Rutherford Falls: Real Life Comedy Themed in Identity
Rutherford Falls is a series on Peacock that is based on the town of Rutherford Falls. This is a comedy worth watching and one where everyone can relate to some of the ongoing themes. Individuals need to feel like they have an identity and that is one of the main themes throughout the show. Nathan Rutherford and Regan Wells are trying to preserve their identity in the Rutherford Falls and are often met with conflict in their attempts. Both Nathan and Regan are friends who both have a desire to preserve the history in Rutherford Falls. Nathan runs the town’s historical center which focuses on Lawerence Rutherford, while Regan (Jana Schmieding) tries to get funding for the Minishonka Cultural Center.
Nathan Rutherford is also the descendent of the town’s founder Lawerence Rutherford, who becomes the center of many controversies including his past conflict with Native Americans. Throughout the series there is an additional conflict with the statue of Lawerence Rutherford because it causes car crashes with how it is placed in the town. There is also a legal conflict with the Minishonka, over the treaty that Rutherford signed with them. This does cause a division between Nathan and Reagan for some part of the series. In an attempt for Reagan to create a cultural center for the tribe she goes to Running Bulls casinos manager, Terry Thomas (Michael Greyeyes, True Detective) for funding. She also relies on help from Nathan earlier in the series and then Josh Carter (Dustin Milligan, Schitts Creek), an NPR journalist reporting on Lawrence Rutherford.
Michael Schur is the co-creator of Rutherford Falls. He was also the producer of The Office and Parks and Recreation. Some of the comedy style in Rutherford Falls, is similar to Schur’s previous work. It is not a mockumentary, which was a surprise, but it focuses on real life comedy. Ed Helms (The Office) also helped create Rutherford Falls and played Nathan. Sierra Teller Ornelas was a co-creator and is also a member of the Navajo nation. Orneals has been writing for 10 years for shows like Superstore. Another positive attribute to Rutherford Falls is that there are diverse characters in the series, in addition to the Native American cast and crew. Jesse Leigh (Superstore), a Chinese American non-binary actor plays Bobby Yang an intern at the historical center. Dana L. Wilson (Dexter), plays Deidre Chisenhall, Rutherford Fall’s first female African American mayor.
