My worst moment: ‘Rutherford Falls’ star Jana Schmieding on the pitfalls of being a Native consultant in Hollywood

Jana Schmieding is not only the star of the Peacock comedy “Rutherford Falls,” now in its second season, she is also a writer on the series. Set in the fictional town of the title, the show primarily pivots around the central friendship of best pals Reagan Wells (Schmieding), who is Native American, and Nathan Rutherford (played by Ed Helms), who is a descendant of the town’s white settler founder.

In Season 2, Nathan has finally realized there’s little honor in clinging to his family’s dubious history, which has freed up Reagan and him to embark on new adventures, both separately and together.

“Our showrunner Sierra Teller Ornelas really wanted to lean into the comedy of our characters this season,” Schmieding said. “She wanted to have these very fun, sitcom-ish episodes, all while threading a throughline that’s addressing real issues.”

This is Schmieding’s first major TV role but she has been doing comedy for 20 years. When asked about a worst moment in her career, she recalled a story that is not dissimilar to what we see transpire on Episode 5 of the new season of “Rutherford Falls,” wherein Reagan and local tribal casino owner