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Reservation Dogs’ Future Gets Optimistic Update Despite The Show’s End-TGN

September 27, 2023

Summary

  • Reservation Dogs season 3 may have aired its finale, but co-creator Sterlin Harjo is optimistic about the show’s future, with plans for a feature film and spinoffs.

  • The show’s finale felt like the perfect closer according to Harjo, and the series has made television stronger with its talented young ensemble and underrepresented stories.

  • Reservation Dogs has attracted A-list actors for cameos and may continue in some form, potentially focusing on supporting characters and expanding the universe.

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The future of Reservation Dogs gets an optimistic update despite airing its series finale. Created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi, the half-hour comedy follows Elora Danan (Devery Jacobs), Bear Smallhill (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai), Willie Jack (Paulina Alexis), and Cheese (Lane Factor), four Indigenous teens who live in rural Oklahoma. After the death of the fifth member of their crew, the teens take to stealing and saving in order to achieve their dream of living in California. Throughout its three-season run on Hulu, the show has stayed true to that premise while also evolving from it.

In an interview with Variety, Harjo looked back on Reservation Dogs season 3 and gave an optimistic answer about where the comedy could go next. The co-creator mentioned that he’s already plotting a “Rez Dogs” return, including a feature film and several potential spinoff ideas involving characters such as Uncle Brownie (Gary Farmer), Bucky (Wes Studi), and the Deer Lady (Kaniehtiio Horn). In the quote below, Harjo explains his hopes for the future:

I do want to do spin offs. I’m already trying. As soon as we announced the ending, I was like, ‘I think I know of a great feature film that I could do, a Rez Dogs return.’ So, I’m already plotting. It’s just that this story needed to end. This story was about loss and grief and coming of age. And this was the arc that we wanted to tell. It doesn’t mean we can’t pick it back up. But there is not a continuation right now. It could easily come back, but it’ll be something else. And it will be later.

Reservation Dogs Ended On Its Own Terms

It was announced in June that Reservation Dogs would come to an end with season 3. Harjo shared the news on social media, explaining that it felt like the right creative decision. Harjo added that, along with producers and co-creator Waititi, the finale felt like the perfect closer once they’d arrived at it. Now that the finale has premiered, it’s safe to say that Reservation Dogs has made television a stronger and better medium.

The comedy’s young ensemble have emerged as bright young stars, deftly delivering riotous laughter as easily as they can sell difficult emotional beats. The comedy excelled in both avenues, while also creating space for veteran actors such as Zahn McClarnon. Since appearing on Reservation Dogs in a recurring role, he’s signed on for two Marvel projects and leads his own series in the AMC crime drama Dark Winds. In addition to its acclaim and status as one of the best comedies of the past few years, it also highlighted stellar talent by telling the kind of stories not often seen in pop culture.

Related: Every Movie & TV Show The Reservation Dogs Cast Is Doing Next

That status could be why Reservation Dogs has a quietly impressive history with cameos, attracting A-list actors who want to play in the show’s sandbox for a time. It may be enough to ensure that the series returns in some form, and in some way, down the line, potentially focusing on supporting characters and expanding the “Rez Dog” universe. However, even if that never comes into fruition, there’s solace in the legacy that the series left behind.

Source: Variety