Reservation Dogs Season 2 - What We Know So Far
Taika Waititi is a name you often see in entertainment news headlines, and for a good reason — he's quickly becoming one of the most famous filmmakers of the moment, with several successful projects to his name. One of his most recent ventures is the FX comedy television series "Reservation Dogs" that he co-created with Sterlin Harjo, which was recently renewed for a second season.
"Reservation Dogs" follows four Indigenous teenagers named Elora Danan Postoak (Devery Jacobs), Bear Smallhill (D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai), Cheese (Lane Factor), and Willie Jack (Paulina Alexis), who live on a reservation in rural Oklahoma and call themselves the Rez Dogs. The Rez Dogs do whatever they deem necessary to raise money for a cross-country move to escape their current living situation, and they get into a fair share of mischief along the way.
By the end of "Reservation Dogs" Season 1, the kids learn a lot about life and even more about themselves — but there are still plenty of questions waiting to be addressed in season 2. Here's what we know so far about the upcoming season of "Reservation Dogs."
What is the release date of Reservation Dogs Season 2?
In early September, "Reservation Dogs" was renewed for a second season, and it's set to premiere sometime in 2022. The new series was first mentioned back in 2019 when Taika Waititi tweeted the news himself, and the first season officially premiered in August 2021. While we thankfully won't have to wait quite that long for Season 2, we do have a little time until it premieres — but we wouldn't be surprised if the release date is as early as next summer.
TVLine reported on the show's season renewal and included a statement from FX's president of original programming, Nick Grad: "We couldn't wait to share Reservation Dogs with viewers and are thrilled that they seem to love it as much as we do. We're happy to put in an early order for another season. Sterlin Harjo delivered on his creative vision, partnering with Taika Waititi and the rest of the creative team, the brilliant cast and crew to create one of TV's best new comedies and a groundbreaking showcase of representation and raw talent."
Who will be in Reservation Dogs Season 2?
While there hasn't been an official announcement regarding the cast of Season 2, the four series protagonists are expected to return, including Elora, Bear, Cheese, and Willie Jack. We'll also likely see series regulars like Bear's mother Rita (Sarah Podemski), Officer Big (Zahn McClarnon), Mose (Lil Mike), Mekko (Funny Bone), and William "Spirit" Knifeman (Dallas Goldtooth). We may even get to meet some new characters, so stay tuned for any official casting updates.
"Reservation Dogs" is breaking records in the entertainment industry for being the first TV series to feature a predominantly Indigenous team of writers, directors, and producers, as well as a primarily Indigenous cast (per Salon). Harjo also revealed how they went about the original casting process to find cast members who could genuinely represent folks from Indigenous-American backgrounds. "You have to go to these communities to find the actors," he explained to Salon. "That's all ['Reservation Dogs'] did. We went and cast in the communities. We went and got tapes from all over Indigenous communities. The talent is there. It just doesn't happen to be on Hollywood Boulevard."
What will happen in Reservation Dogs Season 2?
At the end of "Reservation Dogs" Season 1, Elora, Bear, Cheese, and Willie Jack are at a crossroads. Willie Jack confesses she doesn't want to go to California after all, which causes the other group members to argue about their plans — especially Elora and Bear. Eventually, Elora decides to head to California with Jackie (Elva Guerra) instead, aka the leader of their group's rival gang, which will cause a bigger rift between the Rez Dogs in Season 2.
We could also potentially see Bear's estranged father, Punkin Lusty (Sten Joddi), again. In an interview with TVLine, Woon-A-Tai revealed his thoughts about his character potentially hearing from his father in the next season: "I definitely think we will. Do I think Punkin is gonna come to Oklahoma? No, I don't think so. If (and it's a big "if") the Reservation Dogs go to California, I don't even know if Bear will want to go see his dad at that point. [...] Will Punkin redeem himself in later episodes? I can definitely see that. I don't know what the writers are gonna do with it!" However, it remains to be seen if Joddi will return to the project.
There's no official word on the plot of "Reservation Dogs" Season 2, but we're expecting there to be tons of laughs and touching moments, just like Season 1.