Reservation Dogs

Premise

The series follows the lives of four Indigenous teenagers (the Rez Dogs) in rural Oklahoma, in a small town in the Muscogee Nation, where they spend their days "committing crime and fighting it." Their friend Daniel, who dreamed of moving to California, died one year before the events of the show. As the Rez Dogs grapple with his death, they contemplate whether to make the trip to California themselves. They each need to address unresolved issues in their lives and community and make plans to leave.

In Season 2, the Rez Dogs are still experiencing grief over Daniel's death and have lost some of their connection to each other. The "California dream" does not turn out as they expected, resulting in more feelings of disappointment and abandonment. They cope using humor but also increasingly face adult challenges. Financial and family responsibilities arise as they continue to try to figure out their lives.

Season 3 explores the history of the elders in the community and how the events and choices of their youth led to their present day lives. Parallels are drawn between the Rez Dogs and the younger selves of the aunts, uncles and grandparents.

Cast and characters

Main

Devery Jacobs (Kahnawà:ke Mohawk) as Elora Danan Postoak. Named for the Willow character, 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 (Oji-Cree) as Bear Smallhill. 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 (Caddo/Seminole/Muscogee) as Chester "Cheese" Williams. More laid back than Elora or Bear, he rolls with the flow of whatever mischief or misadventure comes his way. He lives with his "cousin uncle", Charley; Cheese tends to connect with various adult characters in the show.

Paulina Alexis (Alexis Nakota) as Wilhelmina Jacqueline "Willie Jack" Sampson. She is very close with her parents. Daniel was Willie Jack's cousin and she is strongly affected by his death.

Recurring

Sarah Podemski (Muscowpetung Saulteaux descent) as Rita, Bear's mother. A devoted single parent, Rita works at the local Indian Health Service (IHS) clinic and frequently fields advances from male admirers. She is determined to find a man who can be a better father figure to Bear than Punkin.

Zahn McClarnon (Standing Rock Lakota, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe of North & South Dakota,) as Officer Big; a lighthorseman known for his patience with petty criminals as well as for his superstitious nature.

Dallas Goldtooth (Mdewakanton Dakota/Diné) as William "Spirit" Knifeman; a self-proclaimed warrior who died at The Battle of Little Big Horn, even though he did not do any fighting; he has been sent to act as a guide to Bear. In season 2 he also appears to Uncle Brownie.

Gary Farmer (Grand River Cayuga) as Uncle Brownie, Elora's uncle. While the bar fights of his past are legendary, he now lives in the woods as a hermit. Part of the 1976 friend group, when he spoke of wanting to one day open a dojo.

Elva Guerra (Ponca/Mexican-American) as Jackie, leader of the NDN mafia; she grew up in the city and wants to return to urban life. She and Elora bond during their first attempt to reach California. She also lost her brother to suicide.

Jesus "Lil Mike" Silva II (Pawnee/Choctaw) as Mose, half of a local rap duo along with his brother; they ride around the community on their bikes or kick scooters, keeping track of local gossip and commenting on events.

Jesus "Funny Bone" Silva IV (Pawnee/Choctaw) as Mekko, the other half of the local rap duo.

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.

Guest

Garrett Hedlund as David.

Lily Gladstone (Piegan Blackfeet/Nez Perce) as Hokti, Daniel's mom and Willie Jack's auntie, a medicine woman who is currently in prison.

Graham Greene (Oneida) as Maximus, an eccentric recluse who sees spirits and is waiting for the return of the Star People; in the 1970s, lived on the Oklahoma reservation, attended the same residential school as Deer Woman had in a previous era, and had a friend group similar to the current Rez Dogs.

Evan Adams (Coast Salish) as Larry, the IHS mental health therapist, who interrupts, talks over, and dumps his own trauma on clients.

Tafv Sampson (Mvskoke) as Gram, an ancestor of Willie Jack and Hokti, who now watches and helps them as a spirit. She walked the Trail of Tears and, in the afterlife, is in a "hot sexual relationship" with William Knifeman.

Sten Joddi (Mvskoke) as Punkin Lusty, Bear's estranged father, a rapper living in California.

