Why 'Reservation Dogs' feels like it was made for Native people

By Lauren Gilger
Published: Tuesday, October 12, 2021 - 11:28am
Updated: Monday, February 21, 2022 - 11:34am

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Reservation Dogs
FX on Hulu
(From left) Willie (Paulina Alexis), Elora (Devery Jacobs), Bear (D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai) and Cheese (Lane Factor) in the pilot episode of "Reservation Dogs."

Hulu’s new comedy "Reservation Dogs" doesn’t necessarily look like most hit TV shows.

The series follows four teens from Oklahoma who dream of moving to California. It’s being heralded as funny, poignant, self-assured and ground-breaking. And nearly the whole cast — and much of the team behind the lens — is Indigenous.

But this moment for Native Americans in TV didn’t come out of nowhere, according to Monte Yazzie.

Yazzie is the program manager for the Native American program for the Phoenix Film Festival and a film critic himself.

The Show spoke with him about "Reservation Dogs" and why representation matters in pop culture.

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