‘Reservation Dogs’ Showcases Masterful Storytelling – Variety

FX’s acclaimed comedy series has attracted repeated raves, with many describing it as unlike anything else on television

Since bursting onto the scene in 2021, “Reservation Dogs” has wowed audiences and critics alike, garnering acclaim for its distinctive ability to balance heartfelt moments with offbeat humor and tackle hardships with vulnerability and care. In addition to building a strong fanbase, the show has collected Peabody Awards, Film Independent Spirit Awards, Gotham Awards™ and AFI® Awards, while Season 2 graced nearly 100 renowned publications and sites’ “best of” and “top 10” lists for 2022.

Co-creators Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi’s breakthrough coming-of-age comedy about four Indigenous teens connected with audiences by using a potent mixture of great storytelling while drawing upon Indigenous culture to share those stories. The result is a show like no other on television.

And while “Reservation Dogs” offers a comical, distinctive perspective into modern-day Indigenity, it manages to do so while treating its viewers with respect. The show trusts its audience will understand the episodes, often drawing from Indigenous references and culture, without over-explanation. This, of course, requires stellar writing and acting, which the show has plenty of. It all comes together via the enormous talent Harjo, Waititi and executive producer Garrett Basch brought aboard the show.

“Reservation Dogs” showcases some of the best directors the industry has to offer today: Danis Goulet, Blackhorse Lowe, Tazbah Chavez and Erica Tremblay, just for Season 2 alone. These artists, coupled with a core group of young and gifted Indigenous leads — Devery Jacobs, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Paulina Alexis and Lane Factor — make for a powerful show, told from a unique Indigenous perspective.

Picking up where Season 1 left off, Season 2 begins with Willie Jack (Alexis) trying to break the curse she brought upon the Reservation Dogs, as the reservation itself recovers from the aftermath of a tornado. The rest of the season is a masterclass at navigating tone and mood, going from laughter to sadness and back to laughter again, often in the same scene.

The sophomore season includes more character development and exploration as well: Elora (Jacobs) strikes out on her own with disastrous results, Bear (Woon-A-Tai) explores what it is to be a man, Cheese (Factor) is thrown into a boys’ home and forced to co-exist with real juvenile delinquents and Willie Jack discovers that she is not alone but has generations of ancestors watching over her.

This past December, Variety’s then-chief TV critic Caroline Framke billed “Reservation Dogs” as the number one show of the year, writing, “One of the best shows of 2021, it only got better in 2022, with a confident, soulful second season that made the most of its time and talent.”

The list of what “Reservation Dogs” achieves that no other TV show does is long, but one of the standout themes is how the past informs the present, often in unorthodox ways. In the “Roofing” episode, Spirit (Dallas Goldtooth) — a literal spirit from the past, who often counsels Bear in scenes where it’s least expected — playfully informs him that while he may think he has a hard life, he doesn’t really have it that hard in comparison to say, the ancestors. They talk while sitting alongside each other in porta potties. Important conversations happen here on “Reservation Dogs,” or on a house roof, or while steaming one’s private parts alongside a group of friends in a hotel room.

In a standout episode among many standout episodes, “Wide Net” explores how the show’s Aunties party down at Indian Health Service conferences and gives a glimpse into the inner thoughts of contemporary Indigenous women. When speaking with Variety last summer, director Tazbah Chavez said, “I wanted people to see our joy and our humanity as women and people who like to dance, who like to have sex, who like to go out, who are funny, who drink sometimes, who take edibles sometimes. That’s the reality. That’s not to say every Native woman is that, but so far in our representation, we haven’t been able to be that yet.”

“Reservation Dogs” places Indigenous people in unexpected spaces, having conversations that most people are not privy to. These are characters written by Indigenous writers, directed by Indigenous directors, played by Indigenous actors; a combination never before seen on the small screen. And it’s this incredible compilation of talent that drives these ‘dogs,’ making their show both deeply profound and a joy to watch.

Seasons 1 and 2 of FX’s “Reservation Dogs” are available to stream exclusively on Hulu.