20 years after her Beverly Hills, 90210 appearances, Hilary Swank is making a return to television. The Oscar winner will star as investigative journalist Eileen Fitzgerald for ABC’s new drama series, Alaska Daily, which premieres on ABC on Thurs., Oct. 6 at 10 p.m.
The recently released trailer starts by showing Eileen Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) embarking on a cold case for missing Indigenous American woman Simone Angauruk, which is only one case in a disturbing pattern of missing women. Set in Anchorage, Alaska, the second half of the trailer shows snippets of Swank hot on the case while also struggling to adjust as an outsider in Alaska. In one scene, Fitzgerald picks up the phone when an ominous voice tells her “Alaska doesn’t need another corrupt reporter spewing lies. Go back to New York before something bad happens.” The conclusion of the trailer builds up the stakes as Fitzgerald faces vulnerability as an outsider under threat, feels the growing pressure of the case, and tries to find answers for the families of the missing women.
In an interview with Deadline, Swank revealed what made her return to the screen:
“You know, I love people and I love what makes them tick. And I love people who persevere through adversity. I love the outsiders, I love the underdog. What makes us all one person? At the heart of these stories, all everyone wants is to be seen and everyone deserves justice. I think a lot of the roles that I choose have that theme in one way or another and I feel like Eileen Fitzgerald is a truth seeker. She’s an investigative truth seeker, and she wants to make sure that justice is done and that people see the truth in situations. I feel that that aligns with what people in the world want right now, they don’t want to be lied to anymore.”
Alaska Daily is a crime drama that follows Eileen as she embarks on a journey “to find both personal and professional redemption,” according to the official synopsis. While it is technically a fictional story, producers took steps to tackle the problematic reality of missing Indigenous American women by incorporating elements based real-life stories.
Created by Tom McCarthy and produced by 20th Television, the series stars Swank, Jeff Perry, Pablo Castelblanco, Meredith Holzman, and others. Alaska Daily will premiere on ABC on October 6, and episodes will be available on Hulu the following day. Check out the new trailer below:
via Collider