Lawmen: Bass Reeves
Genre
Created byChad Feehan[1]
Based on
  • Follow the Angels, Follow the Doves: The Bass Reeves Trilogy, Book One
    by Sidney Thompson
  • Hell on the Border: The Bass Reeves Trilogy, Book Two
    by Sidney Thompson
Starring
Theme music composerChanda Dancy[2]
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes8
Production
Executive producers
Running time32–57 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkParamount+
ReleaseNovember 5 (2023-11-05) –
December 17, 2023 (2023-12-17)

Lawmen: Bass Reeves is an American Western television miniseries created by Chad Feehan, who also serves as showrunner, and executive produced by Taylor Sheridan, Feehan, David C. Glasser, David Oyelowo, Jessica Oyelowo, David Permut, Christina Alexandra Voros, Ron Burkle, Bob Yari, and David Hutkin.[1] It is based on the life of the first African American Deputy U.S. Marshal west of the Mississippi River, Bass Reeves.[3]

The series premiered on Paramount+ on November 5, 2023, with back-to-back episodes.[4]

Cast

Main

Recurring

Guest

Episodes

No.Title [6]Directed byWritten byOriginal release date
1"Part I"Christina Alexandra VorosTeleplay by : Chad FeehanNovember 5, 2023 (2023-11-05)
2"Part II"Christina Alexandra VorosJewel CoronelNovember 5, 2023 (2023-11-05)
3"Part III"Christina Alexandra VorosJacob Forman & Ning ZhouNovember 12, 2023 (2023-11-12)
4"Part IV"Damian MarcanoJ. Todd ScottNovember 19, 2023 (2023-11-19)
5"Part V"Damian MarcanoTerence AnthonyNovember 26, 2023 (2023-11-26)
6"Part VI"Damian MarcanoJacob FormanDecember 3, 2023 (2023-12-03)
7"Part VII"Christina Alexandra VorosChad Feehan & K.C. ScottDecember 10, 2023 (2023-12-10)
8"Part VIII"Christina Alexandra VorosChad FeehanDecember 17, 2023 (2023-12-17)

Production

Development

It was announced in September 2021 that Taylor Sheridan was developing a television series based on Reeves, with David Oyelowo set to star in the role.[7] In May 2022, the series was ordered at Paramount+ and was temporarily named 1883: The Bass Reeves Story. It was initially described as a spinoff of the series 1883, itself a prequel to Yellowstone,[8] but has since been confirmed to no longer take place in the Yellowstone universe.[9][10] The show is heavily based on the first two books of The Bass Reeves Trilogy by Sidney Thompson: Follow the Angels, Follow the Doves, and Hell on the Border.[11]

Casting

Dennis Quaid joined the cast in January 2023.[12] Forrest Goodluck, Lauren E. Banks and Barry Pepper were cast in February,[13][14] with Grantham Coleman and Demi Singleton added the following month.[15][16] Garrett Hedlund was also cast.[17] In April, the series was retitled Lawmen: Bass Reeves in order to expand the series to depict other prominent lawmen, with Donald Sutherland, Joaquina Kalukango, Lonnie Chavis, Rob Morgan, Ryan O'Nan, Justin Hurtt-Dunkley and Shea Whigham joining the cast in recurring roles.[18]

Filming

Filming for the series began in Fort Worth, Texas in October 2022.[19] In January 2023, Quaid stated he had begun filming for the series.[20] Filming wrapped by early June 2023.[21]

Release

Lawmen: Bass Reeves premiered on Paramount+ on November 5, 2023.[1] The first two episodes of the series then aired on CBS on November 12.[22]

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 81% based on 26 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The site's consensus reads: "With David Oyelowo capably stepping into the stirrups of Bass Reeves, this gritty procedural is slow to the draw but hits its mark nonetheless."[23] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 65 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[24]

