TheReservation Dogsshowrunner leads by instinct.
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It feels surprising but also inevitable after a season committed to giving each character their own narrative space.
Everyone in the writers room was like, Ughhhh.But they knew it was right.
As painful as it is, we have to make a run at hold the show together.
The guiding principles are just telling a story likewetell it.
Its unabashedly my sensibility.
People sometimes ask how we keep the humor balanced with the sadness, and I dont know!
I just do that.
Its the way stories were told in my life.
Its not a trick.
I cant put my finger on it.
I haveworkedat it: Ive done films that have moments that do that or fail at doing it.
I was surprised when I started watching the cuts come in youre scared!
As soon as you finish the script, youre like,I hope they work.
I didnt even know what showrunners did before I became one.
Its just like being an independent filmmaker your hand is in every part of the process.
I had no idea how to run a room; Id never been in a room before.
I just did it the way I figured I should do it.
We started the room for season three today.
But I dont want to force anything.
If its a day where were just, like, eating shit, I will call it.
Like,This is malfunctioning.
One day, we came back in and just unlocked it.
Do you remember what you were stumbling on?One thing wasan episode about Big(Zahn McClarnon).
Blackhorse Lowe co-wrote and directed that episode, and I remember him half-asleep during the Zoom.
Somehow it clicked for me: What if Big gets dosed and goes on a crazy acid trip?
I remember Blackhorse waking up and all of a sudden engaging.
I thought,All right, were onto something.
Episode 209was originally a yard sale, and then that became awild-onion dinner.
Two weeks before shooting it, I knew something was wrong.
We broke it, and then Migizi Pensoneau wrote it.
It was down to the wire.
Literally today, in the writers room, they were making fun of me for this.
And the room will go, Ughhhhh.
But its really figuring out what were trying to say.
A lot of times, another way of saying it is better.
I just dont want it to feel thin or fake.
Some season-two openers feel like the first idea in a writers room.
There are alotof first ideas out there, and they feel thin!
You have to break through that for it to be good.
Thats the only meter I go through.
Does it feel like the show?
We put pressure on these episodes until were sure they hold water.
Are there second seasons of shows you admire?Atlantaseason twowas great!
Goes somewhere else than season one, is really exciting.
I have more that I dont like that I dont want to say.
Second seasons are so hard!
In the bad version, they wouldve decided inepisode twothat they were trying to get there.
Instead, they have to figure all these other pieces out, and thenbam!
Playing with expectations helps us.
Each of them is about one of the Reservation Dogs on their own.
Theyre all very intense, often darker episodes about these kids grieving or feeling lost.
Were you thinking about how to pace those within the season?I really wish I had a plan.
The entire guest cast is incredible, but I could not take my eyes off ofJana Schmiedingthis season.
It was obvious to bring her back for season two.
Its a really subtle shift in her, and itssogood.
Shes subtle, but she can be outrageous, and its always very grounded.
Devery Jacobs, who plays Elora Danan, joined the writers room for season two.
How did that come about?Part of it came from season one she developed that character.
Shes also a filmmaker and a writer and director, so she thinks like that.
I imagine shes going to have a crazy triumphant career.
You mentioned earlier that youre glad you dont have the bad habits developed in other writers rooms.
But I know that theres some bad TV, and I cant imagine those rooms are as creative.
Its still my voice in the whole thing.
Do you remember those episodes you knew werent going to work?Yeah!
One was a Halloween episode.
The kids are like, Willie Jacks been acting different.
They see Willie Jack participating, and theyre freaked out because they feel like theyve lost their friend!
They just ate sandwiches and sat in these peoples kitchen.
It fit really well, and I thought,Ah, shit, Ill steal from myself.
BeforeReservation Dogs, you were in a sketch-comedy group called the 1491s.
Lets make some stuff for free.
But I realized it helped me shoot comedy in a way that translated.
I slowly learned how you present the world, what lens choice to use, all that stuff.
We bombed at some live shows, especially in front of non-Natives.
What we realized is that white people especially are nervous to laugh when it comes to Indian stuff.
Theyre either very precious about us or they dont want to offend us or they dont get the humor.
So we would come out and talk as ourselves and be very self-deprecating and give them permission.
We tell a lot of dick jokes feel free to laugh.
Youre helping save Indian lives or whatever.
Give them permission to laugh, and then wed go to the sketches.
I didnt know how helpful it was untilReservation Dogs.
And we got to meet all of Indian Country and played reservations from all over.
It helped us pull bits and pieces of things wed seen on the road.
It showed us it showed me how to package this humor in a way that everyone can enjoy.
I want to ask you about the finale.
First, Brandon Boyd from the band Incubus plays White Jesus.
How did that happen?He just auditioned for it!
I didnt know he was out doing auditions!I guess!
I had this audition from him, and it was great.
Maybe it was offer only?
I cant remember … but I had to have seen something from him.
I was going for Tom Waits ha but he stepped in, and it was great.
But I knew I didnt want to have this California-Daniel thing be an idea they just kept moving toward.
Itd be cheap to keep doing that.
It was expected but unexpected.
It was a good way to end their journey and a good way to open up a new chapter.
The more we went through the season, the simpler it got.
For a while it was like,Theyre in L.A.!
Fish out of water!
Theyre in Venice!Then it became,Lets get them to the ocean.
It should be about performance and about them talking to Daniel.
I think it was amazing, what they did.
It was really hard shooting in the water like that, but they pulled it off.
Next season, whatever theyre dealing with will change into something else.
Daniel will always be there, but its been a year.
The hard part of the mourning feels like its coming to a place where theyve moved through it.
But it sounds like youve spent time thinking about what really works for the show.
You could almost have a spinoff show of those two.
With episode 209, they had a lot of patience for the stillness of that episode.
People are invested, which gives us some leeway.
I want to bring the Deer Lady (Kaniehtiio Horn) back.
I want that supernatural stuff to remain in the show.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
