Indigenous Television Reclaiming The Spotlight

November is Native American Heritage Month and with that, during November, I want to focus some of my pieces on Indigenous creators and Indigenous subjects. 

For this piece, I want to focus on the TV shows by Indigenous creators. 

Dark Winds 

Based on the Leaphorn and Chee book series by Tony Hillerman. The AMC series executive produced by George R. R. Martin and Robert Redford stars Zahn McClarnon and Kiowa Gordon as the main characters. 

According to Variety season two included more than ninety percent of the production team on both sides of the camera for season two were Indigenous. 

Dark Winds has been renewed for season three on AMC and is expected to debut in early 2025. 

Reservation Dogs 

According to Hulu, Reservation Dogs centers around four indigenous teenagers in rural Oklahoma who steal, rob and save in order to get to the exotic, mysterious, and faraway land of California. Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi created Reservation Dogs. 

Reservations Dogs has three seasons available on Hulu and stars D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Devery Jacobs, and Paulina Jewel Alexis. 

Rutherford Falls 

According to Peacock, Rutherford Falls centers around lifelong best friends, Nathan Rutherford and Reagan Wells, who find themselves at a crossroads when their sleepy town gets an unexpected wake-up call. 

Rutherford Falls was created with Ed Helms, Mike Shure, and Navajo screenwriter, producer, and showrunner Sierra Teller Ornelas. 

Rutherford Falls stars Ed Helms and Reagan Wells and has two seasons available on Peacock.