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Lawmen: Bass Reeves stars David Oyelowo (See How They Run) in the titular role of the real-life man who later became the first black Deputy US Marshal.
It’s 1862, the time of the American Civil War – and around the same time as Dances With Wolves is set. His master George Reeves (Shea Whigham) signed up to the Confederate Army, which meant Bass had to go along, too. However, following rather an altercation between the pair, Bass breaks away and goes into hiding, becoming ingratiated with the Choctaw, Creek and Cherokee, in Seminole Nation by July 1862, who are a Native American people, living in the the Southeastern Woodlands, which later became Alabama and Mississippi, and speaks the Choctaw language.
Three years on, and he finds himself in Grayson County, Texas, in July 1865, bumping into Dennis Quaid (Strays) as Deputy US Marshal Sherrill Lynn, who’s after a Red Indian who stole whiskey, and it’s personal because Lynn’s colleague was killed in the process. Given that Bass also ended up in the same line of work, there’s potential for some buddy-buddy action, and we get a snifter of that in episode 2.
Lawmen: Bass Reeves is based on the first two books of the Bass Reeves trilogy by Sidney Thompson, so I presume if this series is successful, book 3 will follow in a second season. However, I can’t see myself sticking around for any more, because to me, this is monumentally tedious and beyonnnnnnnnd slow, and feels so predictable.
Lawmen: Bass Reeves is not available to pre-order on Blu-ray or DVD, but is on Paramount+ from today.
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 45-60 minutes per episode (6 episodes)
Release date: November 5th 2023
Studio: Paramount+
Format: 2.00:1
Series Directors: Christina Alexandra Voros, Damian Marcano
Producer: Amanda Kay Price
Creator: Chad Feehan
Screenplay: Chad Feehan, Terence Anthony, Jacob Forman, KC Scott, Jewel Coronel, J Todd Scott, Ning Zhou
Novels: Sidney Thompson
Music: Chanda Dancy
Cast:
Bass Reeves: David Oyelowo
Sherrill Lynn: Dennis Quaid
Esme: Joaquina Kalukango
Joshua: Bill Dawes
Ike: Justin Hurtt-Dunkley
George Reeves: Shea Whigham
Jennie Reeves: Lauren E Banks
Sally Reeves: Demi Singleton
Billy Crow: Forrest Goodluck
Esau Pierce: Barry Pepper
Judge Parker: Donald Sutherland
Edwin Jones: Grantham Coleman
Florence Hammersley: Heather Kafka
Arthur Mayberry: Lonnie Chavis
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.