It seems like it was just yesterday the world was first introduced to the “Rez Dogs” on the FX on Hulu comedy-drama series, Reservation Dogs, but a little more than a year later, we are preparing for the third season of the show created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi. The show, which just completed its second season in September 2022, will be back at some point in the near future when Reservation Dogs Season 3 finds its way onto our TV screens and streaming devices.
Although all of the specifics about the returning series when it comes the to story, returning cast members, or an exact release date are currently unknown, there is already a great deal of information out about Reservation Dogs Season 3 when it comes to what we can expect from the show. Let’s break it all down now…
Reservation Dogs Was Picked Up For A Third Season In September 2022
Before the Reservation Dogs Season 2 finale even had a chance to debut on Hulu in September 2022, FX made the decision to give the comedy-drama series about four friends on an Indian Reservation planning to escape to California at least one more season. When announcing the Season 3 order, Nick Grad, FX’s president of original programming, had this to say about the series:
Reservation Dogs continues its remarkable run with critics, fans and awards all recognizing the singular brilliance of the series created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi. FX is proud to join with our partners at Hulu to order a third season featuring the amazing cast and all of the artists who deliver one of the most original, engaging and funny shows on television.
Grad stopped short of saying who will be returning to the show when Reservation Dogs Season 3 debuts, so we’ll have to wait and see if Prey star Amber Midthunder will be reprising her supporting role in another season.
Like The First Two Seasons, Reservation Dogs Season 3 Will Stream On Hulu
Just like the first two installments in the series, Reservation Dogs Season 3 will stream exclusively on Hulu upon its debut, FX and Hulu have announced. One of the major changes made as part of Disney’s acquisition of Fox, Hulu has essentially become another home for FX shows in recent years, with some of the best shows on TV being produced by the network for the streaming service. This year alone, critically acclaimed shows like The Bear, The Patient, and Pistol have all debuted on Hulu under the FX Productions tag.
The Reservation Dogs Writing Team Started Working On Ideas In September 2022
On September 28, 2022, the same day Reservation Dogs Season 2 concluded its 10-episode run on Hulu, the show’s writers were already hard at work on coming up with ideas for the upcoming third season. When speaking with Vulture about the recent finale and the show’s future, co-creator Sterlin Harjo described the process as “playing catch,” in the sense that he and his team were just throwing around different ideas, stating:
We started the room for season three today. It’s like playing catch: throwing things out and seeing who grabs hold or what jars something in someone’s brain. But I don’t want to force anything. If it’s a day where we’re just, like, eating shit, I will call it. Last season, there was a run of four days where it felt like we didn’t know what we were going to do. Like, This is not working. It was depressing. One day, we came back in and just unlocked it.
It remains to be seen if the writers room will have similar issues in the early goings of Season 3’s process. However, despite stumbling the first few days of the Season 2 writers room, the season ended up having a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes (and 89% audience score) after it debuted in August 2022 on Hulu.
Show Co-Creator Sterlin Harjo Is Trying To Expand The Show While Not Losing Touch With The Four Reservation Dogs
One of the highlights of Reservation Dogs in its first two seasons was the way it balanced the stories of the four core characters — Elora Postoak (Devery Jacobs), Bear Smallhill (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai), Chester “Cheese” Williams (Lane Factor), and Wilhelmina “Willie Jack” Jacqueline (Paulina Alexis) — with the massive ensemble cast of supporting actors and their respective stories. When speaking with GQ in the wake of the Reservation Dogs Season 2 finale and Season 3 pickup, Harjo had this to say about that balance moving forward:
We’ve spent four days in the writers room. We work pretty fast. We have a lot of episodes loosely put on the board. That changes constantly, but what I can say is that Season 2 is still the show [even though] it's different than Season 1. And I think the same will be [true] for Season 3. How do we keep expanding the storytelling, but also keep the show intact, and keep everything coming back to our four reservation dogs?
It will be interesting to see how the series’ scope expands with the new season, and how Harjo and his writing team handle that process moving forward.
Reservation Dogs Season 3 Is Expected To Premiere In 2023
There is still some time before the 2023 TV schedule starts to be fleshed out, but if everything works out, we can expect to see Reservation Dogs Season 3 premiere on Hulu at some point next year. When announcing the Season 3 pickup order, FX and Hulu revealed plans for a 2023 release, but didn’t offer an exact timeframe.
If we use the show’s release model so far — Season 1 debuted on August 9, 2021, Season 2 on August 3, 2022 — then we can expect to see Reservation Dogs Season 3 premiere at some point in early August 2023.
There is still a lot we don't yet know about Reservation Dogs Season 3, including its story, new cast additions, and exact release date, but expect to hear more in the coming months. In the meantime, don't forget to check out CinemaBlend's fall 2022 TV schedule for all the new and returning shows coming out the rest of the year.
