At the risk of repeating ourselves again, “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan has become one of the top TV creators in TV alongside Ryan Murphy, Shonda Rhimes, and other TV moguls. Unlike them, however, Sheridan tends to write ALL his shows, directs many of them, and has his fingers in every single pie at Paramount+. He is starting to cede a little bit of control, the best example of which might be his upcoming new Western “Lawman: Bass Reeves” starring David Oyelowo.
This one has its own showrunner, who is not Sheridan, and the series has been created for television by executive producer and showrunner Chad Feehan. Oscar nominee Sheridan is an exec producer, of course (and don’t be surprised if he wrote some eps and or directed them too). Feehan is known as a writer for shows like “Ray Donovan,” “Banshee” and “Rectify.”
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An anthology series—meaning like Sheridan’s “1883: Yellowstone,” it’s probably just a one-off series—or potentially “Lawmen” is the anthology and other law enforcers in the Wild Wild West could be examined, it’s unclear at the moment— the series is about the legendary lawman Bass Reeves, one of the greatest frontier heroes and one of the first Black deputy U.S. marshals west of the Mississippi River in American history.
On top of Oyelowo, the series stars Lauren E. Banks, Demi Singleton, Forrest Goodluck, Barry Pepper, Donald Sutherland, and Dennis Quaid.
In a statement, Feehan explained what drew him to Bass 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.
Then, one day, not too long ago, David Oyelowo invited me to dinner. Over the course of our meal, he explained his seven-year journey to tell Bass’s story, where the myth of the man both converged with and separated from reality and why Bass’s life was more relevant than ever.
I immediately went home and scoured the internet, read books, and listened to podcasts. I became obsessed with what I didn’t know, with all of the nooks and crannies of Bass’ remarkable life that aren’t regularly shared, as well as with revisiting the often-told tales through a now-adult lens.
Our story explores the lawman, the husband, and 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.
The cast also 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.
That’s quite the ensemble. ‘Bass Reeves’ premieres November 5 in the U.S. And All Paramount+ International Markets. Watch the new trailer below.