Reservation Dogs

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For mixed-breed stray or feral dogs on Indian reservations, see Rez dog.

Reservation Dogs
Reservation Dogs Logo.jpg
Genre
Created by
  • Sterlin Harjo
  • Taika Waititi
Written by
  • Sterlin Harjo
  • Taika Waititi
  • Bobby Wilson
Directed by
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes8
Production
Executive producers
ProducerKathryn Dean
Production locationOklahoma
Cinematography
  • Mark Schwartzbard
  • Christian Sprenger
Running time25–30 minutes
Production companies
Distributor
Release
Original networkFX on Hulu
Original releaseAugust 9, 2021 (2021-08-09) –
present (present)
External links
Website

Reservation Dogs is an Indigenous American teen comedy-drama streaming television series created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi for FX Productions. It is a notable first in that it features all Indigenous writers and directors, along with an almost entirely Indigenous North American cast and production team.[1][2][3] It is also the first series to be filmed entirely in Oklahoma.[1][4] The series premiered on FX on Hulu[5] on August 9, 2021[6] (International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples).[7] In September 2021, the series was renewed for a second season.[8]

Premise[]

The series follows the lives of four Indigenous teenagers in rural Oklahoma, as they spend their days committing crime and fighting it. After the death of their friend Daniel one year prior to the events of the series, the gang wrestles with a desire to move to California, the way Daniel dreamed of. But first they need to tie up loose ends in their lives and community, and make preparations to leave.[9]

Cast and characters[]

Main[]

  • Devery Jacobs as Elora Danan Postoak.[10] She is the most responsible and driven member of the gang. Elora lost her mother when she was still a toddler.
  • D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai as Bear Smallhill. Bear sees himself as the "leader" of the gang, despite being the only one of the group to think so. He grew up with only his mother parenting him and is still very close to her. He longs for a relationship with his estranged, deadbeat dad. Bear experiences visions of a spirit guide.
  • Lane Factor as Cheese.[9] More laid back than Elora or Bear, he rolls with the flow of whatever mischief or misadventure comes his way. No family members are presented, and Cheese tends to connect with various adult characters in the show.
  • Paulina Alexis as Willie Jack. A tomboy, she is very close with her parents. Daniel was Willie Jack's cousin and she is strongly affected by his death.

Recurring[]

  • Sarah Podemski as Rita, Bear's mom. A devoted single parent, Rita works at the local tribal clinic and frequently fields advances from male admirers. She’s determined to find a man who can be a better father figure to Bear than Punkin.
  • Zahn McClarnon as Officer Big. A lighthorseman known for his patience with petty criminals as well as for his superstitious nature.
  • Dallas Goldtooth as William "Spirit" Knifeman. A self-proclaimed warrior who died at The Battle of Little Big Horn, even though he didn't do any fighting. He has been sent to act as a guide to Bear.
  • Gary Farmer as Uncle Brownie, Elora's uncle.[11] While his former bar fights are legendary, he now lives in the woods as a hermit.
  • Lil Mike as Mose, half of a local rap duo along with his brother. They ride around the community on their bikes, keeping track of local gossip and commenting on events.
  • Funny Bone as Mekko, the other half of the local rap duo.[9]
  • Elva Guerra as Jackie, leader of the NDN mafia. She grew up in the city and wants to return to urban life.
  • Jack Maricle as White Steve, member of the NDN mafia
  • Jude Barnett as Bone Thug Dog, member of the NDN mafia
  • Xavier Bigpond as Weeze, member of the NDN mafia
  • Dalton Cramer as Daniel, Willie Jack's late cousin and friend of the Rez Dogs, who died a year before the start of the show
  • Kirk Fox as Kenny Boy
  • Matty Cardarople as Ansel
  • Jon Proudstar as Leon, Willie Jack's dad. Since the loss of his nephew, he has become overprotective of Willie Jack.
  • Kimberly Guerrero as Auntie B, Willie Jack's aunt. A paranoid beader who answers the door with gun in hand.
  • Casey Camp-Horinek as Grandmother at clinic
  • Keland Lee Bearpaw as Danny Bighead

Guest[]

