Reservation Dogs | |
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Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 8 |
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Executive producers |
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Producer | Kathryn Dean |
Production location | Oklahoma |
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Running time | 25–30 minutes |
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Original network | FX on Hulu |
Original release | August 9, 2021 present | –
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 Hulu under FX on Hulu branding[5] on August 9, 2021[6] (International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples).[7] It has received critical acclaim and numerous accolades, including two Independent Spirit Awards and a Critics' Choice Television Awards nomination for Best Comedy Series. In September 2021, the series was renewed for a second season,[8] scheduled to premiere on August 3, 2022.[9]
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.[10]
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
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1 | "F*ckin' Rez Dogs" | Sterlin Harjo | Sterlin Harjo & Taika Waititi | August 9, 2021 | |
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 Freeland | Sterlin Harjo | August 9, 2021 | |
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 Lowe | Sterlin Harjo | August 16, 2021 | |
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 Freeland | Bobby Wilson & Tommy Pico | August 23, 2021 | |
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 Lowe | Sterlin Harjo | August 30, 2021 | |
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 Harjo | Sterlin Harjo | September 6, 2021 | |
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 Chavez | Tazbah Rose Chavez | September 13, 2021 | |
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 Harjo | Migizi Pensoneau | September 20, 2021 | |
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. |
The series was first reported on in November 2019 and was confirmed by Taika Waititi on Twitter shortly after.[13] 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.[14] 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.[10] 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][15]
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.[16]
The series has a 98% rating with an average score of 8.20 out of 10, based on 56 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."[17] On Metacritic, it has a score of 83 out of 100, based on 22 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim."[18]
Publication | Accolade | Rank | Ref. |
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The A.V. Club | The 25 Best TV Shows of 2021 | 6
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BuzzFeed | The 30 Best TV Shows of 2021 | 18
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CNN | Best TV Shows of 2021 | N/A | |
Den of Geek | The Best TV Shows of 2021 | 24
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Film School Rejects | The 15 Best TV Shows of 2021 | 3
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Good Morning America | 10 Best TV Shows of 2021 | 2
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The Guardian | The 50 Best TV Shows of 2021 | 26
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Los Angeles Times | The 13 Best TV Shows of 2021 | N/A | |
Metacritic | Best TV Shows for 2021 | 29
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The New York Times | Best TV Shows of 2021 | N/A | |
Nyrdcast | Best of 2021 - Television | N/A | |
Polygon | The Best TV Shows of 2021 | N/A | |
Rolling Stone | The 20 Best TV Shows of 2021 | 2
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Rotten Tomatoes | The Best TV of 2021 | 23
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USA Today | Best TV in 2021 | 11
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Vogue | The 28 Best TV Shows of 2021 | N/A | |
Vox | 12 other TV shows I really loved | N/A |
Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
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2021 | Gotham Awards | Breakthrough Series – Short Form | Reservation Dogs | Won | |
Outstanding Performance in a New Series | Devery Jacobs | Nominated | |||
2022 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy | Reservation Dogs | Nominated | [37] |
Independent Spirit Awards | Best New Scripted Series | Won | [38] | ||
Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series | Paulina Alexis, Funny Bone, Lane Factor, Devery Jacobs, Zahn McClarnon, Lil Mike, Sarah Podemski, and D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai | Won | |||
Critics' Choice Awards | Best Comedy Series | Reservation Dogs | Nominated | [39] | |
Writers Guild of America Awards | New Series | Tazbah Rose Chavez, Sydney Freeland, Sterlin Harjo, Migizi Pensoneau, Tommy Pico, Taika Waititi, Bobby Wilson | Nominated | [40] | |
Episodic Comedy (for "F*ckin’ Rez Dogs") | Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi | Nominated | |||
Peabody Awards | Entertainment | Reservation Dogs | Nominated | [41] |