A small town reckoning with its racist past (and present) might sound like a better basis for a docuseries or drama than a light-hearted comedy. And yet, in the year 2021, we have “Rutherford Falls,” which is very much a sweet, funny show about a community and its resident weirdos — a la “Parks and Recreation” — and an honest examination of America’s legacy of white supremacy and colonialism.
Created by rising writer-producer Sierra Teller Ornelas, star Ed Helms, and “Parks and Rec” alum Michael Schur, “Rutherford Falls” sees its titular town on the brink of major (well, kind of) change — and not everyone is on board. Since it sits in the middle of an intersection and keeps causing car accidents, the statue of town founder Lawrence Rutherford is set to be moved. As we eventually learn, there are plenty of other reasons to take down the shrine to this dead white dude, namely his exploitation of the local Minishonka Nation. But the very notion of relocating the statue — even on the basis of public safety — is enough to send some townsfolk around the bend.
Nathan Rutherford (Helms), hometown hero and Lawrence’s descendant, is one of the these people. His best friend, Reagan Wells (Jana Schmieding, who needs to be cast in everything from here on out), a Minishonka member, is not. She sees what Nathan doesn’t: the whole town is a tribute to Lawrence, while Minishonka history has largely been erased. The show smartly underscores this divide by making Rutherford Falls’ historical museum, which Nathan runs, ornate and successful. Meanwhile, the Minishonka cultural center, which Reagan runs, is a sparse room at the casino that’s often mistaken for a gift shop.
There aren’t really villains in “Rutherford Falls” so much as there are varying degrees of obliviousness, privilege, and introspection. Most of the comedy is courtesy of the push-pull between what the town is now and what it could be, between the characters’ base self-interest and their potential for empathy.
And the show isn’t just a storytelling triumph: Indigenous voices are a strong presence on both sides of the camera. Schmieding (Cheyenne River Lakota Sioux) is joined in the main cast by Michael Greyeyes (Nêhiyaw [Plains Cree]), who portrays the casino’s morally complex CEO. In addition, five Indigenous writers work on the show: Schmieding , Ornelas (Navajo), Bobby Wilson (Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota), Tai Leclaire (Kanien’kehá:ka [Mohawk Nation]/Mi’kmaq), and Tazbah Chavez (Nüümü [Bishop Paiute Tribe], Diné [Navajo], San Carlos Apache).
My one quibble with “Rutherford Falls” is that it focuses on Nathan’s story as much as it does. Helms is great, but the show would pack an even greater punch if Reagan was the clear lead and Nathan was a supporting player, instead of them being equal co-leads. Nathan is a good character — a basic straight white cis dude that wants to be better, but has a hard time pushing past his knee-jerk reactions. But we’ve seen him countless times before, on-screen and otherwise. As the series progresses, I would like to see Reagan — a smart, witty, prickly woman trying to do right by her culture — take center stage and for Nathan to take a step back. Until then, “Rutherford Falls” is still a pretty fantastic watch as-is.
“Rutherford Falls” premieres today on Peacock.
