Indigenous people on U.S. television: the first one I remember is the old man standing by the side of the road with a tear for all the litter. Otherwise, there has been few to anything or anyone since then.
Indigenous people on Canadian television: APTN is a channel in Canada. FNX is based n the United States that shows a lot of Canadian programming. Mohawk Girls, who has been on CBC and CBC Gem, might be the most famous show with a significant Indigenous cast. Trickster made an impact on the CBC and the CW in the United States. Brandon Oakes is on Diggstown, a show coming soon to Fox in the United States.
Rutherford Falls has a mix of Indigenous and white characters. Mixed Blessings is a show that also has a mix of Indigenous and white characters. Rutherford Falls has ups and downs but is definitely better than Mixed Blessings.
Rutherford Falls is a new show from Peacock (think Comcast and NBCUniversal). The show has an Indigenous co-creator in Sierra Teller Ornelas (co-created with Ed Helms and Michael Schur) and a majority Indigenous writers room.
This is a big deal in the United States in terms of visual representation. Canada has been slightly better over the years in terms of putting people on television from different backgrounds. The cries for a "Muslim Cosby Show" ignored the existence of Little Mosque on the Prairie. Fresh off the Boat (U.S.) and Kim's Convenience (Canada) both made an impact in East Asian representation.
We try to cover Canadians on U.S. TV shows. A U.S. TV show might have 1-2 Canadians: Superstore has had Mark McKinney and Lauren Ash. The Moodys, recently on Fox, has Francois Arnaud, Jay Baruchel, and Gerry Dee. Rutherford Falls, perhaps as a result of Canadians being further along in Indigenous programming, has a surprising number of Canadians.
- Michael Greyeyes (Nêhiyaw from Muskeg Lake Cree Nation) as Terry Thomas, the Minishonka casino CEO). Greyeyes is up for a Best Actor nomination for Blood Quantum at the 2021 Canadian Screen Awards later this month.
- Dustin Milligan as Josh Carter, a journalist looking for the real story in the small town. Milligan (Schitt's Creek, X Company) has worked on television on both sides of the border. Milligan is of European descent.
- Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs as Jess Wells. Jacobs was a 2018 TIFF Rising Star. She was stellar in Rhymes for Young Ghouls. You may have seen Jacobs in Mohawk Girls, Level 16, and Blood Quantum.
- Kiawentiio as Maya Thomas. She was the lead in Beans (TIFF 2020) from Tracey Deer and was in Anne with an E.
(This may not be a full list of Canadian actors on Rutherford Falls. Let us know if we missed someone.)
Seek More embraces inclusion in Canadian television and film
Canadian TV notebook: Trickster one and done, Nurses ends next week in U.S.
Katie Couric's search for a Muslim Cosby Show should take her to Canada
Rutherford Falls has its moments. Episode 4 devoted to Terry Thomas is brilliant in telling stories white people aren't used to seeing. The episode was written by Rupinder Gill, who happens to be Canadian. Gill has written for Schitt's Creek and This Hour Has 22 Minutes.
The show has a bit too much Ed Helms at times. That said, the friendship between the Helms character with Reagan Wells (Jana Schmieding — Cheyenne River Lakota Sioux) is tremendous in that their differences are barely mentioned.
Canada has had leaps and bounds beyond the United States in terms of Indigenous characters in film. Our film reviews section is filled with our take on Canadian films from Indigenous filmmakers and actors. We also have a section devoted to Indigenous content.
Your humble narrator has had an education over the last few years, mostly due to Canadian film. I could say I know more than a lot of white people on either side of the border but that doesn't mean a lot. Angry Inuk made a large impact on me. Kaniehtiio Horn's beautiful video on Twitter about how to pronounce her full name is also part of my education.
The films were entertaining, mostly. Indian Horse bummed me out. Birth of a Family was sad but highly engaging. The Sixties Scoop was shocking to find out and that it happened so recently in our lifetimes.
Seeing Indigenous characters and people helps people who are not Indigenous to see them as people, flawed people. Sierra Teller Ornelas told Tom Power on Q on CBC Radio about how Hollywood tends to flatten out Indigenous characters, presenting them as one-dimensional. The Indigenous people I have seen on Canadian television and Canadian film have broad experiences, all flawed, some more than others.
Trickster really did show that world more than we've seen on either side of the border. Yes, the whole Michelle Latimer thing. Not to dismiss what was behind the controversy, but that show made an impact. We will see later this month how that might translate at the Canadian Screen Awards.
The show was engaging and entertaining. Americans and Canadians were able to watch the show without cable. Trickster, even with 6 episodes, is part of the path to having Rutherford Falls on television.
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You can find Rutherford Falls on Peacock in the United States and Showcase in Canada.
photo credit: Rutherford Falls/Peacock
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