‘The Lowdown’ Creator Sterlin Harjo on Finale and Season 2
Sterlin Harjo, creator, writer, director, and executive producer, previously led the three-season comedy series Reservation Dogs, which followed four Indigenous teens living on an Oklahoma reservation. The experience boosted his creative confidence, allowed experimentation, and attracted actors eager to collaborate with him.
The Lowdown's Premise
In FX's The Lowdown, citizen journalist Lee Raybon (Ethan Hawke, also an EP) is a self-styled truth seeker in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He investigates the mysterious death of Dale Washberg (Tim Blake Nelson), the family's black sheep. The inquiry spirals as Lee crosses paths with Dale’s older brother Donald (Kyle MacLachlan), widow Betty Jo (Jeanna Tripplehorn), a white supremacist church leader (Paul Sparks), and private investigator Keith David.
Character Dynamics and Risks
Lee is fundamentally good-hearted, but his tendency to attract trouble and get hurt threatens his relationship with his daughter Francis (Ryan Kiera Armstrong).
Influences and Education
Harjo also reflects on films that shaped his vision and recounts taking a class on David Lynch at the University of Oklahoma.
[Editor's note: The following contains spoilers for The Lowdown.]
Author’s summary: Sterlin Harjo’s journey from Reservation Dogs to The Lowdown reveals his growing confidence, storytelling experimentation, and the complex characters that drive his compelling new series.