Yahoo News Reservation Dogs comes to an end, farewell to the greatest show on TV
The show's third and final season is out on Disney+ now.
Reservation Dogs season 3 has landed on Disney+, and its release means that we must bid farewell to the greatest show on TV.
Created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi, the show explores grief, love, friendship and family through its characters Elora Danan Postoak (Devery Jacobs), Bear Smallhill (D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai), Cheese Williams (Lane Factor), and Willie Jack Sampson (Paulina Alexis) who hope to fulfil their late friend Daniel's dream of moving to California.
As a show made by Native American creatives both in front of and behind the camera, the FX comedy changed the TV landscape in multiple ways. It helped increase representation in Hollywood, but it also delivered one of the most heartfelt and touching narratives seen on the small screen in recent years.
Story rules all
Reservation Dogs proved that quality is better than quantity, delivering hard-hitting storylines with a comedic edge and not shying away from difficult subjects like grief.
It takes its time to develop each character, diving into their individual struggles whilst also making them charming and funny. With such strong writing — and raw, captivating performances from Jacobs, Woon-A-Tai, Factor and Alexis — it's hard not to be drawn to the characters, to fall in love with them and root for them.
The writing not only delivers on the fun yet heartbreaking premise of four teens honouring the memory of their late friend, it examines subjects like the collective trauma felt by Indigenous communities across the US with thoughtfulness and care.
It is able to balance its humour and tragedy well whilst also giving an honest portrait of Native American culture, something that will let audiences understand Indigenous people better but also make those within the community feel seen and represented in ways they likely haven't before.
Harjo spoke of the importance of doing this on social media, when he announced that the third season was set to be the last ahead of its release in the US in August.
The showrunner wrote: "When we came up with the idea for Reservation Dogs, I didn’t think the show would ever get made, but thankfully it did.
"Almost all television and film depictions about Native people are mostly inaccurate. And most of them have been untruthful. It has been a gift to us to show the world a different perspective of Indigenous people and our culture.
"These are our stories, and they represent our people. We know it's an enormous responsibility and we never took that lightly."
Representation matters
The release of Reservation Dogs in 2021 marked a turning point for Hollywood, one that has seen things change for the better — even if there is more to be done.
Indigenous people were a largely under-represented group in entertainment but with the success of the FX series came increased interest in stories like it, ones told by Indigenous people and showing a more authentic look at them onscreen.
Since its release there have been shows like Dark Winds, The English and Alaska Daily, and films like Killers of the Flower Moon to come out and represent Native American culture, with future productions like Marvel's Echo expected to do the same.
Read more: Everything you need to know about Echo
When it was announced the show would end, FX said in a statement: "People throw around the words historic and groundbreaking far too often and without merit: Reservation Dogs is worthy of those superlatives.
"Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi created one of the most important TV shows ever made. They gave the world a wholly unique, original, and honest portrayal of Native people—one that has never before been seen in television or film."
This is certainly true, Reservation Dogs set a precedent for representation onscreen and made audiences more aware and appreciative of Indigenous people and their experience, not in a way that tore them down but one that helped empower them and show they are more than just what people had perceived them to be through Westerns and other media, derogatory or otherwise.
The cast and crew made something truly special with Reservation Dogs, and while it is sad to see such an incredible show end so soon it is better to go out on a high than outstay one's welcome.
Reservation Dogs seasons 1 to 3 are available to watch now on Disney+.
Watch a trailer for Reservation Dogs:
