Alaska Daily is an American crime drama television series created by Tom McCarthy for ABC, starring Hilary Swank as a journalist seeking a fresh start in Anchorage, Alaska. It premiered on October 6, 2022 and ended on March 30, 2023. In May 2023, the series was officially announced canceled. The series was completely removed from Hulu's streaming selection menu on July 1, 2023.

Synopsis

Eileen is a New York journalist who moves to Alaska for a clean start and who looks for redemption both personally and professionally after joining a daily metro newspaper in Anchorage. In Anchorage, she works with Roz Friendly, to complete and release reports on the missing and murdered Indigenous women crisis in Alaska.

Cast

Main

  • Hilary Swank as Eileen Fitzgerald, a former high-profile investigative reporter in New York City, she comes to Alaska after burning bridges in her previous job.
  • Jeff Perry as Stanley Kornik, Eileen's former boss and managing editor of the Daily Alaskan.
  • Grace Dove as Roz Friendly, an Alaskan native and star reporter for the Daily Alaskan whom Stanley assigns to write with Eileen on the investigation of a murdered indigenous woman.
  • Meredith Holzman as Claire Muncy, veteran Daily Alaskan reporter.
  • Matt Malloy as Bob Young, Daily Alaskan senior reporter and acting news editor.
  • Pablo Castelblanco as Gabriel Tovar, a chatty Daily Alaskan employee.
  • Ami Park as Yuna Park, a Daily Alaskan cub reporter.
  • Craig Frank as Austin Teague, a Daily Alaskan reporter.

Recurring

Guest

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release dateProd. codeU.S. viewers (millions)
1"Pilot"Tom McCarthyTom McCarthyOctober6,2022(2022-10-06)1HMH013.59
2"A Place We Came Together"Tom McCarthyTom McCarthy & Gabriel ShermanOctober13,2022(2022-10-13)1HMH023.04
3"It's Not Personal"Clark JohnsonTeleplay by: Stuart Zicherman & Miranda Rose Hall Story by: Stuart ZichermanOctober20,2022(2022-10-20)1HMH032.94
4"The Weekend"Danis GouletLiz TuccilloOctober27,2022(2022-10-27)1HMH042.89
5"I Have No Idea What You're Talking About, Eileen"Patricia RiggenChitra SampathNovember3,2022(2022-11-03)1HMH052.63
6"You Can't Put a Price on a Life"Oliver BokelbergSandra ChwialkowskaNovember17,2022(2022-11-17)1HMH062.50
7"Enemy of the People"Craig MacNeillTeleplay by: Jay Beattie Story by: Peter Elkoff & Jay BeattieMarch2,2023(2023-03-02)1HMH072.76
8"Tell a Reporter Not to Do Something and Suddenly It's a Party"Ruba NaddaGabriel ShermanMarch9,2023(2023-03-09)1HMH082.50
9"Rush to Judgement"Michael PressmanMiranda Rose Hall & Michael J. RezendesMarch16,2023(2023-03-16)1HMH092.91
10"Truth is a Slow Bullet"Catriona McKenzieAndrew MacLeanMarch23,2023(2023-03-23)1HMH102.79
11"Most Reckless Thing I've Ever Done"Bosede WilliamsVera StarbardMarch30,2023(2023-03-30)1HMH112.75

Production

The pilot was written and directed by Tom McCarthy. The showrunner for the series was Peter Elkoff. Tom McCarthy's Slow Pony Productions, 20th Television, and Hilary Swank acted as producers. Filming for the series began on August 8, 2022, and concluded on January 5, 2023, in New Westminster, British Columbia.

The series' credits indicate the program was inspired by the 2019 Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica article series Lawless: Sexual Violence in Alaska, as well as subsequent related reporting by the project's lead reporter Kyle Hopkins. The Daily News agreed to work with the show's producers, resulting in Hopkins as well as ADN president Ryan Binkley being credited as executive producers on the TV series; however, Alaska Daily is not a dramatization of the specific events documented in the Lawless project.

On May 12, 2023, ABC canceled the series after one season.

Broadcast

Alaska Daily premiered on October 6, 2022 on ABC. The final five episodes of season 1 aired from March 2, 2023 to March 30, 2023. The series was removed from Hulu on July 1, 2023.

Alaska Daily premiered on Disney+ (Star hub) in Hong Kong on November 9, 2022. It also premiered on Disney+ in Australia and New Zealand as part of the Star content hub on January 4, 2023 and weekly from February 8, 2023 in the UK and Ireland and Spain.

Reception

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 74% approval rating with an average rating of 6.6/10, based on 19 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Alaska Daily awkwardly straddles the sensibilities of network TV and edgier streaming fare, but the core message about the importance of local journalism is fit to print." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 67 out of 100 based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Ratings

Viewership and ratings per episode of Alaska Daily
No.TitleAir dateRating (18–49)Viewers (millions)DVR (18–49)DVR viewers (millions)Total (18–49)Total viewers (millions)
1"Pilot"October 6, 20220.33.590.22.680.56.27
2"A Place We Came Together"October 13, 20220.33.040.22.440.45.48
3"It's Not Personal"October 20, 20220.22.940.22.400.45.34
4"The Weekend"October 27, 20220.32.890.22.370.45.25
5"I Have No Idea What You're Talking About, Eileen"November 3, 20220.22.630.22.620.45.25
6"You Can't Put a Price on a Life"November 17, 20220.22.500.22.720.45.22
7"Enemy of the People"March 2, 20230.22.76—N/a—N/a—N/a—N/a
8"Tell a Reporter Not to Do Something and Suddenly It's a Party"March 9, 20230.22.50—N/a—N/a—N/a—N/a
9"Rush to Judgement"March 16, 20230.22.91—N/a—N/a—N/a—N/a
10"Truth is a Slow Bullet"March 23, 20230.22.79—N/a—N/a—N/a—N/a
11"Most Reckless Thing I've Ever Done (FKA News Is What People Don't Want You to Know)"March 30, 20230.22.75—N/a—N/a—N/a—N/a

Accolades

AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef.
Golden Globe AwardsJanuary 10, 2023Best Actress in a Television Series – DramaHilary SwankNominated

External links