If you’re looking for a pretty good comedy to binge this weekend, look no further than Rutherford Falls, the latest Mike Schur (Parks and Recreation and The Good Place) produced series that turns on the charm while still getting laughs. Now, as with Schur’s other series (which include Brooklyn 99 as well), Rutherford Falls isn’t perfect out of the gate, but it’s got the right cast, an interesting hook, and great writing, so I have high hopes that it can ascend to greatness in season two with a couple of minor tweaks.
Co-created by Ed Helms (who stars as Nathan Rutherford, the last of the Rutherford family line to live in the town named for their ancestor), Schur, and Sierra Teller Ornelas (who serves as the showrunner), the series tells the story of life-long friends Nathan Rutherford and Reagan Wells (Jana Schmieding, who should really be the standalone star of the series), whose friendship comes under fire when Rutherford Falls’ local Native American population (of whom Reagan is a member, albeit one who doesn’t quite fit-in, as she left the area for school and is seen as someone who thinks they are better than others – even though it’s not quite true) decides they want more control over the direction of the town – and some key changes made to better reflect the truth regarding its founding and the founding Rutherdfords’ treatment of the Native people within the area. Yeah, not the lightest topics to tackle in a half hour comedy, but much of the humor lands and the story is compelling. While the character of Nathan is a pretty typical clueless privileged white guy, Reagan has a ton of nuance (thanks in large part to Schmieding’s great screen presence and acting abilities), which helps gloss over the multiple instances where Nathan sticks his head in the sand and refuses to acknowledge his family’s troubled history.
And that’s the central conflict within the series in its first season: How does Nathan Rutherford process the realization that his beloved ancestors actually treated the Native population abominably? While Helms does his best with the character – making him as sympathetic as one can be when you’re refusing to accept that things might have been rotten in the state of Rutherford Falls’ historical accounts – I really would have loved to see Reagan made the sole lead in the series. Sure, you would have to restructure the central conflict a bit, but having Nathan work as a supporting character (his connection to Reagan would have made this pretty easy to do) would have been great. And yes, Helms is the show’s sole “name” actor, which means there likely was worry about pushing him to the side this early, but I really hope season two of the series makes Reagan more prominent and Nathan less.
Schmieding is a star and the series could really shine with her in the spotlight. Re-focusing the series to center more on the character of Reagan would also allow the show’s other Native American characters a chance to take center stage more often. Michael Greyeyes pops each time his shrewd and calculating Terry Thomas gets a chance to command the action. The episode that focuses on how Terry turned into the smart businessman who can play the white folks around him like a fiddle is one of the strongest of the season, and the only episode that really digs deep to flesh out any of the show’s interesting but still underdeveloped characters.* And the conflict between Reagan and the other Native American characters could also benefit from being more fleshed out. While it’s briefly touched on, the idea that there’s push back on Reagan as a result of her leaving to gain an education at a prestigious university and her close friendship with Nathan is interesting and would help explore Reagan’s own rocky relationship with her identity as well as the phenomenon of marginalized groups pushing out those who go outside and return. With Reagan as the central character, we could learn more about all of these elements.
*Deep, complex characters are not necessarily a feature of most comedies, but they tend to be when Schur is involved in series. Looking at his three most famous comedies, each one had a rich tapestry of characters who shared the screen and the spotlight over their runs. I suspect that this will also become the case with Rutherford Falls as the series continues, assuming they can bring the focus more on their Native American characters and less on their white cast members – Helms and Schitt’s Creek alum Dustin Milligan, who does a good job as an NPR reporter trying to ferret out a scandal in the town, but who doesn’t really fit in the overall arch of the season beyond occasionally popping in to dig up dirt and flirt with Reagan.
So, yes, season one of Rutherford Falls is worth watching. Yes, it drags a bit and Nathan’s journey is often circular in nature (leading to the same points getting hit multiple times). But the work of Schmieding alone is worth taking the time to binge through all ten episodes. And, with a writing staff that includes five Native American writers (the largest number ever on a comedy writing staff), this is a series that can genuinely dive into issues that a less diverse and representative staff wouldn’t be able to. I thoroughly enjoyed season one, and I hope that in season two we get less dumb white guys and more interesting stories for Reagan and Terry Thomas.
Rutherford Falls ten episode first season is now streaming on Peacock (the first three episodes are available without a subscription).
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