The Big Picture

Paramount+ original series Lawmen: Bass Reeves tells the story of the first Black deputy U.S. marshal west of Mississippi and the inspiration for The Lone Ranger. The eight-episode series stars David Oyelowo as Bass Reeves and explores his life as a lawman in the face of criminals and racial injustices. The series is set in the late 1800s and features a talented cast including Dennis Quaid and Donald Sutherland, with Taylor Sheridan as an executive producer.

If you love The Lone Ranger and hit series like Yellowstone and 1923, you are not going to want to miss the new Paramount+ original series, Lawmen: Bass Reeves. From executive producers Taylor Sheridan and David Oyelowo and creator Chad Feehan, Bass Reeves is a historical drama that tells the story of the first Black deputy U.S. marshal west of Mississippi, the man said to have inspired the Lone Ranger. The eight-episode series reveals the truth behind a legend you may already be familiar with.

Emmy Award nominee Oyelowo stars as the historical figure, Reeves, who was appointed a U.S. marshal by Judge Parker (Donald Sutherland) and went on to apprehend over 3,000 felons. Having been born into slavery and then forced to fight in the Civil War, Reeves escaped to live among Native Americans, learning their languages and skills, which made him an invaluable asset when policing the Oklahoma territories. The series, which chronicles Reeves’ life as a lawman in the face of criminals and racial injustices, also features Dennis Quaid, Lauren E. Banks, and Barry Pepper, and guest stars Garret Hedlund and Shea Whigham.

During an interview with Collider’s Steve Weintraub, Feehan discusses why he loves working with Oyelowo, how the anthology series landed on eight episodes, and crafting a story worthy of the legendary lawman at the heart of it by building a narrative that covers “roughly 1862 to 1877.” He also reveals the challenges of filming in Texas, talks about finding “the triumph of the human spirit” in the edit, and how Sheridan’s “God-given gift for storytelling” was crucial to scripting and production. Check out all of this and more in the video above or the transcript below.

COLLIDER: Talk a little bit about if having David star in your show is like having a cheat code in a video game.

CHAD FEEHAN: [Laughs] Well, I think you just hit the nail on the head. David Oyelowo, his talent is only surpassed by his humanity, so you get the best of both worlds. You get an actor whose ability is transcendent, and then you get a collaborator whose grace makes you feel comfortable and welcomed at every single turn. He’s truly a remarkable human being.

Image via Paramount+

Now, was that $5 or $10 that he gave you to say that?

FEEHAN: Neither, neither. He embarrasses me, and I embarrass him, and it’s not intentional, but it’s genuinely how I feel. You know, I’ve had a lot of great collaborations in this business, but his is the one that I value the most at this stage of my career.

Yeah, I’ve spoken to him a number of times. He’s also just a super nice guy.

FEEHAN: Lovely human, lovely human.

So the series is eight episodes, and I’m curious, how did you guys find that number? Was it ever gonna be 10? Was it ever gonna be six? Was it Paramount+ saying, “We want eight?” How did that get figured out?

FEEHAN: There were many conversations about how many episodes we were gonna tell. At the end of the day, Paramount asked for eight, and I felt like we could deliver eight in a satisfying way, so that’s how we ended with eight.

One of the things about his life is it’s filled with so many moments that would be great for television. So how did you figure out, “Wait a minute, what are we gonna be cutting out here because we’re only doing this in one season?”

FEEHAN: There are those touchstone moments that we sort of know. I wanted to leave some meat on the bone in case there was an appetite for more Bass Reeves. So for us, it was taking those seminal moments we know about his life from, you know, roughly 1862 to 1877 and using those as pillars to build the narrative off of, and really trying to honor those stories that are often told and then fill in the in-between with some fiction that created a satisfying narrative.

Image via Paramount+

Yeah, that was actually something that surprised me was Paramount announced that it was gonna be an anthology series. And I was thinking, what if this is like a big hit because everything Taylor touches tends to do really well? Anything that has his name on it somehow. But I guess you’ve answered it: you’ve only gone to 1877 in case they decide they want to do more.

