Reservation Dogs (TV Show)

Title: Reservation Dogs (TV Show)

Year Released: 2021

Co-Creators: Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi

Executive Producer: Garrett Basch

Main Stars: Devery Jacobs, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Paulina Alexis, and Lane Factor

Network Found On: Hulu

Rating: Age 14+ (Movie & TV reviews for parents, n.d.)

Plot Summary: Reservation Dogs is a coming-of-age drama about four teenagers growing up on a reservation in Oklahoma. After their friend, the fifth “dog” Daniel, passed away, the other four teens (Elora, Bear, Willie, and Cheese) were desperate to get off the reservation and go to California. So they started stealing and scheming to save up the money to do so. At the same time, they were faced off with another angry gang of local teens, the NDN Mafia, which doesn’t help their prospects of escaping the reservation. After some infighting their prospects get worse when Willie and Cheese decide they want to stay in Oklahoma, and Elora takes off with the head of the NDN Mafia. That was the end of season one.

Quality of the media: I cannot believe I waited so long to watch this show! I remember seeing promos when it first came out and it was one of those “I’ll get around to it” type of shows. Well, now that I’ve watched season one I want to keep watching. It’s funny, but has it’s touching and sad moments, and the wisdom the kids receive from (most) of the older people around them is sweet – but funny at the same time.

Opinion: This is a top-notch show that was created by and stars all Indigenous people. Sadly there aren’t more of these type of shows. Hopefully the quality of this show will encourage more conversations about Indigenous representation and the struggles they have to achieve more representation in our culture.

Library Program: Watching this show would provide a good opportunity to share other stories about Native American and Indigenous cultures and how life is on reservation lands. We could also go into the history of how America’s Native American and Indigenous cultures arrived at those reservation lands.