In honor of Native American Heritage Month, the cast and creative team from Peacock’s critically acclaimed comedy series RUTHERFORD FALLS have put together a comprehensive guide to recommend their favorite Native artists, discuss the impact of the series and share what fans can expect from the new season.
The guide features two of RUTHERFORD FALLS creators – Sierra Teller Ornelas (Navajo Nation), who also serves as showrunner and writer, and Ed Helms who plays Nathan Rutherford and is also a writer on the series – alongside the show’s stars Jana Schmieding (Cheyenne River Lakota Sioux) who plays Reagan Wells, in addition to being a writer, and Michael Greyeyes (Nêhiyaw from Muskeg Lake Cree Nation), who plays Terry Thomas.
Additionally, Peacock is announcing two new recurring guest star roles for the upcoming second season:
Dallas Goldtooth (Mdewakanton Dakota & Dine) will play “Nelson,” a new curator at Reagan’s museum who often tries her patience but might end up being a serious contender for her heart. Goldtooth was most recently seen in Reservation Dogs.
Kaniehtiio Horn (Kahnawake Mohawk) will play “Feather,” a larger-than-life gym owner and a hilarious thorn in Terry’s (Michael Greyeyes) side. Horn previously starred in Barkskins and Letterkenny.
Two additional Indigenous writers have also been added to the writers’ room for the second season:
Dash Turner (Yurok), who was named one of IllumiNative’s 25 Native American Comedians to Watch in 2020.
Azie Dungey (Pamunkey), who has previously written for Girls5eva and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
RUTHERFORD FALLS is a comedy about two lifelong best friends, Nathan Rutherford (Ed Helms) and Reagan Wells (Jana Schmieding), who find themselves at a crossroads – quite literally – when their sleepy town gets an unexpected wakeup call.
The series stars Ed Helms (The Office, The Hangover), Jana Schmieding (Reservation Dogs), Michael Greyeyes (I Know This Much Is True), Jesse Leigh (Heathers), and Dustin Milligan (Schitt’s Creek).
The second season of RUTHERFORD FALLS is currently in production and will premiere in 2022. The series comes from Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.
RUTHERFORD FALLS represents a breakthrough moment in Native representation in comedy television both in front of and behind the camera. RUTHERFORD FALLS is one of the largest Indigenous writer’s rooms on television with six Native writers staffed on the series including co-creator and executive producer Sierra Teller Ornelas (Navajo), Tai Leclaire (Kanien’kehá:ka [Mohawk Nation]/Mi’kmaq), Jana Schmieding (Cheyenne River Lakota Sioux), Tazbah Chavez (Bishop Paiute/Diné/San Carlos Apache), Dash Turner (Yurok) and Azie Dungey (Pamunkey).
ABOUT THE SERIES:
Co-Creator / Showrunner / Writer / Executive Producer: Sierra Teller Ornelas (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Superstore)
Co-Creators / Executive Producers: Michael Schur (Parks and Recreation, The Good Place), Ed Helms (The Office)
Executive Producer: Mike Falbo, David Miner, Morgan Sackett
Produced by: RUTHERFORD FALLS is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, in association with Fremulon, 3 Arts Entertainment and Pacific Electric Picture Company
