Steven Prusakowski
Rutherford Falls is one of the freshest series of the year, full of layered and complex characters, unrelenting laughs and intriguing storylines. In addition to being a great piece of entertainment, showrunner / co-creator / writer Sierra Teller Ornelas and star / writer Jana Schmieding made sure there was much more to the series in beyond its razor-sharp comedy.
They were committed to proper representation for native and indigenous people not only on the screen but behind the scenes as well. The representation is not only important, it leads to a funnier, deeper, richer show that never punches down even as it dissects so many of the issues of this complex world.
Ornelas’s work on Rutherford Falls is the latest addition to an impressive comedy series resume that includes such favorites as Happy Endings, Splitting Up Together and Superstore. It has also allowed her to reunite with Mike Schur whom she last worked with on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Schmieding, who was originally hired as a writer, went from making funny videos for her family to the stand-up stage to a successful podcast to the unexpected star of the series. It is quite the Hollywood success story.
My words will not do it justice, so please watch the enlightening, entertaining and hopeful conversation below that covers a lot of ground – from their ‘superhero’ origin stories and working with the talented Ed Helms, to exposing more people to the often overlooked comedy voices of Native people – and much more. Enjoy!
Comments
Loading…