FEEHAN: Well, I mean, for us, we felt like we could tell a satisfying version of Bass Reeves’ life in that time period. And should there be an appetite for more again, there is more on the bone should there be an appetite for a different lawman. I’m excited by that opportunity as well. There’s a handful of stories that I’d love to tell, none of which I’m willing to share right now [laughs], but definitely, I think either path would be a great one.

One of the things that I think resonates with audiences is how much Taylor’s produced shows film on location and feel like they’re authentic. It’s not just all sound stage work, but it also is incredibly tough on the cast and crew being on location and outdoors for so much of the shoot. Can you talk about some of the challenges that come with making a show like this?

FEEHAN: Definitely the toughest production that I’ve ever been a part of. Any challenge that you’ve heard of, we probably experienced. I mean, we got shut down for a week and a half because of an ice storm. We had some locations that were a three-hour drive. You know, working in Texas from January through May, you deal with extreme cold, you deal with extreme heat. And again, in order to have the authenticity that we needed, we would find places that were removed from any sense of modernity. So, you know, we didn’t have any creature comforts that typically accompany a show of this size, so it is hard. But at the same time, it was worth it to try to capture as authentic of a place in a time as we could.

Image via Paramount+

I’ve seen the first three episodes, and I would watch [Episodes] 4 through 8 if Paramount had sent them to me, you know? So, where are you in the edit? Are you done with all eight, or are you still cutting?

FEEHAN: We’re almost done. We’re almost done. We’re wrapping up the last two.

How has the show changed in the editing room in ways you didn’t expect going in?

FEEHAN: It’s an interesting question. You know, as you edit, you find things that scream louder, if you will, than they did on the page, and you find things that don’t scream quite as loud as you anticipated. And so it’s really trying to mine the best story based on the footage that you have, which is based on the scripts that we wrote. One thing that I was hopeful for, and I think that we really achieved, and I saw it in post, was this notion of the triumph of the human spirit. It’s something that we were able to really elevate through editorial.

What do you think would surprise soon-to-be fans of the series to learn about the making of the series?

FEEHAN: That we all got along. [Laughs] That despite the hardships that come with making a show like this, the level of camaraderie and the dedication to honoring Bass Reeves’ legacy permeated through every department. And again, aside from David, made other lifelong friendships that I will cherish forever.

Image via Paramount+

Taylor Sheridan really does have a sense of what people will respond to. Can you talk a little bit about how involved he was in the production/post-production, like where he could sprinkle his knowledge or how he helped bring this to life?

FEEHAN: Yeah, he has a God-given gift for storytelling. So, in the scripting phase, he would be able to point to a moment in a script that I or another writer wrote and say, “You know, if you put this tiny little moment right here, the idea that you’re trying to get across will really make the story sing louder.” So that was invaluable in scripting. During production, as I’ve alluded to, you know, he built this machine that makes these shows and so was able to say, “Hire this AD, she’s phenomenal,” and we did, and she was phenomenal. Or…his wranglers, which I mean, these men and women, their talent is unbelievable, and it’s incredible. What they can do with horses and how they can train actors to ride horses, it’s incredible.

Then, in post, it’s more of that magic dust that he has with, “Let’s mine this part of the story a little bit more to really make the episodes.” And so, you know, again, he has his God-given ability to look at a story and improve on it and dissect it and all those things. But I will say that I’m also very grateful for him because he empowered me, he gave me a ton of autonomy. To use a football metaphor, he let me pick up a football and run with it. So, for that I’m grateful.

Watch Lawmen: Bass Reeves here.

Lawmen: Bass Reeves 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. Release Date November 5, 2023 Cast David Oyelowo, Dennis Quaid, Joaquina Kalukango, Justin Hurtt-Dunkley Main Genre Western Genres Drama, Western, Biography Seasons 1 Creator Chad Feehan