Reservation Dogs was praised for its comedy and Indigenous representation, specifically highlighted by co-creators Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi. Having Indigenous people creating and starring in the series earned it much love from critics and fans. In a Hollywood Reporter interview with Sterlin Harjo, he spoke about his work to write a show that would properly represent this community while never being able to do justice to everyone’s satisfaction.
Making an authentic show revolving around teenage Indigenous teenagers in Reservation Dogs was important to Harjo. FX wanted the series to shoot in New Mexico and make it look like Oklahoma. That is nothing new for the industry, but to the co-creator, it was unacceptable and made him nervous that he would not be able to achieve the proper feel of the comedy series. He got what he wanted as they shot around the state, like in Tulsa, Okmulgee, and Sand Springs.
Reservation Dogs co-creator speaks on the show’s Indigenous representation
The positive reception of Reservation Dogs and the major hit it has been would have made people assume it would earn an Emmy nomination. Harjo goes on about the racism involved in snubbing the series, but creating the project and achieving this success has been enough to satisfy him.
When it comes to Indigenous representation, Hollywood has done little that has gained major recognition. The needle has started to move in recent years, like Reservation Dogs. Most recently, there was Prey, which featured a Comanche tribe facing the ultimate hunter, the Predator. So, of course, The Hollywood Reporter’s Daniel Feinberg had to ask Harjo about the latest film starring Amber Midthunder, who appears in the latest season of the FX series.
Reservation Dogs is currently in the middle of its second season. The series stars Devery Jacobs (The Order), D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai (Holly Hobbie), Lane Factor, Paulina Alexis (Ghostbusters: Afterlife), Elva Guerra (Dark Winds), and Zahn McClarnon (Westworld).
