The series Alaska Daily came, left, and was canceled without much fanfare and it’s a shame. The content was not innovative, nor above average, but neither did it deserve as much criticism as it received abroad. Working on journalistic clichés and a small newspaper crew in Alaska trying to survive the. technological and market changes, the vehicle that brought Hillary Swank to platforms and TVs was ok and its only season is available on Starplus.

Anyone who enjoys true crime already knows that Alaska, despite being isolated to the north, is the state where crime rates are among the highest in the USA: there are 837.8 incidents per 100,000 inhabitants (2023 figures), with assault and sexual assault topping the list. Experts point to the state’s isolation, and more extreme weather conditions, linked to alcohol and drug abuse as drivers of these numbers, added to the fact that it has a relatively small population in a large area, where it is more complicated to maintain policing. Unsurprisingly, the next season of True Detective, with Jodie Foster, will be set in the state. The good film Wind River, with Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen, addresses in part what the Alaska series is, the violence and ignored murders of indigenous women in Native American and Canadian indigenous communities. An urgent topic that ends up being put aside.

Alaska Daily was inspired by the daily life of The Anchorage Daily News and the special report “Lawless Sexual Violence in Alaska“, written by Kyle Hopkins, who is the producer. We follow famed investigative reporter Eileen Fitzgerald (Hillary Swank) who is canceled for bullying and questioned about unverified information in a story, losing her job and credibility, accepting the challenge of starting over in Anchorage and helping with the investigation of missing indigenous women.

Obviously, the series emphasizes the importance of local news and highlights the problems of racism and sexism that are linked to the state’s high crime rate, but with good people challenging the cynical Eileen to review her values ​​and goals. In this ‘transformation’, clichés that work in many series that have survived overflow, it is a pity that precisely this one is crucified as bad. It’s not brilliant, but it’s not as rubbish as they claim.

Already canceled, the only season serves to review Hillary Swank in a setting where she had already starred in a movie, Insomnia, alongside Al Pacino and Robin Williams. The actress was pregnant during the recordings (hiding her belly as she could) and ended the plot with the solution to at least one of the crimes. As a curiosity for Disney fans, if you think Sylvie Nanmak’s (Irene Bedard) face and voice look familiar, it’s because she gave voice – and face – to Pocahontas. Irene, in her personal life, was twice three times in 2020, for domestic violence and booked for disorderly conduct when she appeared intoxicated. His participation in the series, however, is important.

Let’s now hope True Detective gives Alaska more credit than the series in your local newspaper did!

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