Reservation Dogsis the FX on Hulu comedy that deserves a watch especially with the third season airing recently. In the series, we followfour indigenous teenagerswho live on a reservation in Oklahoma. This group of four includes Bear, Elora, Willie Jack, and Cheese. They dream of having a better life and for them, this kind of life could be found in California.
Their decision comes after the fifth member of their group, Daniel, dies. His dream was to move to California. Since they have no money, they commit acts of theft to gather money and make their dream come true, like stealing a delivery truck. They will do anything to achieve their dream and commemorate Daniel, which they did in Season 2.
Reservation Dogsis co-created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi and both of them are also executive producers. One thing that makes us love the show is the fact that almost all of the cast and production team are indigenous. While people absolutely love the show, it must come to an end.
The show that started in 2021 had a great run, but Harjo and the team decided that season three was the perfect end forReservation Dogs.In an Instagram post, Harjo wrote about the decision, “It’s the correct decision creatively for the show. I always knew what the end of this story would be, I just didn’t know when it would arrive. As we continued to break stories and write scripts this season, it became clear to the producers, Taika and me that the season three finale is the perfect SERIES finale.”
One thing that we are glad about is that the show succeeded in achieving its main idea. That is to “show the world that Native humor and Natives are funny,” as Harjo said. To celebrate the release of the third season, which many are excited about, here is a cast and character guide forReservation Dogs.
D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai as Bear Smallhill
D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Taiplays the role of Bear Smallhill who is the first member of the group. InReservation Dogs, Bear is the leader of the group, or this is what he considers himself to be. It doesn’t matter if his friends don’t share the belief inhis capabilities to be a leader. What matters is his belief to be so.
Leader or not, Bear is a compassionate and kind person who cares about others despite what he went through. His family life isn’t the best since he was raised by his mother, but he still misses his estranged father in Los Angeles. Like most teenagers, Bear wants to have a male role model like his father. This desire makes him come in contact with a Spirit guide whom, luckily for us, Bear has funny interactions with.
This isn’t Woon-A-Tai’s first role, but it is his most successful one so far. In addition to his success playing the character of Bear, he was also recognized at the awards shows. For example in 2023, he was nominated for Best Actor in a Comedy Series at the Critics Choice Award.
Other thanReservation Dogs, the Oji-Cree First Nations actor acted in films likeOnly the Good SurviveandBloody Hell. He also played the roles of Mikey inTribaland Lucky inCreeped Out. Now withReservation Dogs’ end, we are sure that Woon-A-Tai will quickly have more roles under his name.
Devery Jacobs as Elora Danan Postoak
Another member of the group is Elora Danan Postoak played byDevery Jacobs, whose full name is Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs. We can consider Elora to be the true leader of the group. She has a resilient and confident character which is fitting for a leader. Since each one of the characters has their own journey, so does Elora.
Elora’s journey focuses on the educational opportunities she has. In addition to this, she also discovers a lot about her father. Like Bear, Elora is impacted by her family. Unfortunately, when Elora was only three years old, her mother died. However, her character made heruse her lossas a source of power and encouragement. She uses her pain to seek a brighter future for herself along with others.
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Devery Jacobs, coming from Kahnawà:ke Mohawk territory, has been acting since a young age. She is also one of the most experienced in the cast due to her participation in several works. Just like her character, Devery has a strong voice, and she isn’t afraid to speak up about topics that matter to her. She talks about the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, indigenous people, and also the SAG-AFTRA strike.
Some of Devery’s roles include her playing Sam inAmerican Gods, Lilith Bathory inThe Order, Miranda inThis Life, and more. We also got the chance to see her in the indie movie titledWe Burn Like This. Perhaps her most exciting project will beMarvel’s upcoming seriesEcho.
Paulina Alexis as Wilhelmina “Willie Jack” Jacqueline Sampson
Paulina Alexis,also known as Wagiya Cizhan, which means young female eagle, plays the role of Willie Jack, the most stylish person in the group. With her unique style and sense of humor, Willie Jack is the cool one among the four friends. We follow her as she learns medicine from Old Man Fixico, and we also take notice of herinterest in the supernatural.
We will finally get to know more about Willie Jack’s family while also learning more about her relationship with her father. So far, all the characters we mentioned have some sort of a problem to be solved with their fathers.
