Fans of Sterlin Harjo’s work as a co-creator on the Hulu series Reservation Dogs have a brand new show to get excited about. Variety reports that the Gotham Award-winning co-writer will direct, co-write, and executive produce an upcoming untitled miniseries for FX. Though not much is known about the show, it is being described as a thriller focused on a heist pulled off by a Native woman. Bestselling author Jonathan Lee is set to work with Harjo as a co-writer.
Reservation Dogs, which Harjo co-created with Oscar-winning Jojo Rabbit co-writer Taika Waititi, featured a writing and directing team of all Indigenous people. The show was recently renewed for a second season and follows the lives of four Native American teenagers as they attempt to break free from their lives living on an Oklahoma reservation in order to start fresh in California. Along with hiring an entirely Indigenous writing and directing team, the cast and production teams were nearly all also consisting of Indigenous people.
Of his work and ability to share a story of Indigenous peoples by the people themselves, Harjo said, “I looked around and said we had to swing for the fences. It was a combination of that and FX giving us the room to do that and to let me tell it with Indigenous writers. We could tell the story we wanted to tell. We could really go for it and it allow [sic] us to make something beautiful.”
Along with his success in Reservation Dogs, Harjo has also directed and produced two films that both debuted at Sundance Film Festival in 2009 titled, Mekko and Barking Water. The third book from Harjo’s writing partner, Lee, "High Dive," not only launched him to notoriety when it was chosen as a New York Times Editors’ Choice, but is also planned to be made into a film directed by Brian Kirk, with Lee writing alongside Academy Award winner Eric Roth. Lee’s latest book, "The Great Mistake," earned much praise and recognition from publications such as The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, and more.
We can’t wait to catch the latest story by Harjo and Lee. If you haven’t watched it yet and want a taste of what to expect from the new series, be sure to check out Reservation Dogs streaming through FX on Hulu.