FX has shared details regarding the second season of The Lowdown, confirming a shift in the series’ scope as it introduces high-profile additions to its “Tulsa noir” landscape. The upcoming season will feature Academy Award winner Tommy Lee Jones and Betty Gilpin joining lead Ethan Hawke in an expanded conspiracy set within the Oklahoma underworld.
The second season of The Lowdown will debut with a two-episode premiere on FX. Episodes will subsequently be available for streaming on Hulu and Disney+. The upcoming episodes highlight a deepening mystery that forces Hawke’s character, Lee Raybon, to confront both a professional crisis and a long-hidden family secret.
New Casting and Family Secrets
Tommy Lee Jones joins the series as Lee Raybon Sr., the estranged father of Hawke’s protagonist. This casting introduces a significant narrative tension, as Lee Raybon—a citizen journalist and bookseller—had previously maintained to his daughter that her grandfather was deceased. The return of the elder Raybon is expected to complicate Lee’s efforts to navigate the local criminal and political elements of Tulsa.
Betty Gilpin enters the cast as Ginger, a brash public defender who serves as the catalyst for the season’s primary investigation. Ginger enlists Lee’s help after one of her clients vanishes from a state penitentiary, a disappearance that suggests systemic corruption rather than a standard escape. As the “truthstorian” Lee digs into the missing inmate’s case, the investigation begins to intersect with his own family history.
Production and Returning Cast
The series remains under the creative direction of Sterlin Harjo, the creator of Reservation Dogs, who continues to serve as the writer, director, and showrunner. Harjo’s influence is evident in the show’s specific focus on the atmosphere and regional complexities of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The series leans into its identity as a gritty investigative drama.
In addition to the new cast members, Season 2 sees the return of several key figures from the inaugural season. Joining Hawke are Keith David, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, and Killer Mike. The production continues to emphasize a grounded, character-driven approach to the noir genre, focusing on the intersection of media, law, and personal legacy in the American Midwest.
