driven by an instinct to uncover the stories others would rather leave alone, even when his own life is far from under control.

Season 2 premieres on Wednesday, 14 October, on FX and Hulu in the United States, with the series arriving on Disney+ internationally, including the UK. New episodes of the eight-part season will then be released weekly on Wednesdays.

What Is The Lowdown Season 2 About?

The second season finds Lee Raybon living and working in a rare-book shop in the heart of Tulsa. More than simply a place to earn a living, the shop serves as a local refuge and an unofficial community hub, while Lee continues his work investigating corruption and exposing the city’s hidden problems.

Despite his commitment to the truth, Lee is no conventional hero. His self-destructive tendencies and inability to handle success often create as many problems as his investigations solve.

At the beginning of the new season, Lee receives recognition for his reporting on the life and untimely death of Dale Washberg, the subject of his investigation in Season 1. His work earns him a local citizen journalism award, but the occasion proves difficult for a man more accustomed to conflict than congratulations.

Unable to cope with things going well for once, Lee turns to self-medication and delivers a chaotic speech at the ceremony. His unfiltered performance catches the attention of Ginger, a bold public defender played by Betty Gilpin, who shares his determination to pursue the truth.

Although Ginger is largely immune to Lee’s charms, she eventually accepts his assistance with a troubling case. One of her clients has disappeared from a state penitentiary, raising an obvious question: how does someone vanish while already behind bars?

The mystery provides Lee with exactly the kind of story he finds impossible to resist. As he begins investigating, he uncovers a trail involving power, corruption and alleged wrongdoing among Tulsa’s wealthy elite.

The case also offers fresh material for The Heartland Press, where Lee’s friend Marty Brunner, played by Keith David, is now managing editor. The promotion puts Marty in a position of authority over Lee, something that does little to improve their working relationship.

Tommy Lee Jones Joins the Cast as Lee’s Estranged Father

One of the biggest additions to Season 2 is Tommy Lee Jones, who plays Lee Raybon Sr., the journalist’s estranged father.

Lee’s personal life becomes considerably more complicated when his father unexpectedly arrives in Tulsa. The reunion is particularly awkward because Lee has spent years telling his teenage daughter, Francis, that her grandfather is dead.

Jones’s character is described as a grifter, suggesting that Lee’s talent for attracting trouble may have deeper family roots than he would like to admit. His arrival threatens to expose uncomfortable truths about Lee’s past while adding another unpredictable element to an already turbulent life.

Betty Gilpin also joins the main cast as Ginger, the public defender whose case draws Lee into the season’s central investigation. A crusader for truth in her own right, Ginger provides a new professional partnership for Lee, although their contrasting personalities may make cooperation difficult.

Together, the new characters broaden the series’ focus beyond investigative journalism, bringing family secrets and complicated personal relationships into the story.

Ethan Hawke Returns as Tulsa’s Most Unconventional Journalist

Hawke reprises his role as Lee Raybon, the fiercely independent citizen journalist who sees it as his mission to expose wrongdoing in his hometown.

Lee’s determination is matched by his considerable flaws. He is not an idealist, and his methods frequently put him at odds with the people around him. Nevertheless, he remains committed to uncovering the truth, even when doing so threatens his safety or damages his personal relationships.

Season 2 also places greater emphasis on Lee’s responsibilities as a father. He loves Francis more than anything, but his obsession with the latest investigation repeatedly pulls him away from her. Francis, played by Ryan Kiera Armstrong, wants more time with her father, creating an emotional conflict that runs alongside the season’s criminal mystery.

The situation is further complicated by Johnny, played by Rafael Casal. A jujitsu-trained dentist with a good heart, Johnny is the new husband of Lee’s ex-partner Samantha, played by Kaniehtiio Horn, and shares parenting responsibilities for Francis.

Lee’s investigation may dominate his attention, but the people closest to him are increasingly affected by his inability to switch off from work.

The Lowdown Season 2 Cast

The returning and new cast members include:

• Ethan Hawke as Lee Raybon, a Tulsa citizen journalist and self-described truthstorian.
• Keith David as Marty Brunner, now managing editor of The Heartland Press.
• Ryan Kiera Armstrong as Francis Raybon, Lee’s teenage daughter.
• Betty Gilpin as Ginger, a public defender who becomes involved in Lee’s latest investigation.
• Tommy Lee Jones as Lee Raybon Sr., Lee’s estranged father.
• Kaniehtiio Horn as Samantha, Lee’s ex-partner and Francis’s mother.
• Kyle MacLachlan as Donald Washberg.
• Jeanne Tripplehorn as Betty Jo Washberg.
• Tim Blake Nelson as Dale Washberg.
• Tracy Letts as Frank Martin.
• Rafael Casal as Johnny, Samantha’s husband and a co-parent to Francis.

The addition of Jones and Gilpin gives the new season two major performers in pivotal roles, while the returning cast continues to anchor the series in Tulsa’s interconnected world of journalism, politics and power.

Who Created The Lowdown?

The Lowdown was created by Sterlin Harjo, who also serves as an executive producer alongside Garrett Basch, Ethan Hawke, Ryan Hawke, Duffy Boudreau and Scott Teems.

The series is produced by FX Productions.

Harjo’s story centres on a journalist whose pursuit of the truth is as much a personal compulsion as a professional calling. In Season 2, that approach brings together a missing-prisoner mystery, the influence of Tulsa’s wealthy elite and the unresolved complications of Lee’s family life.

The result promises another investigation in which the facts may be difficult to uncover, and the consequences of discovering them could be even harder to manage.

The Lowdown Season 2 Release Date: When Is It Out?

Season 2 of The Lowdown premieres on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, at 9pm ET / 6pm PT on FX and Hulu in the United States.

The second season consists of eight episodes, with new instalments arriving every Wednesday after the premiere.

For UK and other international viewers, the series is set to stream on Disney+. The first season is also available on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ in the United States, and on Disney+ internationally.

With a new case drawing Lee into the murky relationship between criminal justice, money and influence, alongside the arrival of his estranged father, Season 2 looks set to put both his investigative instincts and his personal relationships under pressure.

As Lee once again pursues a story that powerful people may prefer to keep buried, his biggest challenge could be balancing his commitment to the truth with the people who need him most.

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