Rutherford Falls Duo Developing Comedy for CBS Set on a Reservation
Rutherford Falls co-creator Sierra Teller Ornelas and star/writer Jana Schmieding are teaming up again, to develop a comedy for CBS.
As first reported by our sister site Deadline, Ornelas and Schmieding (who played Reagan on the two-season Peacock comedy) are collaborating on Bonnie, a multi-cam family comedy about a onetime backup singer who 15 years ago left the grind of touring to live on the rez, help raise her brother’s kids, and live her dream of being “Cool Auntie.”
Ornelas (Navajo) and Schmieding (Cheyenne River Sioux) will write and executive-produce the project, with the latter also set to star in the prospective series.
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Peacock’s Rutherford Falls — co-created by Ornelas, Ed Helms and Michael Schur — premiered in April 2021 and followed Nathan Rutherford (played by Helms) and Reagan Wells (Schmieding), two lifelong best friends who found themselves at a crossroads when their sleepy town got an unexpected wake-up call. Ornelas served as showrunner and oversaw a writers room that included Schmieding and three other Indigenous writers. Her TV writing credits also include Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Superstore and Happy Endings.
Schmieding’s other previous acting credits include Reservation Dogs (where she played Bev the clinic receptionist) and voice work (including on Clone High), among other roles.
