Hightown is not a true story but takes inspiration from some real events: Here’s how

Hightown is one of the recent crime dramas to have found a place on Netflix, after airing for three seasons on Starz. Even though the show ended in 2024, it has been given a new life by the streaming giant and rave reviews have already started pouring in. Created by Rebecca Cutter, the thriller features Monica Raymund, Riley Voelkel, and others. Essentially, the show is about Jackie Quiñones (Raymund), who is an agent with the National Marine Fisheries Service in Provincetown, Massachusetts, and must investigate the murder of a woman.

However, the show has many layers and it also looks deeply into the issues of drug addiction and drug trafficking. Apart from that, the show also revolves around the life of Jackie, who is battling alcohol and drug addiction herself and must juggle her personal and professional lives. Jackie is a fearless agent and a lesbian, who is not afraid to call out the systemic problems within her own department and community and must also seek meaningful connections in her own private life.

Hightown is therefore, a show about transformation, personal reckoning, and crime, which makes it relatable, raw, and gritty.

Hightown is a fictional story inspired by real-life events

While Hightown is not based on a true story, it has many themes that cover an overarching and a very real-world problem. While the show focuses on Jackie’s personal struggles and the murder of a woman, the show also connects this with the ongoing drug problems in Cape Cod. Apart from featuring the scenic sights of the beautiful beach town community, the show also delves into how Cape Cod is massively engulfed by a dangerous addiction problem. The show also widens the story by delving into themes like drug trafficking and sexual identity.

The show’s creator, Rebecca Cutter, states in an interview with the Golden Globes that Hightown is a project that is close to her heart as she knows about that world thoroughly. She mentions that she has relatives in Cape Cod, and she heard about how the whole culture in that community was starting to change due to drug overdose and opioid addiction. Therefore, Cutter could easily base her project in Cape Cod. The show is also set in Massachusetts, where the opioid crisis has taken a hold.

In the real-world as in the show, the situation with drugs has gotten worse and, therefore, the themes of addiction and recovery became very important for Cutter. In the same interview, she mentions that she always wanted to create a show with a strong female protagonist. Themes like addiction, recovery, and female sexuality were important for Cutter and she liked the idea of a woman trying to save herself by solving a case. Therefore, she wanted to showcase a journey within the mystery of the case.

Apart from these themes, Cutter also wanted to showcase a protagonist who was less than perfect and flawed as she was like Jackie herself in her younger years and wanted to showcase that side of humans on screen.

Hightown maintains authenticity with real-world issues even if it’s a fictional story

Therefore, Hightown is a show that brings the very important problem of opioid epidemic to life on screen. The show is instrumental in starting conversation about this persistent problem and the show does not hold back in highlighting how drugs can be lethal and completely destroy people’s lives. The show gives a detailed account about the drug-related problems that plague the community of Provincetown, Cape Cod and highlights how people are being ruled by drugs and drug trafficking in the area.

Through the character of Jackie, who is also battling addiction, viewers get to see how she visits a therapist, who ultimately advises her to change her entire lifestyle and make the right choices. In essence, the show carries forward the message to people about choosing what’s right.

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Hightown streams on Netflix.

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