Alaska Daily was set to be ABC’s hottest new show. It starred Hollywood icon Hilary Swank and tackled a big societal issue, the ongoing crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW). With a driving mission at its center and the support of one of Hollywood’s most beloved actors, many wondered, how could it miss? Yet between a long mid-season break and a few bumps along the production road, reviews of the first season came back mixed. The question remains whether the show will get a second chance to steal viewers’ hearts with another season, or if Alaska Daily is a wrap.
Alaska Daily premiered on ABC in October of 2022. The first episode introduced viewers to the intense, no-nonsense reporter Eileen Fitzgerald who worked on a prestigious New York City paper. The storyline followed her fall from grace in the age of cancel culture and her emotional reunion with her former editor Stanley Kormick, played by Jeff Perry. Despite her initial refusal, Stanley convinces Eileen to join the small Alaskan paper in order to take on a big issue, the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) crisis.
The issue spans across all states in the U.S., but is most prevalent in Alaska, where the homicide rate of Indigenous women is 10 times the national average, according to the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs. In the show, Eileen teams up with a local Indigenous newspaper woman Roz Friendly, played by Grace Dove. Although initially wary of each other, the two eventually join forces and make a great team as they uncover the cold hard facts of several MMIW cases and find the cracks in the system.
While the article in the show is based on a fictional character, the show itself is based on the real article, reported in the Anchorage Daily titled Lawless: Sexual Violence in Alaska. As Peter Elkoff, one of the show’s producers, reported to Forbes, “We’ve tried to tell this story in a respectful and not sensational way, [asking], ‘Why is the system broken? Why is the whole operation, particularly in Alaska, failing indigenous women?’” The show was created by Tom McCarthy, who also created Spotlight, a film starring Rachel McAdams and based on the newspaper crew who broke the Boston Catholic priest sexual abuse scandal.
With Hollywood acting icons, successful creators and producers, and a riveting social issue with a hard-hitting storyline, all in all, Alaska Daily had the makings of a great show. Yet viewers did not all agree. Mid-season the show took a several-month break, reportedly to let production catch up and to accommodate Swank’s pregnancy, which she announced in October. While it was an understandable break and left fans on a cliffhanger, many felt the show really lost momentum during that time. It seemed many viewers simply lost interest. The ratings spoke for themselves as the series brought disappointing returns and low Rotten Tomatoes ranking of only around 70% with a 6.6/10 fan rating. According to Deadline, the series “failed to establish itself and find a sizeable following.”
Alaska Daily Is Canceled
The final episode ended with Eileen’s decision to continue on with the small Alaska Daily paper despite being offered a plum New York job. The ending was fairly neutral, in that it could lend itself to another season or it could stand alone. So the ending did not provide any additional clues for viewers as to whether a second season was in the works. The answer, however, is no. Alaska Daily was officially canceled, and will not be renewed for a second season.
It is a disappointing ending to a show that had a lot of promise. Despite Swank’s incredible performance, and the show’s dedication to take on heavy-hitting issues, for some reason, the network felt it just did not take. Perhaps the mid-season break did cost the show momentum or perhaps the world just wasn’t ready for Alaska Daily, but regardless the decision was made to leave the show hanging at just one season.
While the show itself may be finished, the issues the show presented live on. Hopefully, regardless of its short run, Alaska Daily accomplished its goal of shining a spotlight on the important MMIW crisis and made a step in creating the desperately needed changes in policy around how these cases are handled. It’s a disappointing ending to the series, but we personally still like to picture Eileen Fitzgerald still out in the wilds of Alaska, chasing down new article topics and living happily with her hot pilot/poet lover. Carry on Eileen, carry on!