  • Garrett Hedlund as David
  • Macon Blair as Rob
  • Darryl W. Handy as Cleo
  • Kaniehtiio Horn as Deer Lady, a spirit in the form of a beautiful woman with deer hooves.
  • Sten Joddi as Punkin Lusty, Bear's estranged dad, a rapper living in California
  • Rhomeyn Johnson as Miles
  • Geraldine Keams as Elora's grandmother
  • Bobby Lee as Dr. Kang, the primary physician at the tribal clinic
  • Migizi Pensoneau as Ray Ray
  • Jennifer Podemski as Willie Jack's mom
  • Jana Schmieding as Clinic receptionist
  • Wes Studi as Bucky, an eccentric local artist
  • Richard Ray Whitman as Old Man Fixico
  • Bobby Wilson as Jumbo
  • Bill Burr as Garrett Bobson (Chukogee), Elora's former basketball coach and driving instructor

Episodes[]

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"F*ckin' Rez Dogs"Sterlin HarjoSterlin Harjo & Taika WaititiAugust 9, 2021 (2021-08-09)
Elora Danan, Bear, Willie Jack, and Cheese (the Rez Dogs) steal a delivery truck and sell it. They are trying to raise money to leave their small reservation community and escape to the exotic, mythical land of California. They are mourning their friend Daniel who died a year earlier and hold a small memorial for him. When a car full of teenagers (the NDN Mafia) drives by and shoots paintballs at the Rez Dogs, Bear faints and encounters an Indigenous spirit, who attempts to give him life advice.
2"NDN Clinic"Sydney FreelandSterlin HarjoAugust 9, 2021 (2021-08-09)
Bear gets jumped and beat up by the NDN Mafia, necessitating a visit to the local clinic. Elora and Willie Jack set up outside to sell meat pies next to a guy selling traditional medicines. Throughout the episode, the four encounter various members of their community. Cheese is kind to an old woman who thinks he is her grandson. The spirit from episode 1 has issues. The local doctor flirts with Bear's mom, who works at the clinic.
3"Uncle Brownie"Blackhorse LoweSterlin HarjoAugust 16, 2021 (2021-08-16)
Still concerned about the attacks by the NDN Mafia, the Rez Dogs go to find Elora's uncle, Brownie, to see if he'll teach them to fight. Tales are told of Brownie the powerful warrior and how he knocked out numerous people in a bar fight. They spend the day trying to help Brownie sell his ancient weed, in the process learning "Indigenous-style" about his ways of fighting.
4"What About Your Dad"Sydney FreelandBobby Wilson & Tommy PicoAugust 23, 2021 (2021-08-23)
Bear's dad, a rapper, is hired to perform at the local clinic's Diabetes Awareness Frybread Feast. Bear spends the California fund buying him a gift—a beaded medallion of a microphone that instead resembles a penis.
5"Come and Get Your Love"Blackhorse LoweSterlin HarjoAugust 30, 2021 (2021-08-30)
Cheese spends a day on a ride-along with Big. Along the way, they meet Bucky, who makes sculptures from stolen copper; Big gets teased by a couple of white cops; the NDN Mafia get busted for a stolen car; finally, Big tells Cheese why he became a cop, a story that involves the Deer Lady, who has been a presence in his life since he was a child.
6"Hunting"Sterlin HarjoSterlin HarjoSeptember 6, 2021 (2021-09-06)
Willie Jack and her father, Leon, spend a day in the woods together, hunting deer and grappling with their grief over the death of Daniel a year earlier.
7"California Dreamin'"Tazbah Rose ChavezTazbah Rose ChavezSeptember 13, 2021 (2021-09-13)
Elora takes her driver's test, after multiple previous failures. Instead of completing the test, her instructor takes her on a wild ride. He talks about her mother and reveals more details of her death. In a flashback, we discover how Daniel died.
8"Satvrday"Sterlin HarjoMigizi PensoneauSeptember 20, 2021 (2021-09-20)
As the Rez Dogs prepare to leave for California, a tornado approaches. Most of the community takes shelter in the church basement, but Uncle Brownie rides through the streets, looking for the right tools to divert the tornado. Bear's guiding spirit, William Knifeman, appears again, to ask Bear whether he has completed all the tasks he needs to before leaving town. Together in the church, members of the community, including the Rez Dogs and the NDN Mafia, talk to each other and make key decisions about their future.

