Taylor Sheridan consolidates his hold over Paramount+ as the streaming service has released a trailer for the prolific TV producer’s next series, Lawmen: Bass Reeves. Based on a real historical figure, Lawmen: Bass Reeves follows the title character, a former slave who became the first black US Marshal in the Western United States. It is intended to be the first season in an anthology series about real-life law enforcement officers. David Oyelowo stars as Bass Reeves, with Dennis Quaid and Barry Pepper in supporting roles; Donald Sutherland, Garrett Hedlund, Dale Dickey, and Shea Whigham will play recurring characters. Oyelowo is also and executive producer with Sheridan, although Chad Feehan is the creator and will serve as showrunner. Lawmen: Bass Reeves will premiere on Paramount+ on November 5, 2023, and will air for eight episodes. You can see the trailer below:
The reasons for me to finally subscribe to Paramount+ keep mounting because Lawmen: Bass Reeves looks like a lot of fun. When I first watched the trailer, I immediately thought it looked like Blazing Saddles as a drama rather than a comedy, but then I found out it was based on a real story. Looking at his filmography, I’ve seen David Oyelowo in very little and don’t remember him from the few things I did see (he played “School Principal” in Interstellar, which doesn’t help me), but I love some of the supporting cast. And a violent Western with a morally conflicted hero is right up my alley. I somewhat question how involved in this Taylor Sheridan is; with Chad Feehan the creator and showrunner, I suspect he attached his name to help get it made. But it still looks good, and I’m interested in finding out which other figures will be the basis for subsequent seasons of Lawmen.