In the comedy Rutherford Falls on Peacock, Nathan Rutherford (Ed Helms) runs the Rutherford Falls historical center and is the descendant of the town's founder. He is a big fan of the Rutherford line and accomplishments. However, the town plans to remove the founder's statue which has become a traffic issue. An upset Nathan acts to keep the statue. Meanwhile, his best friend Reagan Wells (Jana Schmieding) just wants to improve the Minishonka tribe's barebone cultural center.
The story to this is compelling. There are a lot of twists and turns with several distinctive people all with their own goals that sometimes align and sometimes cross each other. There is a focus on the lives of Native Americans in modern America, the sugarcoating of the history of American Colonialism, and the concept of heritage.
However, the show is more interesting than it is funny. Correction, the last third finds its footing and gets fairly amusing, it's the first two thirds that only have sporadic laughs. The show is co-created by comedy guru Michael Schur (Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Good Place), but this doesn't have quite the style his other shows do if that's what you're looking for. Admittedly, that expectation is a little unfair to the specific voices brought by co-creators Ed Helms and Sierra Teller Ornelas.
The show goes a little too all in on Nathan. It is fascinating how things keep getting worse and worse for him and how he'll often dig his own grave. His obsession with glorifying the past and inability to create an identity for himself is an interesting character piece. Plus, you can feel for him during the emotional moments. However, the character is so pigheaded that it gets tiresome. I think the mistake was having him being controlling or stubborn in areas outside his obsession with the Rutherford line. If it was just his obsession that blinded him, it would've been easier to like him.
The best character in this is definitely is Minishonka casino owner Terry Thomas (Michael Greyeyes). He's got a very "nothing personal, it's just business" attitude. He can be completely ruthless in achieving his goals, and yet he yet he has sympathetic reasons and holds no ill will against anyone he has to manipulate or go up against. It's just fascinating figuring out what he's going after and how'll he achieve it. His solo episode is by far the best one of the season.
Overall, Rutherford Falls is an interesting watch, just don't expect this to be a laugh riot.
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