Hilary Swank's new show, Alaska Daily, premiered on ABC last night, much to the excitement of the Academy Award winner's loyal fans.
The US actor has graced the small screen once again to play Eileen Fitzgerald, a New York journalist on a mission to reveal the truth about missing Ingenious women in Alaska. The highly-anticipated series' pilot, written and directed by Spotlight's Tom McCarthy, dropped on Thursday evening, one day after Hilary announced she was pregnant with twins at 48.
With nine more episodes still to come, here's everything you to know about Alaska Daily – including its plotline, cast, and upcoming episodes. We've also covered how to watch Alaska Daily from outside the US, where it's filmed, and whether or not it's based on a true story. So without further ado, let's get into it.
What is the plot of Alaska Daily and is it based on a true story?
Alaska Daily sees Hilary Swank star as Eileen Fitzgerald, an investigative reporter who accepts a job at a local Alaskan newspaper after messing up a major assignment at her previous company in New York.
The opportunity to move across the US comes after her former boss, Stanley (Jeff Perry), challenges her to chase a story about a group of Indingeous women who've gone missing in the country's largest state. Despite initially dismissing the offer, Eileen can't help but feel intrigued and begins to research the mysterious cases herself. It's not long before she's bought her plane ticket and packed her bags, determined to unearth the truth behind the disappearances.
Her first day on the job, however, turns out to be far less exciting than she'd anticipated.
She arrives to find that Alaska Daily has a much tighter budget than her previous paper, The Vanguard, which translates to fewer resources and poorer working conditions. Eileen also gets off on the wrong foot with her small team of colleagues, irking one staffer at the pitch meeting by attacking the company's legal team. She's then partnered with junior reporter Roz (Grace Dove), who doesn't take too kindly to her New York coworker's icy attitude.
The incompatible pair proceed to investigate the story together – and that's when the drama really begins.
Who's in the cast of Alaska Daily?
- Hilary Swank as Eileen Fitzgerald
- Jeff Perry as Stanley Cornik
- Grace Dove as Roz Friendly
- Meredith Holzman as Claire Muncy
- Matt Malloy as Bob Young
- Pablo Castelblanco as Gabriel Tovar
- Ami Park as Yuna Park
- Craig Frank as Austin Teague
Is Alaska Daily based on a true story?
Yes and no. The main characters of Alaska Daily are not based on actual people, with Eileen Fitzgerald, Stanley Cornick, and Roz Friendly all fictionalized folks written up for the show. However, that doesn't mean there's no truth in its disturbing plotline.
It's understood that Alaska Daily is based on the US state's largest newspaper, Anchorage Daily News, and its real-life investigations into cases of sexual assault and violence against Indigenous women in Alaska.
Hilary spoke about the issue in a recent interview, revealing she hopes that Alaska Daily will shed light on the crisis.
"So many people don't know about it and it's happening right now, right this second, and no one's doing anything about it, it is horrific and something needs to be done," the Oscar-winning actor told Newsweek.
"So, yes, that was a big part of me being in the show and then there's other things that the article tackles that I had no idea about, and it just blew my mind."
When is Alaska Daily on ABC?
The pilot of Alaska Daily premiered on ABC on Thursday, October 6, 2022, with three more episodes due to be released on October 13, October 20, and October 27. Season One will have ten episodes in total, with no confirmation just yet of a second season.
How to watch Alaska Daily on streaming services
Each episode of Alaska Daily will be available to watch on demand on Hulu the day after it airs on ABC. The streaming service, which uploads all of ABC's content, is currently only accessible to residents of the US, but folks elsewhere can simply watch by downloading a VPN.
Where is Alaska Daily filmed?
Production on Alaska Daily kicked off on August 8, 2022, in British Columbia, with scenes being shot in the cities of Vancouver and Burnaby.
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