Fourth Cinema Genre Mash-Up: Coming-of-Age Drama and Sketch Comedy in Reservation Dogs

Abstract

ABSTRACT:The article analyzes and contextualizes Reservation Dogs, the FX series on Hulu created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi. The series features a cast of emerging and established Native stars and an Indigenous creative team that includes award-winning independent filmmakers and the 1491s, whose irreverent open-access sketch-comedy videos have a global audience. The series' mix of sketch comedy and coming-of-age drama reflects the creative team's cultural activism, imaginatively deconstructs stereotypes, shows how genres move in new directions, and illuminates precedents in sketch comedy and Indigenous film and media.