Reservation Dogs didn’t win any Emmys on Sunday night, but that wasn’t a big deal for the creators, actors, and writers of this amazing Native American TV show. To them, the story of the Rez Dogs ended just like it started: by celebrating their community.
As the awards ceremony approached, Sterlin Harjo, the cocreator, and several young Indigenous actors from the FX show were more thrilled about the chance to see their families than they were about the possibility of winning an award. The showrunner, who is Muscogee and Seminole, didn’t think he would win anything, and honestly, it didn’t bother him at all.
Harjo, who worked with Taika Waititi to create the dramedy about life on an Oklahoma reservation, said, “We transformed our world, and that’s something no one can take from us. It was like climbing a huge mountain to get this show made, and we achieved a lot. We sneaked into the industry and made a big impact; things will never be the same again.”
D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, who became a breakout star, made history by being nominated for lead actor in a comedy series. He was up against big names like Steve Martin and Martin Short, and he was the youngest nominee in his group. Even with all the excitement, he stayed calm before the awards ceremony. Jeremy Allen White from FX’s The Bear won the award and shared a hug with Woon-A-Tai before heading to the stage.
“I really appreciate being nominated, but I’m feeling more anxious as the day gets closer. What I truly wanted was the approval from the [Indigenous] people we stand for,” said the 22-year-old Oji-Cree actor as the ceremony approached. “The way our community responded is what means the most to me.”
The event also provided a chance for some important closure because the third and final season of the show aired during the 2023 writers and actors strike, which meant there wasn’t an official premiere. Devery Jacobs, a 31-year-old Mohawk actor who played a big sister figure on the show and behind the scenes, said, “I said my own goodbye to Reservation Dogs on set, but we couldn’t celebrate the show properly.” She added, “For Indigenous artists and kids from the reservation to see a group of rez dogs at the Emmys who look like them and share similar backgrounds is the most meaningful part.”
The success of Jacobs and her Native co-stars shows that the entertainment industry is beginning to change in a big way, with more genuine Indigenous representation both in movies and in this year’s Emmy nominations. Lane Factor, a 19-year-old actor from the Creek Seminole and Caddo tribes, shared, “This is just the beginning.” He spent a lot of his teenage years working on the show. “The best thing about ‘Rez Dogs’ is that it tells real human stories that connect us all, and it’s amazing to see so many people from different backgrounds sharing their own stories right now.”
The influence of the show is clear to famous people like Jodie Foster, who won her first Emmy on Sunday for her performance in True Detective: Night Country. During her acceptance speech, she took a moment to recognize the Iñupiat and Inuit communities in Alaska, where the show takes place. Earlier that week, she also shared her admiration for Rez Dogs with Jacobs at a pre-Emmys gathering.
Jacobs chuckled as he shared, “She told us how much she adored Reservation Dogs and went on about each of our performances—I was almost in shock! As a queer person, seeing her create as a queer artist makes me such a huge fan of hers, so it really meant a lot to me.”
Rez Dogs received a lot of praise during the Emmys weekend as the crew, along with family members like Lily Gladstone and Amber Midthunder, made a big splash at various events in Los Angeles. Before the FX and Vanity Fair party on Saturday, Bobby Wilson, a writer-producer from the Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota tribe, playfully joked on Instagram about competing with the stars of The Bear. However, instead of a rivalry, they ended up taking selfies and showing each other some love.
The people involved in the show thought that the events and the Emmys were great chances to support Indigenous designers such as Bethany Yellowtail, Lesley Hampton, Keri Ataumbi, and Kenneth Johnson. For example, Dallas Goldtooth, a writer and actor from the Bdewakantunwan Dakota and Diné tribes, used the opportunity to showcase the moccasins he created while also bringing some humor to his role as William “Spirit” Knifeman in Reservation Dogs.
Just like how Reservation Dogs highlighted important issues during its three seasons, the Emmys red carpet also provided a platform to address serious problems in tribal communities. Woon-A-Tai wore a red handprint on his mouth to raise awareness about the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis.
Zahn McClarnon, a talented Hunkpapa Lakota actor with over thirty years in the industry and roles in shows like Fargo and Westworld, felt this year’s Emmys were more meaningful than those he has been to before. He shared, “It’s really amazing to see Native stories getting the attention they deserve from the TV Academy. We still have a lot to achieve, but looking back at my career, I can see how far we’ve come, and I’m really proud to be involved in that progress.”
No one really showed the spirit of Rez Dogs like 24-year-old Paulina Alexis, an actor from the Alexis Nakota Sioux tribe. Even though she was 37 weeks pregnant, she was set on going to the Emmys. Her biggest worry wasn’t about winning or losing an award; it was about her water breaking while she was on the red carpet!
“I didn’t think I would come at first, but then I figured out that I really wanted to be here for my future son,” she explained. “I work hard to make a difference for the next generations so they won’t have to experience what I did—growing up without seeing people like them on TV and feeling like they aren’t good enough just because they’re Native.”
At home, friends and family gathered to watch the awards show, cheering every time Rez Dogs was mentioned. They laughed when hosts Eugene and Dan Levy joked about how the show had been overlooked for Emmys in the past, similar to what happened with their own show, Schitt’s Creek. Indigenous fans all over the country were excited and hopeful to see if their favorite show would win the Emmy for outstanding comedy series. But in the end, the results of the ceremony didn’t really matter to them. After Hacks won the last award of the night, fans took to social media to share their love for Rez Dogs and celebrate the amazing Native representation on such a big platform.
Tazbah Chavez, the writer, director, and producer from Bishop Paiute, said, “We never expected the show to be so popular around the world. While we were creating the first season, we thought it was important to share our own story. What we accomplished for our community by showcasing our humor and humanity means way more than any award we could win.”
After the ceremony, the Rez Dogs family reunion carried on at Disney’s after-party. The cast and crew danced with pure joy, almost like they had just won an Emmy. It reminded them of the fun times they had while making the show in Oklahoma, away from the flashy lights and pressures of Hollywood. Just like they created their groundbreaking show, these rez dogs celebrated their success in changing how Indigenous people are represented, doing it all in their own unique style.