Tommy Lee Jones Just Made Hulu’s 8-Part Crime Series Essential Viewing

If you’ve been sleeping on The Lowdown, Hulu’s eight-episode crime series, now is exactly the right time to fix that. The show just received confirmation that a second season is on the way — and that kind of news has a way of making a first season feel a lot more urgent to watch.

The series comes from Sterlin Harjo, the co-creator of the critically acclaimed Reservation Dogs, and stars Ethan Hawke and Keith David as two characters named Lee Raybon and Marty Brunner. That alone should be enough to get most people off the fence. A crime show with that pedigree, sitting on one of the most widely available streaming platforms in the country, is exactly the kind of thing that deserves more attention than it may have gotten on first release.

With season two now confirmed, there’s a real reason to spend a weekend with the first eight episodes before the new season arrives.

What The Lowdown Actually Is

The Lowdown is an original Hulu crime series created by Sterlin Harjo, who built a devoted following through his work on Reservation Dogs — a show celebrated for its sharp writing, authentic storytelling, and ability to blend humor with genuine emotional weight. Harjo brings those same instincts to this project.

The show stars two actors who are, by any reasonable measure, genuinely compelling screen presences. Ethan Hawke, who has been one of the most consistently interesting actors working in American film and television for decades, plays Lee Raybon. Opposite him is Keith David, a veteran character actor with one of the most recognizable voices in the business, playing Marty Brunner.

The crime genre is crowded, but a series built around that kind of central pairing — with a creator who has already demonstrated an ability to subvert expectations — is worth taking seriously.

The Case for Watching Before Season 2 Arrives

There’s a familiar pattern with streaming shows: a series launches, gets modest attention, and then a renewal announcement suddenly makes everyone want to know what they missed. The Lowdown appears to be following that trajectory.

The advantage right now is that the entire first season is available to watch in one sitting — or close to it. Eight episodes is a manageable, satisfying run. It’s long enough to tell a complete story with real depth, and short enough that you won’t lose the thread if you watch it across a single weekend.

Getting caught up before season two drops also means you’ll actually be able to follow the conversation when new episodes start generating buzz — rather than scrambling to remember character names and plot threads after the fact.

Key Facts About The Lowdown on Hulu

• The show is one of the best original series currently on Hulu, according to reporting on the show’s renewal
• Creator Sterlin Harjo previously co-created Reservation Dogs, a widely praised FX on Hulu series
• The eight-episode format makes it ideal for a focused weekend watch
• Both lead actors — Hawke and David — bring significant screen credibility to the project

Why Sterlin Harjo’s Involvement Matters

It’s worth pausing on the creator here, because Harjo’s name carries genuine weight. Reservation Dogs was one of the most talked-about series of its era — a show that earned widespread critical praise for telling Indigenous stories with honesty, specificity, and a refusal to fit neatly into any single genre box. It was funny when it needed to be, and devastating when it earned the moment.

Bringing that sensibility to a crime series is an interesting creative choice. Crime is a genre with well-worn conventions, and the most memorable entries in that space tend to come from creators who understand the rules well enough to quietly break them. Harjo has demonstrated exactly that kind of instinct.

That doesn’t mean The Lowdown is Reservation Dogs — it’s its own thing, built around different characters and a different set of concerns. But it does mean viewers have reason to expect something more textured than a standard procedural.

What to Expect When You Sit Down to Watch

The central dynamic between Hawke’s Lee Raybon and David’s Marty Brunner is the engine of the show. Character-driven crime series live or die on the quality of their central pairing, and this one appears to have found two actors who can carry that weight. Hawke has spent years taking on roles that reward patient, attentive viewing. David brings a gravitas that few actors can manufacture — it’s simply there, in the way he occupies a scene.

Eight episodes means the show has room to develop its characters without overstaying its welcome. There’s no filler to wade through. If the series is doing its job, every episode is moving the story — and the characters — somewhere meaningful.

With a season two renewal now locked in, it’s also reasonable to assume the first season ends in a way that leaves something worth returning to. That’s a good sign for anyone deciding whether to invest the time.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is The Lowdown on Hulu?
The Lowdown is an eight-episode original crime series on Hulu, created by Sterlin Harjo and starring Ethan Hawke and Keith David as characters named Lee Raybon and Marty Brunner.

Who created The Lowdown?
The series was created by Sterlin Harjo, who is also the co-creator of the acclaimed FX on Hulu series Reservation Dogs.

Has The Lowdown been renewed for a second season?
Yes. A second season of The Lowdown has been confirmed, which is what makes watching the first season now particularly timely.

How many episodes are in the first season?
The first season consists of eight episodes, making it a manageable and complete watch over a single weekend.

Who stars in The Lowdown?
Ethan Hawke and Keith David lead the series, playing characters Lee Raybon and Marty Brunner respectively.

When does Season 2 of The Lowdown premiere?
A specific premiere date for season two has not yet been confirmed based on currently available information.