The Oscar-winning actor will join the cast for the second season of The Lowdown.
So here’s the lowdown on The Lowdown.
The FX series starring C&I reader favorite Ethan Hawke as Lee Raybon, a disreputable but resolute Tulsa investigative reporter and self-described “truthstorian,” was submitted as a drama for the Golden Globes and other competitive awards during the past several months.
Indeed, as the Deadline showbiz website has pointedly noted, “In FX’s January Season 2 renewal announcement, The Lowdown was labeled as a “Western-noir drama.”
Evidently, however, there has been a change of heart — or a recalibration of strategy. For the 2026 Emmy Awards, the hour-long show will be submitted as a comedy.
According to Deadline, “The reclassification decision, which is certain to draw attention — and raise a few eyebrows — was made by FX after consultations with series’ creator/executive producer Sterlin Harjo and star/executive producer Hawke, sources said.”
This might not be as outrageous as it sounds. After all, FX’s long-running The Bear, which mixes dramatic and comedic elements, has accumulated a slew of glittering prizes while competing for Emmy gold as a comedy and actually copped the top prize for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2024. Other comedy-dramas — such as Glee, Shameless, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel — have also been given a pass by Television Academy rule-makers to race in the comedy lane.
Still, it struck me as a tad odd that, shortly after requesting the category shift, The Lowdown creatives announced that an Emmy- and Oscar-winning actor would be joining the cast for Season 2: Tommy Lee Jones.
Yes, that Tommy Lee Jones. He’ll certainly help establish the show’s comedy bona fides, right?
OK, I’m kidding. Jones certainly proved he could play for laughs while playing for keeps in the Men in Black franchise. He had many funny moments in the comedies Man of the House, The Family, and The Comeback Trail and often laces his most memorable dead-serious performances with withering wisecracks and/or sardonic snark. (Did someone say The Fugitive? Or Lonesome Dove?)
But still …
Be honest: When you hear the name Tommy Lee Jones, do you immediately think, “What a jolly joker!” Me neither.
Mind you, I’m one of the actor’s biggest fans. I even own DVDs of some of his most obscure films, ranging from Eliza’s Horoscope (1975) to In the Electric Mist (2009). And I have enjoyed almost every interview I’ve had with the guy. Especially the one during the 1997 junket for Men in Black, when I earned major Daddy Points by requesting an autograph for my young son.
The sole exception: My chat with him on location in Utah while he was filming the 1982 TV drama The Executioner’s Song.
To be fair, he was playing a heavy-duty dramatic role in the production: Gary Gilmore, the infamous recidivist whose murderous post-parole crime spree led to his being executed by a Utah firing squad in 1977. And Jones likely wasn’t in the mood for levity of any sort. But when I made what I thought was a serious query — “Do you wish you could have spoken with Gilmore before his death to prepare for this part?” — he responded with a flash of his trademark glare, then bellowed his reply: “That’s a stupid question!”
We were seated close together in a van as we conversed. And at that point, I considered standing up, offering a polite thank-you for his time, and departing. The problem was … well, the van was in motion while the driver was taking us to the spot for that day’s shooting. And while I seriously weighed jumping off anyway, I reverted to wuss mode. Instead of bailing, I offered a meek apology and pressed on.
A good thing, too, because the rest of the interview went comparatively smoothly, and I got some great quotes for my Dallas Morning News story. Priorities, people.
On the other hand: To this day, I still wonder whether Tommy Lee Jones was messing with my head or was genuinely (albeit briefly) pissed off. I’ve never had the nerve to ask him about it. Maybe I don’t really want to know.
In any event, I suspect he’ll bring the same unsettling vibe to The Lowdown. I just hope he doesn’t intimidate Ethan Hawke or anyone else in the cast too much.
