The show's premise of a fallen "big city" pro moving to a small town in the backwoods is fairly formulaic, whose "this is how it's done in the big leagues" meets "it's not the way it's done here" and the two sides will eventually reach middle ground for mutual gain. What stands out from the pilot episode is Hilary Swank's screen presence, the message of support for journalism (perhaps reminiscent of Newsroom, the earlier torchbearer for journalistic ideals), as well as a return to an Alaskan-flavored TV drama (reality TV notwithstanding), which we really haven't seen since Northern Exposure back in the 90's.
The show's message laments the decline of local newspapers, decimated by social media and the Internet, and the consequences of losing coverage of local issues that impact the people at the local level. The pilot credits the show as based on ProPublica's article, written with the help of Anchorage Daily News, "Lawless: Sexual Violence in Alaska". And that appears to be the basis for the main arc, while other episode arcs to cover other local stories and character development.
Acting appears to be decent with good chemistry. The cast of characters--though predictable clichés--lays the groundwork for character-based side arcs. The screenplay risks being a bit too preachy and shallow, but hopefully it'll settle down throughout the series. The show has promise, and worth watching a few episodes to see where it goes.
The show's message laments the decline of local newspapers, decimated by social media and the Internet, and the consequences of losing coverage of local issues that impact the people at the local level. The pilot credits the show as based on ProPublica's article, written with the help of Anchorage Daily News, "Lawless: Sexual Violence in Alaska". And that appears to be the basis for the main arc, while other episode arcs to cover other local stories and character development.
Acting appears to be decent with good chemistry. The cast of characters--though predictable clichés--lays the groundwork for character-based side arcs. The screenplay risks being a bit too preachy and shallow, but hopefully it'll settle down throughout the series. The show has promise, and worth watching a few episodes to see where it goes.