Production[]

Development[]

The series was first reported on in November 2019 and was confirmed by Taika Waititi on Twitter shortly after.[12] The initial report announced that Waititi would be co-writing the series with Native American filmmaker Sterlin Harjo, who would also share executive producer and directing duties with Waititi.[13] After the pilot had been shot in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, FX announced a series order for the project in December 2020. The casting for the four lead actors, D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Devery Jacobs, Paulina Alexis, and newcomer Lane Factor, was also confirmed at this time, alongside a group of guest stars to be featured in the pilot episode.[9] Filming sites for principal photography for season one, which had wrapped by July 2021, included Okmulgee, Tulsa, Sand Springs, Beggs, Inola, and Terlton, all in northeast Oklahoma.[4] On September 2, 2021, FX renewed the series for a second season.[8]

Discussing their creative partnership and respective roles in the production, Waititi stressed, "I really believe people need to tell their own stories and especially from whatever area they are from", leading to Harjo, who is from Oklahoma, taking the lead on the project and Waititi taking a more supporting role. Additionally, many of the storylines in the show are inspired by events from Harjo's childhood.[2]

Part of the development process included casting unknown actors from Indigenous communities, and the young leads in particular forming a working rapport, often around their shared love of Indigenous comedy. Jacobs and Alexis added that they bonded over their mutual appreciation of the sketch comedy group 1491s.[2] Four of the five members of the 1491s worked on season one of the series, and with the addition of Ryan RedCorn to the writers' room for season two, all of the 1491s are now working on Reservation Dogs as writers, actors, or directors.[2][3][14]

Release[]

The series premiered on FX on Hulu in the United States on August 9, 2021. In international markets, it is distributed through the Star portion of the Disney+ streaming service. In Latin America, the series premiered as a Star+ original.[5][6] In India, all eight episodes of season 1 premiered on Disney+ Hotstar on October 2, 2021.[15]

Reception[]

The series has a 98% rating with an average score of 8.20 out of 10, based on 54 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. The site's critical consensus reads: "Aimless afternoons yield absurd delights in Reservation Dogs, a low-key comedy that deftly captures the malaise of youth and Rez life thanks in no small part to its impressive central crew."[16] On Metacritic, the show has a score of 83 out of 100, based on 22 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim."[17]

Year-end lists[]

Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
The A.V. Club The 25 Best TV Shows of 2021
6
[18]
BuzzFeed The 30 Best TV Shows of 2021
18
[19]
CNN Best TV Shows of 2021 N/A
[20]
Den of Geek The Best TV Shows of 2021
24
[21]
Film School Rejects The 15 Best TV Shows of 2021
3
[22]
Good Morning America 10 Best TV Shows of 2021
2
[23]
The Guardian The 50 Best TV Shows of 2021
26
[24]
Los Angeles Times The 13 Best TV Shows of 2021 N/A
[25]
Metacritic Best TV Shows for 2021
29
[26]
The New York Times Best TV Shows of 2021 N/A
[27]
Best of 2021 - Television N/A
[28]
Polygon The Best TV Shows of 2021 N/A
[29]
Rolling Stone The 20 Best TV Shows of 2021
2
[30]
Rotten Tomatoes The Best TV of 2021
23
[31]
USA Today Best TV in 2021
11
[32]
Vogue The 28 Best TV Shows of 2021 N/A
[33]
Vox The Very Best TV Show of 2021 N/A
[34]

Awards and nominations[]

Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
2021 Gotham Awards Breakthrough Series – Short Form Reservation Dogs Won
[35]
Outstanding Performance in a New Series Devery Jacobs Nominated
2022 Golden Globe Awards Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy Reservation Dogs Nominated [36]
Independent Spirit Awards Best New Scripted Series Pending [37]
Critics' Choice Awards Best Comedy Series Pending [38]
Writers Guild of America Awards New Series Tazbah Rose Chavez, Sydney Freeland, Sterlin Harjo, Migizi Pensoneau, Tommy Pico, Taika Waititi, Bobby Wilson Pending [39]
Episodic Comedy (for "F*ckin’ Rez Dogs") Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi Pending

References[]

