Rutherford Falls

Like many reviewers I watched because I adore Ed Helms and his particular blend of comedy but for lots of reasons this show fails to engage with enough people, enough of the time to be funny. Season 1 was overly political and so it was hard to find the comedy in it. Season 2 was funnier but Helms just pushed himself aside to shine a spotlight on the rest of the cast and unfortunately for him, most of the cast are bad actors with little ability so without his charisma this one could never get far. Needed more star power and famous faces. I understand what he was trying to do and no doubt it was all well intentioned but for lots of reasons such as plot and acting, this didn't land.

Let's start by saying I think Ed Helms is super talented and I appriciate the effort, Helms, Shur and the writers wanting to do something different.

Sadly like a lot of reviews on here something is missing as in effort to almost be super diverse in every category they have forgotten to cast better actors and add better writers to the room.

Michael Greyeyes, Ed Helms and the very underused Beth Stelling are all fantastic but the rest of the cast are exceptionally hit and miss and as a result so are the plots and the level of acting in varying episodes. Sometimes it is hilarious, satirical and heartwarming and sometimes it's a bit like a school play.

Season 2 is much better than season 1 with a range of much funnier scenes but the awful romance between Nathan and Dedria is so desperately cringeworthy and contrived for a show that is largely trying to be at the forefront of something, the whole set up seems so bad. Normally Ed has so much chrisma he can pull off a romance and you root for the two characters but these two have NO chemistry and the whole story seems forced to give Nathan a plot for the season.it's all very odd and disjointed. The show desperately needs to clean house for season 3 shifting out some current cast for new characters that can support its growth.

It can be developed but they need to add to the cast and bring more established names in to help it progress. Truth be told I should have given it a 6 but I love Ed Helms so much and don't want to bash a show that is trying to do a good thing and clearly has a good heart but if you are not a Native American or an Ed Helms fan you may struggle to stay with it,

Like a lot of Mike Schur projects, this series only hit its stride after a slightly awkward beginning. The first two episodes might be the weakest ones, but concentrate on the amazing acting talent of Michael Greyeyes (who also seems to have A LOT of fun playing this part) and others until the whole cast has caught up and is feeling their storylines. Then, the show hits its stride.

Some of the most insightful funny dialogue, an amazing cast of Native American actors and the familiar feeling of... Pawnee? Mike Schur Land, for sure.

This is the first comedy that isn't at the expense of a marginalized group. It's funny and cute. Ed Helms is whatever but the other actors and actresses are great!

This very funny series has Ed Helms as a likable but brittle museum operator and Jana Schmieding as his long-time friend who find themselves embroiled in an argument over an attempt to move a historic statue.

While some people are rolling their eyes at the series' "wokeness," this series offers a sharp, smart portrayal of a complex issue. Helm's Nathan really is a nice guy, a genuine history lover who puts a lot of effort into boosting Schmieding's Reagan. At the same time he's clueless to the way the world works differently for non-white non-men, offering Reagan the sort of "just ask for things and people will give them to you" advice of someone who lives in a bubble. And when his world view is threatened challenged he pretty much melts down.

It's putting a face to white fragility and the nature of privilege in a way that doesn't turn Nathan into a "bad guy." And it's a series that portrays Native Americans as a mixed lot; Reagan is wonderful but she's got some awful co-workers at her casino/museum, and her boss is a fascinating Machiavellian character.

Of course if you're offended by the whole concept of "white privilege" than that complexity and subtlety will mean nothing to you, in the same way that the complexity's of "Dear White People" mean nothing to the people who felt the title itself was some sort of personal attack.

So if you're one of those fragile, easily offended people, you're bound to be offended. But if you're at all reasonable you'll appreciate how smartly this series addresses these issues, and how it humanizes all sides.

Also it's really, really funny.

Great show. *Highly* recommended.