‘Reservation Dogs’ breakout star Devery Jacobs is ready for her Emmys close-up

Jacob Sarkisian
·4 min read
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“Reservation Dogs” took the industry by storm. Critics and audiences alike fell in love with this FX comedy from Sterlin Harjo and Oscar-winner Taika Waititi. The series follows the lives of four Indigenous teenagers living in rural Oklahoma who try to scrape together enough money to leave behind their reservation community.

The reason the show soars so high is its spectacular cast, at the center of which is a quartet of brilliant young actors: Devery Jacobs, D’Pharoah Woon-A-Tai, Paulina Alexis, and Lane Factor. Jacobs is perhaps the jewel in this crown, as noted by critics.

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Maureen Ryan (Vanity Fair) observed: “It was astonishing to watch Jacobs’s body language and face in the recent episode in which Elora met her father, Rick (Ethan Hawke). It was magical to see her unlock psychological doors she’d kept shut for years, transforming her into a more relaxed version of the capable, considerate woman she’d always been.”

Brian Tallerico (The Playlist) noted: “Devery Jacobs has arguably been the stand-out, but the truth is that picking only one performer misses the point of the series—these young people are stronger as a team than they are apart.”

Matthew Jackson (Looper) opined: “This is helped along by the always-stellar writing, of course, but even after two seasons of great work, it’s truly stunning just how great the cast is in this final outing. Woon-A-Tai, Jacobs, Alexis, and Factor are all delivering incredible work, cementing their characters as some of the best on television in the last decade.”

Laura Bradley (The Daily Beast) wrote: “On screen, Woon-A-Tai, Jacobs, Alexis, and Factor have built a small community among themselves that feels not just believable but alive—prone to ups and downs, susceptible to fractures and scars, but also, somehow, bigger than the individuals themselves. The kinship that the Reservation Dogs share is the kind of friendship that’s big enough, strong enough, and deep enough to be redemptive.”

As a result, Jacobs is well in the mix for a first-ever Emmy nomination. Currently, she sits just outside of our predicted five nominees for Best Comedy Actress: Ayo Edebiri (“The Bear”), Jean Smart (“Hacks”), Quinta Brunson (“Abbott Elementary”), Kristen Wiig (“Palm Royale”), and Selena Gomez (“Only Murders in the Building”). Jacobs is on the precipice of breaking into this group as are Maya Rudolph (“Loot”) and Sarah Lancashire (“Julia”).

Jacobs has some awards pedigree already, however, that could help her on the way to an Emmy nomination. She has earned two Critics Choice Award nominations for Best Comedy Actress for this show, including one this year. That proves that awards groups do like her in this role for this season.

Jacobs is also a writer and a director on “Reservation Dogs,” which could help her chance as Emmy voters love a multi-hyphenate, particularly in this category. Brunson (“Abbott Elementary”), Issa Rae (“Insecure”), Phoebe Waller-Bridge (“Fleabag”), and Amy Schumer (“Inside Amy Schumer”) are just a few examples of multi-hyphenates who have been nominated in this category.

Plus, this is the final season of “Reservation Dogs,” which could actually help Jacobs here as Emmy voters usually like to take final chances to nominate respected shows and performances. Actresses in this category nominated for the final inning of their shows include Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), Christina Applegate (“Dead to Me”), Allison Janney (“Mom”), Catherine O’Hara (“Schitt’s Creek”), and Waller-Bridge (“Fleabag”).

And if none of that was enough, Jacobs’ profile as an up-and-coming, breakthrough actress is the type of profile that often gets nominated in this category, including the likes of Jenna Ortega (“Wednesday”), Elle Fanning (“The Great”), Taylor Schilling (“Orange is the New Black”), and Zoeey Deschanel (“New Girl”). Jacobs fits all of these qualities.

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