References

  1. ^ a b c Breznican, Anthony (August 8, 2023). "'Lawmen: Bass Reeves': David Oyelowo Brings Justice to the Old West". Vanity Fair. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  2. ^ "Chanda Dancy Scoring Paramount+'s 'Lawmen: Bass Reeves'". Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  3. ^ Mangan, Lucy (5 November 2023). "Lawmen: Bass Reeves review – this utterly distinctive western is a rare treat". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  4. ^ "Yellowstone spin-off Lawmen: Bass Reeves confirms release date". digitalspy.com. 7 September 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d Petski, Denise (June 6, 2023). "'Yellowstone's Mo Brings Plenty Among 4 Cast in Taylor Sheridan's 'Bass Reeves' Paramount+ Series".
  6. ^ Paramount Press Express - Paramount+ - Lawmen: Bass Reeves - Episodes
  7. ^ Petski, Denise (September 9, 2021). "David Oyelowo To Star In Bass Reeves Limited Series From Taylor Sheridan As Part Of Yoruba Saxon Overall Deal With ViacomCBS & MTV Entertainment Studios". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  8. ^ Petski, Denise (May 18, 2022). "Yellowstone Spinoff 1883 Will Continue With Bass Reeves Story At Paramount+". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  9. ^ Roots, Kimberly (October 30, 2023). "Lawmen: Bass Reeves Is No Longer an 1883 Spinoff: Show Boss Explains Why". TVLine. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  10. ^ Bamigboye, Baz (June 22, 2022). "Yellowstones Taylor Sheridan To Direct Pilot Of Bass Reeves; David Oyelowo Discusses Playing The Enslaved Man-Turned Legendary Lawman". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  11. ^ DeLeón, Jessica (August 15, 2022). "From Print to Screen". North Texan. University of North Texas. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  12. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 19, 2023). "Dennis Quaid Joins David Oyelowo In Taylor Sheridan's Bass Reeves Series For Paramount+". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  13. ^ Otterson, Joe (February 14, 2023). "David Oyelowo, Taylor Sheridan's Bass Reeves Series at Paramount+ Adds Forrest Goodluck & Lauren E. Banks (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  14. ^ Otterson, Joe (February 16, 2023). "David Oyelowo, Taylor Sheridan's Bass Reeves Series at Paramount+ Casts Barry Pepper (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  15. ^ Grobar, Matt (March 1, 2023). "Grantham Coleman Joins Taylor Sheridan's Bass Reeves Series For Paramount+". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  16. ^ Otterson, Joe (March 2, 2023). "David Oyelowo, Taylor Sheridan's Bass Reeves Series at Paramount+ Casts King Richard Star Demi Singleton (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  17. ^ Bell, BreAnna (March 14, 2023). "'Bass Reeves' Series at Paramount+ Adds Garrett Hedlund (EXCLUSIVE)".
  18. ^ Petski, Denise (April 27, 2023). "Donald Sutherland Joins Taylor Sheridan's 'Lawmen: Bass Reeves' Series For Paramount+".
  19. ^ Mantas, Harrison (September 29, 2022). "1883 creator Taylor Sheridan bringing series about lawman Bass Reeves to Fort Worth". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  20. ^ Hume, Ashley; Fink, Larry (January 19, 2023). "Dennis Quaid says he's 'shooting' Bass Reeves for Taylor Sheridan: 'Making mayhem'". Fox News. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  21. ^ Garcia, Brayden (June 9, 2023). "North Texas filming locations for 1883 spinoff Bass Reeves Fort Worth Star-Telegram". Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  22. ^ Petski, Daniel (November 9, 2023). "'Lawmen: Bass Reeves': CBS To Air First Two Episodes Of Taylor Sheridan's Anthology Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  23. ^ "Lawmen: Bass Reeves (2023): Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  24. ^ "Lawmen: Bass Rewves (2023) Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved November 16, 2023.

External links

Works by Taylor Sheridan
Paramount+ original programming
Categories