When we meet Terry in “Rutherford Falls” season 1, there isn’t really anybody who can shake him. Reagan, bless her, is too much of an emotional mess to intimidate him, and Mayor Deirdre Chisenhall (Dana L. Wilson) can only go toe-to-toe with the savvy businessman. “I always thought, if anyone was gonna take down Terry Thomas, who would make Terry Thomas nervous? It would be an Indian woman,” Ornelas told Variety, laughing as she did. She added:

“It was really interesting to have a character who was unapologetically confident and willing to win, but at the same time is a mom, has layers, and is not a cartoon. Kaniehtiio [Horn] has such great comedic timing, and she was like, ‘This is the first time I got to be funny, like broad, network-comedy-funny, with other Native people.'”

Horn was right about that. For all its growing pains in season 1, most of which stemmed from and paralleled Nathan’s own struggle to de-center himself from his hometown’s business, “Rutherford Falls” has given its Native American actors the chance to really flex their comedy muscles in a way that few other sitcoms have. Michael Greyeyes, in particular, has proven just as adept at being funny as he has at being dramatic and serious in his past roles, and seeing Terry get thrown for a loop by Feather Day in season 2 is all the more enjoyable for it.

“Rutherford Falls” season 2 is now streaming on Peacock.