Television series

Reservation Dogs

Name: Reservation Dogs
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Released: 2021
Cast: D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Devery Jacobs, Paulina Alexis, Lane Factor

A hangout comedy-drama about four teenagers in rural Oklahoma pulling small-time cons to fund a promise made to a friend who died. Plot is almost beside the point — episodes drift into ghost visions, tribal council meetings, and long porch conversations, finding grief and joy in the same breath. Funny, specific, unhurried; not for anyone wanting tight plotting.

TVMaze rating

7.0

If you liked this

Atlanta2016

Donald Glover's surreal, genre-hopping comedy-drama follows young Black men navigating fame and identity in the South with the same loose structure and sudden mood swings.

But Its detours get stranger and more abstract than Rez Dogs ever does; some episodes barely resemble sitcoms at all.

Derry Girls2018

Four teenage friends in Troubles-era Northern Ireland navigate school, boys, and politics with the same specific-place, big-heart comedy.

But Broader and jokier — a proper sitcom shape, less interested in quiet or ambiguity than Rez Dogs is.

Barry2018

A hitman trying to become an actor oscillates between deadpan comedy and real violence with the same tonal control and sudden gut-punches.

But Much darker and more morally compromised; the laughs come from dread, not warmth.

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Powwow Highway1989

It's the blueprint — decades before Rez Dogs, it paired lo-fi crime-comedy plotting with real Native interiority, humor and grief, and never once explained itself to outsiders.

Two Cheyenne friends drive a battered Buick from Montana to New Mexico on a half-legal rescue mission, mixing crime-comedy road movie with genuine spiritual reckoning.

But Rough, low-budget production and a shaggier, slower pace than anything currently on Hulu.

Somebody Somewhere2022

A woman grieving her sister rebuilds a life in small-town Kansas and stumbles into an unlikely, very funny found family.

But Slower and gentler still; almost nothing happens except people being kind, which some viewers find inert.

Ramy2019

A specific cultural community, faith, and identity crisis run through one young man's eyes with the same mix of funny and aching.

But More self-flagellating and less ensemble-driven — it centers on one guy's spiritual mess rather than a friend group.

PEN152019

Adult actors playing thirteen-year-olds capture the exact texture of adolescent friendship, humiliation, and loyalty with startling accuracy.

But The premise — grown women playing seventh graders — is a big ask, and the secondhand embarrassment runs hot.

Everything Sucks!2018

A short-lived teen ensemble comedy-drama about misfit friends in a small 90s town, warm and unpolished in a similar register.

But Cancelled after one season, so it ends mid-story with almost nothing resolved.

What We Do in the Shadows2019

Taika Waititi's mockumentary vampire sitcom shares Rez Dogs' DNA — deadpan, silly, oddly tender underneath the gags.

But Pure sitcom silliness with no grief or grounding underneath it; a much lighter watch overall.

The Bear2022

A grief-stricken found family running a struggling business swings between chaos comedy and real sorrow, episode to episode.

But Far more anxious and high-strung in tone; the camera rarely lets you rest the way Rez Dogs does.

Molly of Denali2019no page yet

Same generous, specific portrait of Indigenous community life and the same refusal to over-explain — just aimed at eight-year-olds instead of Hulu subscribers.

An animated series about an Alaska Native girl and her community, told with the same insider warmth, humor, and refusal to translate culture for outsiders.

But It's built for small children — gentle pacing, no stakes higher than a broken canoe.