Lawmen: Bass Reeves: Season 1, Episode 1 Release Date – There are countless devastating stories buried in America’s short past. Atrocities such as the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 and the Osage killings occurred within a century’s reach of the present day. Yet somehow the responsibility of presenting these incidents again to the public has fallen on Hollywood. The latest series from Paramount+ and Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan, Lawman: Bass Reeves, is one of those long-forgotten stories. Unlike those horrifying examples of man’s greatest cruelties, Bess Reeves is the story of a real-life superhero.
Starting near the end of the American Civil War, Lawman: Bass Reeves tells the story of a fugitive slave who becomes the first black U.S. deputy marshal west of the Mississippi River, settling in Arkansas after spending 32 years as a federal officer. -and was even respected as an excellent marksman. His legendary exploits reportedly served as partial inspiration for the Lone Ranger.
Despite all the tragedy, horror, and ugliness of the Old West, something deep within Reeves led him to become every bit the legend he is.
At the same, Bass Reeves creator Chad Feehan (Ray Donovan) didn’t want viewers to feel like they were watching a Wikipedia page. Feehan told MovieWeb that Oyelowo taught him “the things that I didn’t know” about the legendary lawman over a four-hour dinner. It forced him to be “part of the legacy to honor Bass Reeves’ life.” Still, in the two premier episodes, we’re mostly delivered a whole bunch of setup and plot.
We meet Reeves when he’s still slaves by Texas Colonel George R. Reeves, who forces him to fight for the Confederacy in the Civil War. Soon afterwards, Reeves beats the Colonel within an inch of his life and runs away. Once the war is over and slavery is abolished, Reeves settles with his wife in Arkansas and attempts to become a farmer.
In Lawmen’s second episode, Reeves is asked to aid U.S. military. Deputy Marshall Sherill Lynn (Dennis Quaid) on a mission to Native American land due to his knowledge of the language. Respecting his compassion, intelligence, and commitment to justice, Judge Parker (Donald Sutherland) makes him a deputy.
If you had any doubts, Oyelowo’s performance is captivating. It’s a project he’s been working on for more than eight years—and you can tell it’s personal. As the actor told Esquire last summer, Sheridan had to “rejuvenate the Western” with Yellowstone in order to finally bring Bess Reeves to television.
Lawmen: Bass Reeves: Season 1
Therefore, Oyelowo ensured that the first major Hollywood portrayal of the Black American legend was powerful. Lawman: In Bess Reeves, the historical figure is a loving husband and father, a strong Christian, and a true-hearted Captain America. He doesn’t abuse or discriminate—and he certainly doesn’t fire first. He’s as close to a superhero as a man can get.
And yes, it’s great to see Reeves’ greatness and Oyelowo’s talent on full display. But the show’s first two episodes have yet to provide a precise answer to what it is about Reeves that makes him more than an exemplary historical figure. I could spend all day watching Reeves roam Sheridan’s vast western landscape and take down malicious outlaws.
In one scene, Reeves plays a delicious game of cards with his former boss. It is one of the best sequences ever seen in a Sheridan-produced series. Dennis Quaid is fantastic as an eccentric fellow Deputy US Marshal, and Lauren E. Banks is excellent as Reeves’ wife Jenny.
I just hope the rest of Bess Reeves’s run will tell us more about the lawman’s humanity — “things I didn’t know,” as creator Chad Feehan described it. Despite all the tragedy, horror, and ugliness of the Old West, something deep within Reeves inspired him to become a legend in every way. let me see it