'Rutherford Falls' Sitcom Comes To Temecula

TEMECULA, CA — Local Native Americans don't often see themselves portrayed in sitcoms, but the critically-acclaimed comedy series “Rutherford Falls” is breaking the mold — and the show's talent is spreading the word.

On June 9, "Rutherford Falls" cast and crew members hosted Native youth and families from all over Southern California at Temecula's Pechanga Resort Casino for a discussion and an advanced screening of season two that begins Thursday on Peacock.

The event included a Q&A session for youth with several cast and creatives from the series, which provided an opportunity for those in attendance to ask professional development questions and hear from Native talent working in the industry. After the Q&A, families were welcomed to join for a peek at season two episodes and a larger post-screening discussion about the show.

Co-creator/executive producer/star Ed Helms and star Michael Greyeyes opened the Pechanga event remotely with pre-recorded welcome messages to the audience. "Rutherford Falls" cast and crew who were on hand live at the event included showrunner/co-creator/writer/executive producer Sierra Teller Ornelas; star/writer Jana Schmieding; star Jesse Leigh; recurring guest star Kaniehtiio Horn; and writers Tazbah Chavez, Azie Dungey, and Taietsarón:sere 'Tai' Leclaire.

"Rutherford Falls" is a comedy about two lifelong best friends, Nathan Rutherford (Helms) and Reagan Wells (Schmieding), who help each other tackle work, romance, and major changes to their small town and the Native American reservation it borders, initiated by Tribal Casino C.E.O. Terry Thomas (Greyeyes). The show debuted in April 2021, just before “Reservation Dogs,” another television program with a predominately Native cast.

"Rutherford Falls" creates a world where Native Americans are neither caricatures nor clichés. The show is inspiring the next generation of Native actors, writers, and producers, Ornelas has said.

“We’re the original storytellers,” said Ornelas, a member of the Navajo Nation, whose writing credits include “Superstore” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.”

“My middle name is Teller, because my great-great-grandfather was a storyteller. The act of storytelling is in our blood. And [“Rutherford Falls”] is just us doing it on [a] more extreme level," Ornelas continued.

Leclaire has said that working on "Rutherford Falls" is the first time he’s had so many Native co-workers since he was in high school.

“I’m so used to being the only Native at my job and having to represent everyone when it’s an impossible task,” said Leclaire, who is Mohawk and Mi’kmaq. “So it’s great to be on this show with so many other great Native writers."

Crystal Echo Hawk, president and CEO of the advocacy group IllumiNative, has said the importance of “Rutherford Falls” is that it transcends other shows that have featured Native casts.

“We have been invisible to the American public,” Echo Hawk said. “A lot of times, people don’t even know we exist, or we’re a stereotype. And literally through this show, this beautiful story and comedy, we’re changing the story and we’re changing the way people see us.”