Taika Waititi’s comedy-drama Reservation Dogs returned to Hulu for season 2, and the central core Reservation Dogs cast returned along with some new faces. The hit Hulu series follows the exploits of four indigenous teens, Bear, Elora, Cheese, and Willie Jack, living in Oklahoma as they attempt to save up enough money to go to California in honor of a recently-lost member of their gang. Reservation Dogs season 1 covered the group's mischievous exploits, their grief over their lost member, and their interactions with their community members, including a rival gang, the NDN mafia - all culminating in a tornado that beset their hometown.
At the outset of Reservation Dogs season 2, the group’s striking for the West Coast had not gone according to plan, and they now must pick up the pieces as they discover if their group, and community, can weather the storm. Elora ends up setting out for California alone, save for the company of the leader of the NDN mafia, Jackie, leaving the rest of the crew to forge their own paths, whether that's removing a perceived curse or finding their place in their community. Beyond the familiar faces, audiences will also see some new members of the Reservation Dogs cast as the show picked up a season 3 renewal.
Devery Jacobs – Elora Danan Postoak
Elora is one of the core four members of the Reservation Dogs cast and is known as the group's most responsible, driven member. While the loss of Daniel, one of the members of their gang, is still fresh for each of the teens, Elora also still struggles with the loss of her mother when she was very young. In season 2, Elora ended up making her way back home to Oklahoma, where she watched her Grandma Mabel die. However, by the end, she and the Rez Dogs finally made it to California. Actress Jacobs hails from Kahnawà:ke Mohawk Territory, and in addition to her work on Reservation Dogs, she also portrayed Sam Blackcrow in American Gods and Britney in The Lie.
D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai – Bear Smallhill
Bear is the self-proclaimed leader in Reservation Dogs and has struggled both with attempting to kindle a relationship with his father and in coming into his own with the aid of an occasionally questionable spirit guide. Best friends with Elora, Bear had to contend with their changing relationship after the events of Reservation Dogs season 1. That relationship ended up healing when Jack read them a letter from Daniel, and they realized they had to go to California to say goodbye to their pain. Woon-A-Tai, an Oji-Cree First Nations actor, and recently appeared in Creeped Out and Beans.
Lane Factor – Cheese
Cheese, the youngest member of the group with a flexible attitude, has always been like a little brother to Elora, Bear, and Willie Jack. As he was able to connect with Officer Big and his “grandmother” in season 1 of Reservation Dogs, he’s shown that while he’s young, he’s also, perhaps, the most open-minded of the gang. In season 2, things were tough on Cheese, as he ended up arrested and placed in a group home. Factor is an Indigenous American actor (Creek-Seminole and Caddo) primarily known for his role in the Reservation Dogs cast. He has also worked on The Fabelmans.
Paulina Alexis – Willie Jack
Willie Jack is one of the few members of the gang in the Reservation Dogs cast who still has both parents, even though the loss of Daniel is not just one of a friend but also a cousin. Independent and tough, Willie Jack has been working through her grief with her family while also helping the group raise money to reach California, even as her relationship with her friends and her community, particularly Jackie, the leader of a rival gang, changed. Season 2 saw Jack and Jackie's tough relationship grow dangerous before they finally came to terms. Like Woon-A-Tai, Alexis was also in Beans as well as playing a supporting role in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which recently announced a well-deserved sequel in Ghostbusters 5.
Supporting Cast & Characters
Elva Guerra as Jackie: While she was an antagonist during the first season of Reservation Dogs as the leader of the rival NDN mafia, Jackie departed the reservation with Elora to reach California. In the second season, Jackie returned and she and Willie Jack had a contemptuous relationship, until they finally worked things out in the end. Guerra was in Rutherford Falls and played a role in You and Me This Summer and Dark Winds in 2022.
Sarah Podemski as Rita: Once again reprising her role as Bear’s mother and a nurse at the local tribal clinic in the Reservation Dogs cast, Rita wants to find a more reliable father figure for her son. Podemski has also been in Mekko, Resident Alien, and Coroner.
Zahn McClarnon as Officer Big: McClarnon reprised his role as the superstitious police officer in Reservation Dogs. While audiences have gotten to see some of Officer Big’s challenges in his career and learn more about his life during his time with Cheese, he was the one who was there to get Cheese out of the group home after the young man's arrest. McClarnon has been in a variety of films, some of which include The Forever Purge and Doctor Sleep.
Kirk Fox as Kenny Boy: Kenny Boy owns the local salvage yard, and he came into prominence when Grandma Mabel's car was impounded, just when the Rez Dogs needed it. He acted tough but was there to help the kids when needed. Fox played Sewage Joe in Parks and Recreation, and he has a role in the 2023 mockumentary Jury Duty.
Geraldine Keams as Mabel: Geraldine Keams plays Grandma Mabel in the Reservation Dogs cast. She raised Willie Jack after the death of her mother, but became mean and angry in her later years. However, things took a sad turn when Mabel died in season 2, helping to reunite the Rez Dogs. Keams made her film debut in the classic Western, The Outlaw Josie Wells and she also had a recurring role in the Peacock series, Rutherford Falls.