"Alaska Daily" on Hulu

Tom McCarthy (Spotlight) created this series about a struggling Anchorage newspaper that hires a high-profile investigative reporter (Hillary Swank) after a big national defense story blows up on her. It's a very low-key and procedural examination of the challenges faced by local news outlets, but there are subtle thrills as when reporters confront possible wrongdoers armed with nothing but pen and notebook. It's smartly written, with compelling stories, and the characters are engaging but mostly I admire how it shines a light on the basic issues facing journalism today and on the plight of indigenous peoples, especially the missing women who are quickly forgotten by both the government and the media. The series is so instructive on how much hard work, care, and courage it takes for small-town reporters to land their stories that I almost wish it had more sex and violence so more Republicans would watch it.