Susan Granger’s review of “Lawmen: Bass Reeves” (Paramount+)
After the resounding success of “Yellowstone” and its two prequels (“1883,” “1923”), Taylor Sheridan produced another Western series: “Lawmen: Bass Reeves.”
Interweaving fact with fiction, its eight episodes follow the first Black deputy U.S. Marshall who served west of the Mississippi River. Currently vying for Emmy consideration as a limited/anthology series, its compelling lead actor is versatile David Oyelowo (“Selma”).
In 1862 during the Civil War, enslaved Bass Reeves (Oyelowo) was forced to fight alongside his owner, George Reeves (Shea Whigham); while serving in the Confederate Army, Bass acquired a reputation as a remarkable marksman.
Escaping enslavement, Reeves then lived among various Native tribes where he learned to speak their Cherokee, Creek and Seminole languages.
After working as a paid gunslinger for the U.S. Government, empathetic Judge Isaac C. Parker (Donald Sutherland) awarded him his coveted badge in 1875.
Settling as an earnest frontiersman/homesteader, he and his pragmatic wife Jennie (Lauren E. Banks) – along with their 10 children – faced continual racism and oppression during this post-Reconstruction era.
Yet Reeves (1838-1910) with his Native American companion Billy Crow – was subsequently credited for arresting 3,000 ‘Wanted’ outlaws and felons during his three decade career, patrolling Arkansas, Texas and the Oklahoma Territory.
One of the more daring segments pits sturdy Reeves against an evil ex-Confederate Texas Ranger (Barry Pepper) who used Black prisoners as slave labor.
Credit Sheridan and showrunner/writer Chad Feehan (“Ray Donovan”) for exposing and debunking many clichés of the classic, over-sentimentalized Western genre – although folklore still credits heroic Reeves for inspiring the legend of the Lone Ranger and Tonto.
“I really hope people reframe their knowledge of history and accept the fact that Black people were so instrumental in building this country,” Oyelowo told Entertainment Weekly. “This man was empowered, using it for the good of his community and his country.”
No one yet knows if there will be a second season for this intriguing series. If there is, it will undoubtedly pivot around other previously ignored American History trailblazers.
Meanwhile on the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Lawmen: Bass Reeves” rustles up an action-packed 8, streaming on Paramount +.
