This season I've thought more and more about what makes a television series become part of the fabric of frequent conversations. Why do some which become a part of the zeitgeist fail to work for me? And why do some series that hit for me not get noticed by SAG-AFTRA.
I’m talking about the series Reservation Dogs on FX. Many in entertainment acknowledged the excellence of this series, just not the SAG-AFTRA nominating committee. The show captured my heart, my imagination, had me bent over laughing, and awash with tears.
Created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi, the series centers around four indigenous teens who are living on a Reservation in Oklahoma - Elora (Devery Jacobs), Bear (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai), Cheese (Lane Factor), and Willie Jack (Paulina Alexis). We follow the kids as they face adversaries and attempt to save money for their exodus to California. The audience quickly realizes these teens are confounded by the grief from the death of a friend.
Illustration of an image still of Reservation Dogs on FX. Four indigenous teens walking in suits.
Illustration by Andrea Izzy Anthony of an image still of Reservation Dogs on FX. Four indigenous teens walking in suits.
In star-turns, each of these actors breathes heart, authenticity, and comedy into their roles. The episodes explore group dynamics and individual challenges, giving the performers the opportunity to showcase their skills in nuanced storytelling.
Notable for many reasons, Reservation Dogs is the first series entirely filmed in Oklahoma. The hour-long dramedy boasts a creative team of all indigenous writers and directors, and an almost all Indigenous North American cast and crew.
The exceptional acting carries through to the series and supporting cast with memorable performances from prolific actors like Gary Farmer and Zahn McClarnon. The comedic chops on Dallas Goldtooth as Spirit have infiltrated my psyche. (Gary Farmer and Jana Schmiedling can also be seen on Peacock’s Rutherford Falls.)
Bouts of fantasy heighten the comedy in the series, but with each adventure, the audience comes to feel the weight and challenges of the choices in front of these characters.
How Reservations Dogs on FX could fail mention at the SAG-AFTRA Awards remains a frustration to me. Ensemble award! Let's chant it here! Ensemble award.
Perhaps the “dramedy” genre confused the nominating committee or the length? Should it have competed against the one-hour dramas? Should it have competed against the mostly half-hour comedies? Well, The Great, snuck in a nomination, clocking in at over fifty minutes an episode, so, it can't be about the length. Looking at the list of nominees, I can certainly find room for Reservations Dogs in either category.
The supreme excellence of all the work, the writers, the directors, the cast, the crew, makes me, a television fanatic, demand we give it all the awards. I'm not alone in believing this production deserves. Read at the bottom the awards this debut season amassed. But SAG-AFTRA missed the mark.
Confession, I feel this way after seeing any movie by Taika Waititi, too. But it really seems a perfect fit for Sterlin Harjo to team up with Taika Waititi. Like Harjo’s Reservation Dogs, Waititi's most moving work examines the edge of adolescence, barreling into a teenage loss of innocence, without losing that sense of awe.
I can’t give it any awards except an illustration of adoration. But this series deserved two. Can’t leave Dallas Goldtooth’s Spirit out of the fun.
Illustration by Andrea Izzy Anthony of Dallas Goldtooth on horseback as Spirit on Reservation Dogs on FX.
AFI Awards, USA
Won, AFI Award
TV Program of the Year
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards
Nominated, Critics Choice Award
Best Comedy Series
Film Independent Spirit Awards
Won, Independent Spirit Award
Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series
D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Devery Jacobs, Zahn McClarnon, Funny Bone, Lil Mike, Lane Factor, Sarah Podemski, Paulina Alexis
Nominated, Independent Spirit Award
Best New Scripted Series
Sterlin Harjo, Garrett Basch, Taika Waititi
2022
Golden Globes, USA
Nominated, Golden Globe
Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy
2022
Writers Guild of America, USA
Nominated, WGA Award (TV)
New Series
Sterlin Harjo, Tazbah Chavez, Migizi Pensoneau, Bobby Wilson, Sydney Freeland, Tommy Pico, Taika Waititi
Nominated, WGA Award (TV)
Episodic Comedy
Sterlin Harjo, Taika Waititi
For episode "F*ckin' Rez Dogs (2021)".
2021
Gotham Awards
Nominated, Gotham Independent Film Award
Outstanding Performance in a New Series
Devery Jacobs
Won, Gotham Independent Film Award
Breakthrough Series - Shortform
Sterlin Harjo, Garrett Basch, Taika Waititi
#ReservationDogs, #FX, #DallasGoldtooth, #DeveryJacobs, #Sterlin Harjo, #TaikaWaititi, #D'PharoaohWoon-A-Tai, #LaneFactor, #PaulinaAlexis, #GaryFarmer, #ZahnMcClarnon, #JanaSchmiedling, #SAG-AFTRA, #dramedy, #comedy, #Television, #TV Series, #CharacterStudy, #entertainmentindustry
Original post: https://aweinmotion.com/blog/2022/1/26/character-study-reservation-dogs-fx-dallas-goldtooth-devery-jacobs-dphaorah-woon-a-tai-lane-factor-paulina-alexis-and-the-whole-darned-cast-crew-and-creative-team
If you find yourself lapping up other successful telenovelas like Jane the Virgin and Ugly Betty, or you love whimsical period shows like Glow, you might appreciate the silly escapades of this 1980s dual-language Apple+ series.
This romp works best when the audience sees the main character’s fantasies play out. When instant replays reveal the reality of Maximo’s circumstances and his dashed dreams, the laughs erupt. Anchoring this comedy is veteran actor, Eugenio Derbez, and charming Enrique Arrizon who each play Maximo at different stages of life. While the Princess Bride-esq framing device can at times feel a little predictable, a few easter eggs mid-season made the choice worth it for this viewer.
I especially appreciate Fernando Carsa as Memo, Maximo’s best friend who is relegated to the laundry room. Memo’s uncanny ability to find the upside of everything makes this character shine. Cloaked behind the comedy, Carsa brings to life someone who truly listens to others, to his numerous sisters, to his best friend, to his terrifying boss (brilliantly portrayed by Regina Orozco). Of course, Memo still has blind spots. Just because he listens, he doesn’t always deduct the right course of action. The writers of Acapulco allow Memo to thrive without needing to situate him into a specific box. But it is Carsa’s earnestness and comedic flair that make this character memorable for me.
Original post available at https://aweinmotion.com/blog/2022/1/13/character-study-acapulco-on-apple-tv
