Rutherford Falls: meet the sitcom creators decolonizing Hollywood

August 25, 2020 3:14 PM

Navajo writer and showrunner Sierra Teller Ornelas has teamed up with her former Brooklyn Nine-Nine colleague Mike Schur and actor Ed Helms to create Rutherford Falls, an NBC Peacock sitcom set in a small town that borders a reserve. Helms plays a "local legend and town namesake" who fights plans to move a statue of the town's founder. The cast will include Toronto-based Plains Cree actor Michael Greyeyes, Lakota Sioux writer and actor Jana Schmieding, and Schitt's Creek alumnus Dustin Milligan. Five of the twelve writers are Native American, making it one of the highest proportions of Indigenous writers on an American sitcom. CBC's Rosanna Deerchild interviews the Indigneous writers decolonizing the Hollywood sitcom.

In addition to Ornelas and Schmieding, the other Indigenous writers are story editor Tazbah Chavez, Tai LeClaire, and Bobby Wilson.

On the first day of working together, explained Chavez, she "really had a moment."

"This is the first time that I've had Native colleagues in any workplace. And it's so cool to come to work, especially in TV, and be around other Native writers," said Chavez.

"It influences the vibe and the culture of the [writers] room," added Schmieding. "It also is, I think, influencing the storytelling quite a bit. It's pretty magical."

Rutherford Falls is currently in production and will air on NBCUniversal's streaming site, Peacock.

"It's a really exciting time," said Ornelas. "We're all getting to do something that is genuinely funny, genuinely interesting, but also very much from a Native perspective."

posted by hurdy gurdy girl (8 comments total)

Ooooooh I can't wait for this show! I need more Mike Schur goodness in my life. I follow Sierra Teller Ornelas on Twitter and she's very funny. “You never see Indians on TV,” said Rutherford Falls co-creator and showrunner Sierra Teller Ornelas. “When you do it’s one guy and he has to transform into a wolf.” Also, TED! (from Schitt's Creek, the third show in my trifecta of perfect shows: Parks & Rec, The Good Place and Schitt's Creek!)
posted by pjsky at 4:25 PM on August 25, 2020 [2 favorites]

Wow, this is so awesome. Thanks for sharing, I look forward to watching it.
posted by rogerroger at 4:26 PM on August 25, 2020 [1 favorite]

Oh, this looks great!
posted by ChuraChura at 4:36 PM on August 25, 2020 [1 favorite]

On this topic, We Are Joey Clift is (I thought) a great episode of the podcast Ethnically Ambiguous that digs into some of the challenges of being a Native comedian.
posted by Riki tiki at 5:44 PM on August 25, 2020 [1 favorite]

This looks really great, with a fantastic day. Thanks for sharing!
posted by matildatakesovertheworld at 10:11 PM on August 25, 2020 [1 favorite]

i can't wait for this!
posted by cendawanita at 12:19 AM on August 26, 2020 [1 favorite]

I will watch it.
posted by exolstice at 7:10 AM on August 26, 2020 [2 favorites]

This is awesome and I'll watch it for sure, but it'll have to be on my laptop because Peacock doesn't stream on Roku? GRRRRRRR.
posted by cooker girl at 7:45 AM on August 26, 2020 [1 favorite]