'Reservation Dogs,' Lily Gladstone make Indigenous breakthroughs with Emmy nominations (2024)

The groundbreaking made-in-Oklahoma series “Reservation Dogs” is finally getting big love from the Television Academy for its final season, while also helping make big strides for Indigenous representation.

From Tulsa-based showrunner Sterlin Harjo, the acclaimed coming-of-age series earned four nominations, including a nod for Outstanding Comedy Series, when the nominees were announced Wednesday for the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards.

'Reservation Dogs,' Lily Gladstone make Indigenous breakthroughs with Emmy nominations (1)

D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, who is Oji-Cree First Nations and hails from Toronto, Canada, also is nominated for a 2024 Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his starring turn on "Reservation Dogs."

The series earned two Emmy nominations in technical categories: Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour) for director of photography Mark Schwartzbard for the episode "Deer Lady" and Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation for the show's sound team for the episode "This Is Where The Plot Thickens."

'Reservation Dogs' keeps blazing trails for Indigenous representation

This year's Emmy nominations mark a breakthrough in Indigenous representation.

The nomination for “Reservation Dogs" for Outstanding Comedy Series is believed to be the first time an Indigenous-centered title has been a contender for the top prize in the comedy, drama or limited series categories, according to the Los Angeles Times. In 2007, HBO’s “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” was named Outstanding Made for Television Movie.

“Reservation Dogs” — co-created and executive produced by Taika Waititi, an Oscar-winning New Zealand moviemaker who is of Maori ancestry, and Harjo, a longtime independent filmmaker who is Seminole and Muscogee — isn't just considered groundbreaking for spotlighting Indigenous talents in front of the camera. The FX series, which streams on Hulu, is regarded as the first mainstream TV show on which every writer, director and series regular performer is Indigenous.

As an executive producer on both “Reservation Dogs” and “What We Do in the Shadows,” Waititi has the rare distinction of being double-nominated in the Outstanding Comedy Series category. (He was previously double-nominated in 2020 for Outstanding Comedy Series for "What We Do in the Shadows" and for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance for playing IG-11 on Disney+’s "The Mandalorian.")

Along with the four nods for "Reservation Dogs," Indigenous actresses Lily Gladstone and Kali Reis are making history with their first Primetime Emmy nominations.

An Academy Award nominee for the Oklahoma-made film "Killers of the Flower Moon" and two-time "Reservation Dogs" guest star, Gladstone is nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for her turn as a cop in Hulu’s “Under the Bridge." Reis earned a nomination in the same category for playing an Alaska state trooper HBO/Max’s “True Detective: Night Country.”

'Reservation Dogs,' Lily Gladstone make Indigenous breakthroughs with Emmy nominations (3)

Their dual nods mark the first time any Indigenous women have been nominated for acting Emmys, according to Variety.

Before Wednesday's nods for Woon-A-Tai, Gladstone and Reis, the only other Indigenous nominee in any acting category was the late August Schellenberg, the Canadian Mohawk actor who starred in “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.” He received an Emmy nomination in 2007 for his performance as Sitting Bull in the telefilm.

'Reservation Dogs,' Lily Gladstone make Indigenous breakthroughs with Emmy nominations (4)

What is 'Reservation Dogs' about?

Filmed primarily in and around Okmulgee, "Reservation Dogs" follows the misadventures of tight-knit teens Bear Smallhill (Woon-A-Tai), Elora Danan Postoak (Devery Jacobs), Willie Jack Sampson (Paulina Alexis) and Cheese Williams (Oklahoman Lane Factor) and their colorful community in the fictional small reservation town of Okern, Oklahoma.

The coming-of-age comedy is considered the first full-time, scripted network TV series to film almost entirely in Oklahoma.

With its Outstanding Comedy Series nod, "Reservation Dogs" is nominated in one of the top Emmy categories alongside the fellow FX series "The Bear" and “What We Do in the Shadows;" ABC's "Abbott Elementary;" HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm;" Max's "Hacks;" Hulu's "Only Murders in the Building;" and Apple TV+'s freshman series "Palm Royale."

'Reservation Dogs,' Lily Gladstone make Indigenous breakthroughs with Emmy nominations (5)

The third and final season of "Reservation Dogs" debuted on Hulu last August, with the 10th and final episode premiering in late September on the streaming service.

The series garnered widespread critical acclaim and blazed new trails for Indigenous storytelling during its three-season run on Hulu. It has been been recognized by the Peabody Awards, Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards, Spirit Awards, Writers Guild Awards and American Film Institute.

Ahead of Wednesday's 2024 Emmy nominations announcement, though, "Reservation Dogs" had received scant love from the Television Academy, with just a single previous Emmy nomination in the technical categories, for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation in 2023. But that prize went to "The Bear" during the Creative Arts Emmy ceremonies.

When are the 2024 Primetime Emmy Awards?

FX's new drama series "Shōgun," adapted from James Clavell's novel of the same name, earned a leading 25 nominations for the 2024 Primetime Emmy Awards. The network's hit "The Bear," which released its third season last month, dished up 23 nods, setting a record for the most nominations by a comedy series in one year.

The 2024 Emmy Awards will be broadcast live on Sunday, Sept. 15, on ABC.

Plus, the Television Academy's Creative Arts and Governors Gala ceremonies will take place Sept. 7-8.

'Reservation Dogs,' Lily Gladstone make Indigenous breakthroughs with Emmy nominations (2024)

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