Television series

The Lowdown

A darkly comic portrait of Lee Raybon, a self-styled Tulsa truthstorian determined to expose corruption, with Ethan Hawke bringing weary charm to a man whose obsession with the truth consistently backfires. FX's irreverent new series balances crime and comedy with the energy of someone who refuses to look away from a disaster—even when he's causing it.

TVMaze rating3.2

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like shaggy, talky crime stories where a stubborn amateur's moral certainty keeps tripping over his own bad judgment, and you enjoy a dry joke landing right beside a grim one.

Skip it if you want a tight, fast plot; this one wanders on purpose, and its jokes and bleakness can feel like they're pulling in different directions.

What it asks of you: Settle in for a long, meandering run of episodes, roughly an hour each, where the mood shifts from scrappy to sour and you have to stay patient with it.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Better Call Saul2015

A morally compromised protagonist pursuing an impossible dream in a provincial American setting, laced with sharp comedy and the slow erosion of ideals. Vince Gilligan's masterpiece about the road to ruin.

But Sixty-three episodes and a slow burn: it takes real patience, and the darkness accumulates rather than relieves.

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Justified2010

A brilliant U.S. Marshal in Kentucky sparring with criminals and bureaucrats alike, crackling with witty dialogue and characters who feel lived-in. Funny, violent, and deeply human.

But Eight seasons is a commitment, and some arcs wear thin before they resolve—quality varies by season.

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Godless2017

A Jeff Bridges western about a town run by women and a fugitive arriving just when tensions peak. Gorgeously shot, tautly written, and full of unexpected moral complexity beneath genre pleasures.

But The miniseries length feels rushed—you'll wish for more time with these people and this world.

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Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Lowdown

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Lean on Pete2018

Both are about people pursuing something true in a world that punishes honesty; both find their humanity in refusal to compromise, even when it costs them.

A quietly devastating film about an ordinary boy and a racehorse, shot by Andrew Haigh with a tenderness that doesn't announce itself. It's about futility and kindness, and it breaks you without fanfare.

But Plotless and deeply sad—there is no catharsis, only the accumulation of small heartbreak. Many find it bleak rather than moving.

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More like this (7)

Moonlight2016

A film about secrecy, identity, and the spaces between who we are and who we let others see. Shot in light that feels personal and intimate, with performances of devastating restraint.

But Understated to the point of quietness; some find the lack of plot momentum frustrating rather than meditative.

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Out of Sight1998

Soderbergh directing a crime caper with real style: criminals and cops dancing around each other with wit and sexual tension. Fast, fun, and smarter than it first appears.

But The plot is deliberately slight—if you need clear stakes and a propulsive story, this will feel like style over substance.

Out of Sight poster

Inherent Vice2014

Paul Thomas Anderson and Joaquin Phoenix in a marijuana-hazy Los Angeles mystery full of loose ends and character. Funny, strange, and utterly uninterested in tying things up neatly.

But The plot deliberately dissolves; the whole point is confusion and mood. If you hate being lost in a story, you'll resent this.

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The Drop2014

Tom Hardy as a quiet Brooklyn bartender caught between crime worlds, understated and tense. A character study that lets small moments accumulate into genuine danger.

But Very slow and deliberately low-key; the payoff is modest, and patience is mandatory from minute one.

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Miller's Crossing1990

A Coen Brothers Prohibition crime story with dialogue sharp enough to cut, shot in autumn golds and deep shadows. Stylish without ever being style alone.

But Dense, theatrical dialogue and a baroque plot that rewards close attention—easy to lose the thread, and it doesn't hold your hand.

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Klondike2014

Both center on obsessive men pursuing a version of truth or treasure in a landscape indifferent to their righteousness; both are localized obsessions with larger stakes underneath.

A two-part Discovery miniseries (yes, really) about the Yukon gold rush that plays like a crime procedural—greed, deception, and frontier justice with the energy of a heist. Trashy, vivid, and surprisingly gripping.

But It's a TV movie with TV movie pacing and production values; the drama is broad, and the history is simplified for narrative pace.

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The Act2019

A deep investigation into how people construct and hide the truth, and the violence that emerges when the gap between appearance and reality becomes unbearable; Lee's crusade for truth meets its opposite number here.

An eight-part Hulu limited series about Gypsy Rose and her mother, building from small distortions to total deception. Genuinely unsettling, urgent, and riveting without ever feeling exploitative.

But Based on a real case of abuse and murder—the subject matter is disturbing, and the emotional weight is constant rather than earned through catharsis.

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