TV

Rutherford Falls co-creator Sierra Teller Ornelas teases season 2 as a 'celebration of friendship'

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Published on May 9, 2022 10:00AM EDT

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Ed Helms, Jana Schmieding, and Michael Greyeyes are going back to Rutherford Falls.

When Peacock's delightfully sweet sitcom made its debut last year, the show earned raves for its frank (and funny) conversations about history. Co-created by Sierra Teller Ornelas, Mike Schur, and Helms, the show centers on a small town grappling with a complicated legacy: Some residents, like Helms' Nathan Rutherford, are deeply proud of the area's history and eager to preserve it. Others, like his longtime friend Reagan Wells (Schmieding), are members of the fictional Minishonka Nation and, as Native Americans, have a less rosy view of the town's past.

The result was a first season that made strides for Native American representation on TV, while also earning laughs. Now, Rutherford Falls is returning for a season 2 that promises to be as thoughtful — and hilarious — as ever.

"We really put everything we had into that first season, especially it being the first Native American sitcom," Ornelas tells EW. "I was like, 'We're doing everything because who knows if this is going to happen again.' For season 2, I was so nervous and thought, 'Oh god, what do we do?' Michael Greyeyes was like, 'Well, there's an infinite amount of Indigenous stories. The one thing we don't have to worry about is stories.'"

Season 2 (premiering June 16) once again focuses on childhood friends Nathan and Reagan as they face new challenges, both romantic and professional.

"It's so much a celebration of their friendship and their dynamic," Ornelas says. "I have always seen them as two nerds against the world, and you really see that as they both go through romances and trials and tribulations and conflicts. They always have each other's back and really support each other."

Greyeyes is also back as casino owner Terry Thomas, along with Jessie Leigh as ambitious high schooler Bobbie Yang. This year, they're joined by newcomers Kaniehtiio Horn (Letterkenny) and Dallas Goldtooth (Reservation Dogs).

For Ornelas, one of the joys of the first season was telling a variety of Native stories, and when the show premiered in 2021, she and her staff were overwhelmed by the fan reaction, especially among Indigenous viewers who celebrated the series' representation. Since the beginning, she says, her goal for the show has been to spotlight different perspectives and never present all Indigenous characters as a monolith. Per Peacock, Rutherford Falls has one of the largest Native writers' rooms on television, with six Native writers staffed on the series (including Ornelas and Schmieding).

"I've worked in a lot of writers' rooms where there are multiple white characters," Ornelas explains. "If you look at something like Parks and Rec, you see Ron Swanson versus Leslie Knope versus Jean-Ralphio. There are also so many different types of Native people, and it was really important to me that if we were going to be the first Native [sitcom] we didn't try to explain to audiences, like, 'This is the one way to think about this subject,' or 'This is what we all collectively think.' When you're in a group of Native people, there's often debate about any issue because we're all so different."

Even though Rutherford Falls can tackle complicated issues, Ornelas emphasizes that, ultimately, the show is a comedy, and she can't wait for viewers to experience the new season's silliest moments. (She also teases that "a lot of people get punched/kicked in the face.")

"One of the things I really love is that we just lean into the comedy this year," she says. "There were really funny elements to the show in season 1, but the nature of the storytelling also necessitated some very complex conversations. I love that in season 2, we're able to do that as well, but we also really enjoy these comedic characters."

All eight episodes of Rutherford Falls season 2 will debut on Peacock on June 16.

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