Oklahoma
Sterlin Harjo bringing Ethan Hawke back to Oklahoma for new project ‘The Sensitive Kind’
Sterlin Harjo receives the ArtNow 2023 Focus Award
Sterlin Harjo talks about using memories from his life in the creation of Reservation Dogs and his life in Oklahoma
Sterlin Harjo is bringing four-time Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke back to Oklahoma for a high-profile new project.
Deadline reports that FX has given a pilot order to “The Sensitive Kind,” a drama that will star and be executive produced by Hawke and created and executive produced by Harjo.
Harjo previously brought Hawke to his home state to work on “Reservation Dogs,” the trailblazing made-in-Oklahoma FX series on which Harjo worked as co-creator, executive producer and showrunner.
During the celebrated coming-of-age series’ third and final season, Hawke made an impression in his guest-starring turn as Rick Miller, the father whom prospective college student Elora Danan (Devery Jacobs) meets for the first time. One of the main characters of “Reservation Dogs,” Elora Danan has grown up without her father, but tracks him down so that she can apply for financial aid.
Titled “Elora’s Dad,” the penultimate of “Reservation Dogs” was written by Jacobs and directed by Harjo.
‘He loved Tulsa’: Sterlin Harjo teases new project with Ethan Hawke during OKC event
An acclaimed Tulsa-based producer, writer and director, Harjo teased his reunion project with Hawke at an event last month at Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, where the “Reservation Dogs” showrunner was presented with the “ArtNow 2023” Focus Award.
“What is happening next: I’m gonna say this, even though they haven’t told me for sure. I’m on the half yard line right now for a TV show starring Ethan Hawke that will be shot in Tulsa. So, I’m very excited about that,” Harjo said at the Jan. 11 OKC event.
“He’s great. He loved Tulsa. … I haven’t brought him to Oklahoma City yet — sorry.”
“The Sensitive Kind” sounds like a much different project for the pair. Deadline describes it as “a Tulsa noir about a guy (Hawke) who knows too much.”
“What an exciting time to be in this industry in Oklahoma right now. The Tulsa Office of Film, Music, Arts & Culture is thrilled for Sterlin Harjo. What he has done for film and television in our state, our region and for Native storytelling thus far is nothing short of amazing,” said Meg Gould, executive director of Tulsa FMAC, in an email to The Oklahoman.
“We can’t wait to see how this project progresses, but I can say with certainty, it just added fuel to the momentum shared by so much talent across the state.”
The new project falls under the overall deal Harjo signed in 2021 with FX. Harjo is working as the pilot’s writer and director, while he and Hawke are executive producing with Garrett Basch, also an executive producer on “Reservation Dogs” and another acclaimed FX series, “What We Do in the Shadows.”
The pilot order for “The Sensitive Kind” comes as FX is trying to replace several of its hit shows that are ending, including “Reservation Dogs,” “What We Do in the Shadows,” “Archer” and more.
“We have glaring needs for new dramas and comedies, starting in 2025,” John Landgraf, chairman of FX Content and FX Productions, told Deadline in a recent interview. “We have critical needs, but we have to fill them with things that are worth being successors to the past 20 years of shows that we just made.”
‘Reservation Dogs’ showrunner planning a slew of projects after acclaimed series’ end
“Reservation Dogs” — co-created and executive produced by Taika Waititi, an Oscar-winning New Zealand moviemaker who is of Maori ancestry, and Harjo, a longtime independent filmmaker who is Seminole and Muscogee — earned widespread critical acclaim and blazed new trails for Indigenous storytelling during its three-season run on Hulu.
Since the FX series’ finale bowed in September, speculation has swirled about what Harjo will do next, and at last month’s OKC event, he talked about a slew of planned projects in addition to his Hawke reunion.
Harjo said he is working with “Reservation Dogs” writer-director Danis Goulet on adaptating for FX the popular Canadian podcast “Stolen: Surviving St. Michael’s” as a limited series, writing a Jim Thorpe script based on the book by Dave Maraniss called “Path Lit by Lightning” and executive producing a documentary about fellow Oklahoman and former U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo.
“I’m in development to do a spin-off of this ‘Spider-Verse’ thing with this Native character that’s pretty cool. … There’s also an animation that I have that is a show that is based on a very, very important old Native film, but we’re turning it into an animation and book,” Harjo said.
“Then, I think, oh, two documentaries — this is all in a year; I don’t know how I’m gonna do it all, but I’m gonna hire a lot of people — a Jesse Ed Davis documentary about the guitar player and a documentary on Richard Oakes, who was the activist that spearheaded the takeover of Alcatraz and died in very suspicious circumstances.”