Paulina was born and raised in the Alexis Nakota Sioux Tribe.She told W Magazinein an interview that her character is based on her. They have the same style and sense of humor which definitely makes the connection between her and the character stronger. She even told the magazine, “That would be sick,” when the possibility of a Willie Jack spinoff was discussed.
When it comes to other roles, the actress doesn’t have a lot of projects. This will certainly change after the success she found inReservation Dogs. Not to mention that she was the favorite character for many of the show’s fans. We got to see Paulina act inBeans,Ghostbusters: Afterlife, andBones of Crows.
Lane Factor as Chester “Cheese” Williams
The last member of the group is Cheese who is played byLane Factor. All the members of the group have something they need to face and Cheese is no different. He has a constant fear of losing those whom he loves which he has to control. But he isn’t the only one caring about those around him. Since he is the youngest member, the rest of the group will do anything to protect him like a younger brother.
Unlikereal-life siblings, where the age difference makes it hard to connect, Cheese has no problems with that. He easily fits in with the rest of the group that sometimes you would forget the age gap. It helps that he wants to take part in the group’s activities, legal or not. He may be inexperienced, but no one can deny that he is fun to be around.
While the actors of the rest of the group had some works to their names,Reservation Dogswas Factor’s first role. He is definitely lucky as he gets to say that his acting debut was more than successful with three seasons people will remember him with. Factor also appeared in Steven Spielberg’sThe Fabelmans. We can expect a bright future for Factor as he is doing well when it comes to proving himself.
Sarah Podemski as Rita
Rita is Bear’s mother, and she is played bySarah Podemski. Rita is caring and wants what is best for her son. Despite the fact that Bear’s father left them, Rita still cares about him being present. She wants Bear’s father to be around him despite everything he did which shows how much she cares about Bear because she knows he is longing for a male figure. Within their community in Oklahoma, Rita is respected and loved by everyone. She works at the local clinic in town, and we can tell that she loves her job.
Other thanReservation Dogs, we have seen Podemski inResident Alien,Between,Mekko, andCoroner.
Dallas Goldtooth as William “Spirit” Knifeman
Dallas Goldtoothplays the role of William “Spirit” Knifeman who is mostly associated with Bear. Knifeman is an indigenous warrior spirit from the past. He appears to Bear when Bear is unconscious, and he helps guide him through his journey. We can also consider Spirit to be the one who gives wisdom to Bear; especially when he is unconscious. Since the show follows four indigenous teenagers, it is only normal that Spirit’s presence enforces Bear’s connection with his heritage.
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Dallas Goldtooth is mostly known for his role inReservation Dogs, and he has also appeared inRutherford Falls,Ghosts,Rez Ball, andDrunk History.
Zahn McClarnon as Officer Big
Zahn McClarnonplays the role of the friendly Officer Big whorepresents the law enforcementin the show. We can tell that he has a crush on Rita, Bear’s mom. As a police officer, Officer Big wants to stop crime. This includes stopping the group of four from committing said crimes.
However, he isn’t heartless. If the group got themselves in too much trouble, more than they can handle, then Officer Big will be there to offer help. All of this is expected from someone as friendly as Officer Big. The guy is even more excited about socializing with those around him rather than working.
We also got the chance to see McClarnonin other successful roles. For example, he acted inDark Winds,Longmire, andFargo. McClarnon is also expected to appear inEcho.
Kimberly Guerrero as Auntie B
When it comes to the show’s supporting cast, we haveKimberly Guerreroplaying the role of Auntie B. She is Willie Jack’s aunt. She is exactly what the show needed to increase the comedy in it; she provides comic relief during the show. Auntie B is a local bead maker and the comic part happens when the four friends ask her to make them a beaded medallion. The end result? One looks like a penis. Rather than giving the teenagers what they asked for, she gives them a completely different product.
This isn’t Guerrero’s first role. We also see her inRutherford Falls,Seinfeld,Longmire,Grey’sAnatomy, and many other projects.
Gary Farmer as Uncle Brownie
Gary Farmerplays the role of Elora’s uncle, Uncle Brownie. To people on the reservation, Uncle Brownie is a legend. We get to see more of him when Elora asks him to teach herand her friends how to fight, which he does. It is a beneficial relationship since getting to know the Reservation Dogs changes his life. He has renewed energy to use in his life.
Farmer has been acting for a long time, and he has a lot of work under his name. For example, Farmer has acted inResident Alien,Cowboys,The Red Road, andLongmire.
