Why ‘Reservation Dogs’ Is TV’s Most Underrated Series Right Now
Opinion
The television landscape is a seemingly endless fountain of content to consume (even during these striking times), making it difficult to absorb every delightful drop. One such victim of this endless onslaught is the fantastic series Reservation Dogs.
The FX series, which streams on Hulu exclusively, debuted back in 2021 and is currently dropping episodes for its third and final season, but I still believe it has yet to achieve its full popularity potential. Created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi, Reservation Dogs follows a group of Indigenous adolescents who are trying to make their way in the world following the loss of their friend, Daniel (Dalton Cramer).
What begins as a journey of grief and self-discovery for the friends ultimately transforms into a slice-of-life dramedy about their rural Oklahoma community. The show takes hilarity and heartbreak and wraps it up into a package so unique I can’t compare it to anything I’ve seen on TV before.
(Credit: Shane Brown/FX)
Half-hour episodes provide plenty of time for each vignette, of different genres from episode to episode. Despite being categorized as a comedy, Reservation Dogs manages to touch upon themes ranging from generational trauma to fractured friendships. It also shines a light on mythological figures, puts Rez cops on acid trips, and gives a storyteller role to Spirit, William Knifeman (Dallas Goldtooth), who provides wisdom in ways that aren’t always obvious.
Along with putting the spotlight on young up-and-coming talent with its core four characters — Bear (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai), Elora (Devery Jacobs), Willie Jack (Paulina Alexis), and Cheese (Lane Factor) — the series also features seasoned veterans and other familiar faces among the Indigenous acting community with roles for Wes Studi, Gary Farmer, Zahn McClarnon, Sarah Podemski, Jana Schmieding, Graham Greene, Kaniehtiio Horn, and many more.
Regardless of age or experience, every performance is delivered with so much care, it hurts to think that it is going undervalued. Sure, the series has a high critical rating and score among viewers (it currently has a 100 percent rating for its third season on Rotten Tomatoes), but this show should have the kind of momentum an overnight hit like FX’s other Hulu exclusive, The Bear, had. Reservation Dogs should be a multi-Emmy-nominated series by now, but it has yet to break through in such a way.
While the show provides laughs throughout, Reservation Dogs also serves as an important moment in history as it works to teach viewers about the struggles endured by the Indigenous community, including suicide rates, runaways, and missing people, as well as the trauma inflicted on the youth of the past, most notably with Season 3’s “Deer Lady” episode, which put the viewer into the boarding schools that stripped youth of their native languages and forced them to assimilate to colonizing cultures.
As much as the show addresses the struggles and challenges faced by Indigenous individuals in the country, it also celebrates their joy in ways not typically seen onscreen. Reservation Dogs is paving a path for future Indigenous stories onscreen where there isn’t a need to force them into stereotypical roles for period pieces. Instead, Reservation Dogs sees young people finding ways to honor their friend lost to suicide, moms and aunties embracing the joys of a girls’ weekend away at a work conference, and ceremonies to get rid of curses set to the tune of Tom Petty‘s “Free Fallin.'”
The show offers a glimpse into a world not many are aware of in a way that anyone watching can enjoy. Reservation Dogs may be an underdog among other TV hits, but it carries itself like a prize winner you won’t want to miss. With just 28 episodes overall, the show isn’t a big undertaking on the binge front, so please consider giving this incredible show the attention it deserves.
Reservation Dogs, Season 3, New Episodes, Wednesdays, FX
