Created by Taika Waititi and Sterlin Harjo, “Reservation Dogs” is an upcoming American comedy television series that follows the lives of four Indigenous teenagers in rural Oklahoma, as they spend their days committing crime, and fighting it, the first season of which premieres Monday, August 9, 2021, on FX on Hulu.
From the all Indigenous writers’ room to the all Native American starring cast, Reservation Dogs make space for talent that has often been left out of the narrative. Though the series takes inspiration from common experiences on the reservation, Harjo shared that the show’s humor can open up a new world for non-Native watchers.
Citing a character that spoofs the stereotypical image of a long-haired, shirtless Native American man on horseback, Harjo said Reservation Dogs allows audiences to laugh at and learn from their own, possibly problematic, perceptions of Indigenous communities.
“It’s letting non-Natives into the room and going ‘look what you thought we were’ and we’re showing all this other stuff. Then they laugh and they laugh with us,” Harjo said. “It’s actually honoring our past too because we actually were like that at one point. It’s poking fun at the stereotype and acknowledging the truths in that, and also allowing non-Native audiences in on the joke.”