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A new ABC crime drama featuring Hilary Swank, Alaska Daily, joins Thursday nights alongside Shondaland shows Station 19 and Grey’s Anatomy. The 48-year-old Oscar-winning actor becomes investigative journalist Eileen Fitzgerald. She leaves everything behind to start a new job in Alaska, searching for missing indigenous women. Find out when and how to watch Alaska Daily and everything else we know about the upcoming ABC TV show.

'Alaska Daily' cast members Hilary Swank and Grace Dove sit at a table together intently listening to someone
‘Alaska Daily’: Hilary Swank and Grace Dove | ABC/Darko Sikman

‘Alaska Daily’ premiere date on ABC and release date on Hulu

The new drama, Alaska Daily, premieres on ABC at 10 p.m. ET on Oct. 6, 2022, following the premieres of Station 19 Season 6 and Grey’s Anatomy Season 19. After the debut, the series drops to Hulu the next day — Oct. 7. New episodes premiere weekly on ABC and Hulu. Alaska Daily pushed Big Sky to a new night this fall. 

Is ‘Alaska Daily’ a true story? What is the show about?

The characters in Alaska Daily are fictional; however, the series takes inspiration from real-life crimes occurring to indigenous women. The series employs two Anchorage Daily News journalists who cover these devastating real-life cold cases — Kyle Hopkins and Ryan Binkley. 

In the new series, Hilary Swank portrays a talented and award-winning investigative journalist, Eileen, who leaves New York City to join a daily metro newspaper in Anchorage. We’ll find out the details of her “fall from grace,” in NYC and how she ends up in Alaska when the series begins. She’s there to investigate a series of cold cases about missing native women.

The Alaska Daily trailer has an Erin Brokovich feel as Eileen defies her editor in a quest for the truth. She lives in a hotel room and plasters the missing person posters on her wall.

“Alaska has a funny way of revealing things to you,” a mysterious man says in the trailer. “Outsiders come to disappear or to reinvent themselves. Which is it?”

Eileen insists she’s there for a job; however, the trailer indicates that the cases become more than a job to journalist.

The director and executive producer of 13 Reasons Why, Tom McCarthy, created the crime drama.

The ‘Alaska Daily’ cast

'Alaska Daily' cast members Pablo Castelblanco and Hilary Swank walking together
‘Alaska Daily’ cast members Pablo Castelblanco and Hilary Swank | ABC/Darko Sikman
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In addition to Swank, Alaska Daily stars Grey’s Anatomy’s Thatcher, Jeff Perry, as Stanley Cornik — Eileen’s editor in Anchorage. Grace Dove portrays Eileen’s partner who investigates the cold cases with her, Rosalind “Roz” Friendly. Matt Malloy plays Bob Young — an older man at the news publication who does not like the way that Eileen operates. 

Craig Frank joins the Alaska Daily cast as Austin Teague, and Pablo Castelblanco plays Gabriel Tovar — both employees at the newspaper. Meredith Holzman portrays Claire Muncy, who warns Eileen of the abundance of heartbreaking stories in the area. Lastly, Ami Park plays the mother of a 17-year-old missing girl, Yuna Park.

Where is ‘Alaska Daily’ filmed?

Although the Alaska Daily setting is in Anchorage, Alaska, filming for the series occurred in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. The production began filming the crime drama on Aug. 8, 2022, and will conclude on Jan. 13, 2022.

Watch the Alaska Daily Season Premiere on Oct. 6, 2022, at 10 p.m. ET or stream the first episode on Hulu on Oct. 7.

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