OKLAHOMA CITY (KSWO) — Oklahoma lawmakers have voted to honor country music artist and Oklahoma native Toby Keith.
House Concurrent Resolution 1019 recognizes Keith’s lasting impact on music and proposes renaming a planned turnpike in his memory.
The concurrent resolution was authored by Rep. Jason Blair, R-Morgan, and Sen. Lisa Standridge, R-Norman.
The planned route will extend from Interstate 44 east to Interstate 35, then continue east and north to I-40 at the Kickapoo Turnpike.
Copyright 2026 KSWO. All rights reserved.
Governor Kevin Stitt has said he wants the State Superintendent of Education to be a governor-elected position instead of an elected one. Political analyst Scott Mitchell examines what this would mean for the state.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt is urging lawmakers to send a state question to voters that would make the state superintendent an appointed position, as he named Lindel Fields of Tulsa to the role and announced a turnaround team to help implement his education agenda.
Is the State Superintendent an elected role?
Yes, the State Superintendent of Education is still an elected role. Elections are scheduled for Nov. 3, 2026.
Cons of making the superintendent an appointed position
Mitchell said making this position appointed could cause distrust among some Oklahomans
“Over the years, we’ve seen that capture of regulatory sort of is easy to do when you have term limits, then lobbies become more powerful, and they have all the history. It’s very complicated.
He also said if the position were to be elected, they would likely have the same agenda as the governor.
“Yes, and I think the governor would be absolutely saying, ‘Yes, they’re going to do what I want them to do.’”
Changing how the superintendent is chosen changes what the founding fathers set.
“Voters are going to have to say yay or nay if it gets to them, is whether or not we want to change the way that the founding fathers set up the way that we make sure that power is not concentrated in Oklahoma,” he said.
Is Ryan Walters’ term the reason Stitt wants to make this position appointed?
Mitchell said he believes the former State Superintendent played a role in the government wanting to appoint this position.
During his time as superintendent, Walters was known to have multiple controversies. He resigned in 2025, allowing Stitt to appoint Lindel Fields.
“His impact on this, even though he’s gone, is certainly evident,” said Mitchell. “Walters left midstream, right? And so the governor had a chance to appoint someone. Well, it wasn’t just an appointment; it was chaos before and relative calm and competency after. And that has given the governor an opening for people to see with their own eyes. Yeah, you can put somebody in, we’re talking about Lindel Fields, that appears to get up every day, not trying to find some, get a click on social media, but rather to do his job. And across the board, for the most part, this guy’s getting thumbs up.
Stitt said electing Fields has already given him some leverage since he has been well perceived so far.
“That allows a governor to say, Look, I’ve got some standing, some leverage to go to the voters and say, let’s put expertise as the main reason that a person’s there, not because they were able to win an election because they had some sort of populist or dramatic ideas.”
Who is running for Oklahoma State Superintendent?
Republican Ballot
- Sen. Adam Pugh
- John Cox
- Rep. Toni Hasenbeck
- Ana Landsaw
Democrat Ballot
- Craig Mcvay
- Jennettie Marshall
Independent
To learn more about each candidate, click here.
A full breakdown of candidates in the 2026 Oklahoma State Superintendent race, including party affiliation, background and key education priorities.
An Oklahoma highway could soon be named after the late country superstar, Toby Keith, pending new legislation.
House Concurrent Resolution 1019 would rename a proposed turnpike project the “Toby Keith Expressway.” This roadway is set to be built from Interstate 44 East to Interstate-35, continuing East and North to Interstate 40. This road is a part of the ACCESS Oklahoma Long-Range Plan, which is meant to update and expand the state’s turnpike system.
This resolution was adopted by the House on Wednesday.
“Toby Keith was more than a country music star. He was a proud Oklahoman who never forgot where he came from,” said Rep. Jason Blair, R-Moore. “Naming this turnpike in his honor is a fitting way to recognize a man who represented our state with ultimate patriotism and generosity.”
Keith was born in Clinton, Oklahoma, raised in Moore and resided in Norman. He died on February 5, 2024, in a battle with cancer.
“Over the course of his legendary career, Toby Keith never forgot where he came from or what he stood for,” said Sen. Lisa Standridge, R-Norman. “His Oklahoma roots shaped him, and his love of America defined him. He was a country music superstar and a true patriot. I can think of no better way to honor his memory than by naming this future stretch of Norman turnpike in his honor, creating a lasting tribute to the legacy he leaves behind.”
During his career, Keith sold over 40 million records and more than 20 number-one singles
Legislation authors believe this would commemorate the life and legacy of Toby Keith.
The bill will now head to the Senate.
To read the full House Resolution, click here.
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