Bill Burr as Garrett Bobson, Elora's former basketball coach and driving instructor.

Brandon Boyd as White Jesus of Los Angeles.

Amber Midthunder (of Hunkpapa Lakota, Sisseton Dakota and Sahiyaiyeskabi Assiniboine descent; citizen of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation) as MissMa8riarch, alleged online influencer, youth seminar leader; claims to be many things.

Quannah Chasinghorse (Sicangu Lakota/Hän Gwich'in) as the 1976 version of Irene, Cheese's adopted grandmother.

Elisha Pratt as Augusto Firekeeper, self-described "actor, model, poet, hatmaker", etc.

Episodes

Production

Development

The series was first reported on in November 2019 and was confirmed by Taika Waititi on Twitter shortly after. 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. 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.

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. On September 2, 2021, FX renewed the series for a second season, also filmed on location in Okmulgee. Harjo later created another FX series, The Lowdown, which he confirmed to take place in the same fictional universe as Reservation Dogs. Hawke and Horn appear in the series as different characters; however, Alexis makes a cameo appearance in the pilot episode as Willie Jack.

Creative team

The series features a predominantly Indigenous cast and crew, including creator Sterlin Harjo and an all-Native writers' room. It's the first show to feature an entirely Native writers' room. 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.

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. 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 worked on Reservation Dogs as writers and actors, directors, or producers. On September 22, 2022, FX renewed the series for a third season. Harjo announced on June 29, 2023, that the show would end with the third season.

Themes

The series explores themes of death, grief, and community, mirroring experiences common in Native American communities. The series is marked by loss, notably the off-screen deaths of Daniel and Elora Danan's mother, Cookie. This theme of loss resonates throughout its three seasons, culminating in the series finale.

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 hub of the Disney+ streaming service. In Latin America, the series premiered as a Star+ original. In India, all eight episodes of season 1 premiered on Disney+ Hotstar on October 2, 2021.

The series made its cable TV premiere on FX in the United States on June 26, 2023.

Reception

Critical response

All three seasons of Reservation Dogs received critical acclaim. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the overall series holds a 99% approval rating. Meanwhile, on Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the overall series received a score of 89 out of 100. Each season of the series was also listed among the ten best television programs of 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively, by the American Film Institute.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season received an approval rating of 98% with an average score of 8.2 out of 10, based on 61 reviews. 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." On Metacritic, it received a score of 84 out of 100, based on 22 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".

Writing for The Guardian, Ellen E Jones gave the show a rating of five out of five, and said "Reservation Dogs is able to lay waste stylishly to centuries of myth and misrepresentation due to one simple, crucial, innovation: almost everyone involved in the production is a Native American, offering a perspective which never panders to the often-fetishising gaze of outsiders. Instead, this show tells of the push-pull of home: that simultaneous yearning to both belong and be free". Candice Frederick of TV Guide rated the series four out of five, based on the first four episodes and said, "Though it wrestles with some heavy, but not overtly political, themes, Reservation Dogs seems to mostly have fun with young life on a reservation." In another four out five rating, Alan Sepinwall, writing for Rolling Stone, said, "a show like Reservation Dogs feels long overdue. And this exact show? It's awfully good." Paste magazine's Allison Keene gave a rating of 9.2 out of 10 and called the series "a perfect summer series, one that takes places on languid afternoons and moves at an unhurried pace."

Reviewing the first two episodes, Danette Chavez of The A.V. Club gave it a "B+" and said, "Reservation Dogs is already on track to be one of the best comedies (and shows) of the year." Kristen Lopez of IndieWire also gave it a grade of "B+", saying, "[Reservation Dogs] is a surprising series that illustrates why everyone's story is worth telling" and also praised the four main actors, stating that "the teens assembled here are all fantastic, conveying so much about their characters' true selves even if they don't know it yet". Vox's Emily St. James also praised the main actors, calling them "one of the best ensembles of teen characters in recent memory" and regarded the first season as "one of the best first seasons of a comedy in some time." Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter also praised the cast as well as the "triumph" representation of the Native Americans.