Paramount+ has been dripping out the details of the Lawmen: Bass Reeves in small bites that tantalize the big talent behind it.
Today, the network debuted the official trailer and key art for the highly anticipated original series, and our appetite for this story has increased again.
As previously shared, the new series will premiere exclusively on Paramount+ with two episodes on Sunday, November 5, in the U.S. and all Paramount+ international markets.
The anthology series stars executive producer and Emmy Award nominee David Oyelowo, Lauren E. Banks, Demi Singleton, Forrest Goodluck, Emmy Award winner Barry Pepper, Honorary Oscar recipient Donald Sutherland, and Emmy Award nominee Dennis Quaid.
The cast alone is worth talking about, but the official trailer begins giving some of these historical characters more dimension.
Revealing the untold story of the most legendary lawman in the Old West, Lawmen: Bass Reeves follows the journey of Reeves (Oyelowo) and his rise from enslavement to law enforcement as the first Black U.S. Marshal west of the Mississippi.
Despite arresting over 3,000 outlaws during the course of his career, the weight of the badge was heavy, and he wrestled with its moral and spiritual cost to his beloved family.
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Lawmen: Bass Reeves is an all-new, standalone anthology series, and future iterations will follow other iconic lawmen and outlaws who have impacted history.
From the first teaser to the official trailer, Oyelowo breathes life into Bass Reeves, and when he says, “I’m warnin’ ya, your wicked days are done,” we believe him.
“The real power lies beneath the badge,” Reeves says, expressing how much weight he places on the law and his place in it.
If he sounds like an old-fashioned TV hero delivering that line, it’s not far from the truth.
Bass Reeves’ story speaks for itself, but the legendary lawman was most likely also the inspiration for The Lone Ranger.
Reportedly, Reeves lived among the Native Americans and spoke several of their languages after his turn as a soldier during the American Civil War, an experience that greatly impacted his role as one of the nation’s greatest frontiersmen.
We fully expect Lawmen: Bass Reeves to shed light on the man, the myth, and the legend in ways never before explored.
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Creator, executive producer, showrunner, and writer Chad Feehan shared a message with the press about his personal journey with Reeves.
“Growing up in Texas, I heard a lot of stories about Bass Reeves; they were always akin to a dime novel hero with incredibly fanciful Flourishes of a gunslinging lawman pursuing the most-hardened outlaws in the Wild West.
Somewhere in my childhood that myth of Bass took firm root in my consciousness and never left,” he said.
Oyelowo shared a similar passion and his seven-year journey to tell the Bass Reeves’ story, and from that connection, this series was born.
“Our story explores the lawman, the husband, the father; it begins with enslavement and carries through Reconstruction to the first cruel whispers of Jim Crow; it contains some of the well-known tales, some of the untold tales, and a fair share of fictional tales that fill-in the in-between.
But more than anything, David I and many others sought to tell a story about the human condition and its undeniable universality, the emotionality that connects all of us.”
Seeing what has been released so far, it seems their commitment to the story and its authenticity will pay off handsomely.
The cast includes Shea Whigham and Garrett Hedlund as guest stars, and, in recurring roles, Joaquina Kalukango, Lonnie Chavis, Grantham Coleman, Tosin Morohunfola, Dale Dickey, Rob Morgan, Ryan O’Nan, Margot Bingham, Mo Brings Plenty, Justin Hurtt-Dunkley and Bill Dawes.
In addition to Feehan and Oyelowo, Lawmen: Bass Reeves is executive produced by Oscar nominee Taylor Sheridan, David Oyelowo, David C. Glasser, Jessica Oyelowo, David Permut, Christina Alexandra Voros, Ron Burkle, Bob Yari, and David Hutkin.
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The series is produced by MTV Entertainment Studios, 101 Studios, Sheridan’s Bosque Ranch Productions, and Oyelowo’s Yoruba Saxon and is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution outside of Paramount+ international markets.
Lawmen: Bass Reeves is the latest addition to Sheridan’s growing slate on Paramount+, which includes 1923, 1883, Mayor of Kingstown, Tulsa King, Special Ops: Lioness, and the upcoming series Land Man.
For more information about Paramount+ and Lawmen: Bass Reeves, please visit www.paramountplus.com.
You can follow @ParamountPlus and @lawmenbassreeves on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok and @bassreevespplus on X.
What do you think, TV Fanatics?
Are you ready for Bass Reeves to lay down the law? Check out the trailer below, and share your thoughts in the comments!
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She’s a member of the Critic’s Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.