  1. ^ a b Starr, Michael (August 3, 2021). "Oklahoma teens California dreaming in 'Reservation Dogs'". New York Post. Retrieved August 13, 2021. The eight-episode series is notable for two firsts: using an entirely Indigenous creative team (behind-the-scenes and in front of the camera) and shooting its entire season in Oklahoma (never done before for a scripted series). Note: Oklahoma is recognized as Indian Territory, a distinction that was upheld by the 2020 Supreme Court decision, McGirt v. Oklahoma.
  2. ^ a b c d Cheung, Kylie (August 9, 2021). ""No more 'Indian in the Cupboard'": "Reservation Dogs" is the new direction of Native storytelling". Salon.com. Retrieved August 22, 2021. Additionally, in the show's all-Native writers' room and main cast, Harjo emphasized how important it is to him that they worked together as a community.
  3. ^ a b Boutsalis, Kelly (August 9, 2021). "'This Is What We Should Have Had All Along'". The New York Times. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Shot-in-Oklahoma FX series 'Reservation Dogs' set for Aug. 9 debut". Tulsa World, July 16, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  5. ^ a b "twdc_investor_day_2020_press_release_final_836ffdab" (PDF). The Walt Disney Company (Press release). DTCI. December 10, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Pedersen, Erik (June 3, 2021). "FX Sets Summer Premiere Dates For 'AHS' & New Spinoff Series, 'Impeachment', 'Y: The Last Man', 'Archer', More". Deadline. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  7. ^ Waititi, Taika [@TaikaWaititi] (August 9, 2021). "Happy World Indigenous Peoples Day" (Tweet). Retrieved September 18, 2021 – via Twitter.
  8. ^ a b Iannucci, Rebecca (September 2, 2021). "Reservation Dogs Renewed for Season 2". TVLine. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  9. ^ a b c d White, Peter (December 22, 2020). "'Reservation Dogs' From Sterlin Harjo & Taika Waititi Receives Series Order At FX". Deadline. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  10. ^ "Reservation Dogs' Devery Jacobs: 'We weren't super sacred and stoic all the time'". rnz.co.nz. October 9, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  11. ^ Starr, Michael (August 3, 2021). "Oklahoma teens California dreaming in 'Reservation Dogs'". New York Post. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  12. ^ Waititi, Taika (November 7, 2019). ""Indigenous stories by indigenous film makers. Getting to create a story told through a native lens with my old friend @sterlinharjo makes this whole journey worthwhile. Mauri ora! #RezDogz"". Twitter.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ^ Fisher, Jacob (November 6, 2019). "Taika Waititi Set To Write, Direct & Executive Produce 'Reservation Dogs' For FX (EXCLUSIVE)". DiscussingFilm. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  14. ^ Patten, Dominic (September 21, 2021). "'Reservation Dogs' Star Devery Jacobs Joins Expanded All Indigenous Writers Room For Season 2". Deadline. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  15. ^ Kambam, Saichaitanya (October 1, 2021). "Disney+ Hotstar October 2021: Oh Manapenne, Sanak, Succession, Just Beyond, Insecure and more". OnlyTech. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  16. ^ "Reservation Dogs: Season 1 (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  17. ^ "Reservation Dogs: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  18. ^ "The 25 best TV shows of 2021". The A.V. Club. December 22, 2021. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  19. ^ "The Best TV Shows We Watched In 2021". BuzzFeed. December 28, 2021. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  20. ^ Lowry, Brian (December 24, 2021). "Best TV Shows of 2021". CNN. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  21. ^ "The Best TV Shows of 2021". Den of Geek. December 29, 2021. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  22. ^ Ettenhofer, Valerie (January 4, 2022). "The 15 Best TV Shows of 2021". Film School Rejects. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  23. ^ Travers, Peter (December 29, 2021). "10 Best TV Shows of 2021". Good Morning America. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  24. ^ "The 50 best TV shows of 2021". The Guardian. December 22, 2021. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  25. ^ Lloyd, Robert (December 14, 2021). "The 13 best TV shows of 2021". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  26. ^ "Best TV Shows for 2021". Metacritic. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  27. ^ "Best TV Shows of 2021". The New York Times. December 7, 2021. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  28. ^ "Best of 2021 - Television". . January 17, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  29. ^ Millman, Zosha (December 28, 2021). "The best TV shows of 2021". Polygon. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  30. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (December 8, 2021). "The best TV shows of 2021". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  31. ^ "The Best TV of 2021". Rotten Tomatoes. January 3, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  32. ^ Lawler, Kelly (December 20, 2021). "We pick the best TV shows of 2021, from 'Ted Lasso' to 'Mare of Easttown' to 'Squid Game'". USA Today. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  33. ^ "The 28 Best TV Shows of 2021". Vogue. December 22, 2021. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  34. ^ VanDerWerff, Emily (December 29, 2021). "The very best TV show of 2021". Vox. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  35. ^ Lattanzio, Ryan (November 30, 2021). "Gotham Awards: 'The Lost Daughter' Wins Top Prize — See the Full List of Winners". IndieWire. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  36. ^ "Reservation Dogs' earns Golden Globe nomination" - Dec 14, 2021.
  37. ^ Long, Brent; Tangcay, Jazz (December 14, 2021). "Indie Spirit Awards 2022: Full List of Nominations". Variety. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  38. ^ Pedersen, Erik (December 6, 2021). "Critics Choice TV Nominations: 'Succession' Leads Field As HBO Edges Netflix". Deadline. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  39. ^ "2022 Writers Guild Awards Nominees". Writers Guild of America Awards. January 13, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2022.

External links[]

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