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Made possible by the John H. Mitchell Television Programming Endowment. UCLA FIlm & Television Archive and the UCLA American Indian Studies Center present

Reservation Dogs

Four women walking down a hotel hallway.
November 4, 2023 - 7:30 pm
In-person: 
Q&A with producers-writers-directors Sterlin Harjo and Tazbah Rose Chavez, moderated by David Delgado Shorter, UCLA Professor of World Arts and Cultures/Dance.


Admission is free. No advance reservations. Your seat will be assigned to you when you pick up your ticket at the box office. Seats are assigned on a first come, first served basis. The box office opens one hour before the event.


From co-creators and executive producers Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi, FX’s Reservation Dogs is a landmark half-hour dramedy that follows the exploits of Elora Danan (Devery Jacobs), Bear Smallhill (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai), Willie Jack (Paulina Alexis) and Cheese (Lane Factor), four Indigenous teenagers in rural Oklahoma. The series also features an extended cast of memorable characters including Spirit (Dallas Goldtooth), tribal officer Big (Zahn McClarnon), cannabis-loving Brownie (Gary Farmer), physics-obsessed Bucky (Wes Studi), the enigmatic Deer Lady (Kaniehtiio Horn) and many, many more. 

Filmed on location in Oklahoma, Reservation Dogs is a breakthrough in Indigenous representation on television, both in front of and behind the camera. Every writer, director and series regular on the show is Indigenous. This first-of-its-kind creative team tells a story that resonates with them and their lived experiences.

Throughout its first two seasons, Reservation Dogs landed on 180+ critics’ year-end best lists, was honored as an AFI Television Program of the Year for two consecutive years and won two Independent Spirit Awards, a Gotham Award and Peabody Award. The show was among seven programs recognized in 2022 by the Television Academy as part of its 15th Television Academy Honors, showcasing exceptional programs and their producers who have leveraged the power of television to fuel social change.

All three seasons of FX’s Reservation Dogs are now available on Hulu. 

Join us as we pay tribute to FX’s Reservation Dogs with a screening of two acclaimed episodes and an in-person conversation with special guests, co-creator-executive producer-showrunner-writer-director Sterlin Harjo and co-executive producer-writer-director Tazbah Rose Chavez. 

Notes courtesy of FX.

We are grateful for the support of the Golden Globe Foundation.





FX’s Reservation Dogs: “Wide Net”

U.S., 8/24/2022

Aunties Rita (Sarah Podemski), Bev (Jana Schmieding), Teenie (Tamara Podemski) and Natalie (Nathalie Standingcloud) cut loose at the annual Indian Health Services Conference. Variety called the stand-out episode “a game-changer for audiences in terms of how it spotlights its female cast.”

Digital, color, 24 min. FX. Executive Producers: Sterlin Harjo, Taika Waititi, Garrett Basch. Director: Tazbah Rose Chavez. Writer: Tazbah Rose Chavez. With: Sarah Podemski, Jana Schmieding, Tamara Podemski, Nathalie Standingcloud.

FX’s Reservation Dogs: “Deer Lady”

U.S., 8/9/2023

The horrific history of U.S. government-operated Native boarding schools is explored when the spirit Deer Lady (Kaniehtiio Horn) sees a glimpse of her past while helping Bear (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai). Salon noted, “in its confluence of excellent directing, writing and performances … ‘Deer Lady’ exemplifies the enriching cultural potential that can be achieved on TV when underrepresented voices are given space to tell their stories their way.”

Digital, color, 24 min. FX. Executive Producers: Sterlin Harjo, Taika Waititi, Garrett Basch. Director: Danis Goulet. Writer: Sterlin Harjo. With: D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Kaniehtiio Horn, John Getz, Haley Sims, Georgeanne Growingthunder, Michael Podemski.

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