After the final episodes of Reservation Dogs and Rutherford Falls, Native folks across Turtle Island were left asking the same question: what’s next for NDNs on TV? Those two groundbreaking shows changed the game by showing the world that our Native communities are full of brilliance, humor, and humanity. And now, NBC’s latest comedy pilot looks ready to pick up that torch and run with it.
Set in a Native American community center in Oakland, this yet-untitled comedy has just announced its first four cast members: Jana Schmieding, Bobby Wilson, Wes Studi, and Rachel Dratch.
At the heart of the series is a place many Natives will recognize: the community center. It’s where aunties and elders gossip over games of bingo, uncles hold court over endless cups of coffee, and the youth gather for tutoring and after-school programs. This comedy centers on the staff doing their best to keep the lights on and lift the people, all while navigating the chaos, charm, and humor that naturally follows when Natives come together.
The creative team behind the series is nothing short of iconic. Sierra Teller Ornelas (Rutherford Falls, St. Denis), Jackie Keliiaa, and Bobby Wilson (The 1491s, Rutherford Falls) are writing and executive producing, with Ornelas also serving as showrunner. Morgan Sackett (The Good Place, Hacks) is also on board as executive producer.
Jana Schmieding (Mniconjou and Sicangu Lakota), who made history as the lead of Rutherford Falls, returns to the screen as Josie Two-Shoes, the newly hired director of the center who’s got a plan, a purpose, and maybe a few control issues. Schmieding’s reunion with Teller Ornelas and Wilson promises the same mix of heart, wit, and cultural resonance that made Rutherford Falls so special.
Bobby Wilson (Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota) will play Bobby Renville, a community center lifer who loves to stir the pot but ghosts as soon as it starts to boil. Wilson’s dual role as both performer and co-creator underscores a growing shift in the industry, with Native people leading the charge both on-screen and behind the camera.
And then there’s the legend himself, Wes Studi (Cherokee). With a career spanning decades, from Powwow Highway to The Last of the Mohicans, Studi steps into the role of Frank Henry Jr., a lovable but no-nonsense elder running the center’s support programs. His presence brings both gravitas and that bone-dry humor only our elders can deliver.
Rounding out the cast is longtime NBC comedy icon Rachel Dratch (SNL, Bob’s Burgers), playing Cheryl, the eccentric, groovy staff member who promises to keep things weird in the best way possible.
This series couldn’t come at a better time. Since the conclusion of Reservation Dogs and Rutherford Falls, there has been a noticeable absence of Native-centered narratives on TV. Those shows redefined what Indigenous storytelling could look like: bold, funny, vulnerable, and ours. This new series is a promising reminder to networks, audiences, and even ourselves that Native people are not a one-season story arc and that there’s a place for our stories in every genre and on every network.
