Awards Race Shocker: Lowdown Goes Comedic

FX's "The Lowdown," previously considered a Western-noir drama for awards, has undergone a significant genre reclassification to comedy. This decision was finalized by FX after extensive consultations with the series' creator, Sterlin Harjo, and its star, Ethan Hawke.

The series, known for its gritty exploits of journalist "Lee Raybon" played by Hawke, has always incorporated strong comedic elements, drawing parallels to Harjo's previous work on the comedy-drama "Reservation Dogs." Despite being an hourlong series, FX determined that the balance of drama and comedy skewed more towards humor, making it a suitable candidate for comedy categories.

This move by FX is poised to generate considerable attention within the awards landscape. It underscores a recurring challenge for the Emmy Awards and other bodies: categorizing shows that blend comedic and dramatic storytelling. The Academy's rules state that "primarily comedic" content is key for comedy submissions, irrespective of runtime, though the final decision rests with an industry panel.

"The Lowdown" joins a list of hourlong series that have successfully competed as comedies, including FX's own "The Bear" and Amazon Prime Video's "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel." These precedents demonstrate a growing trend of recognizing shows with mixed genres within the comedy category.