Critics Have Seen Lawmen: Bass Reeves’ First Episodes, And Opinions Of Taylor Sheridan’s New Paramount+ Series Are Split
David Oyelowo stars as the historic U.S. Marshal.
Yellowstone fans have quite a while to wait before the release date of the series’ final episodes, but fortunately for those who have been enjoying creator Taylor Sheridan’s other projects, there’s still plenty in the works. Lawmen: Bass Reeves — the first entry in an expected anthology series, which stars David Oyelowo as the titular character — is Sheridan's latest offering, available to stream Sunday, November 5, with a Paramount+ subscription. Critics had the chance to screen the first few episodes ahead of their release, and they aren’t quite in agreement with how well this latest Western works.
Taylor Sheridan is named as an executive producer on the Paramount+ series, but unlike his other projects, he did not write or direct any of the episodes. In addition to David Oyelowo, other members of Lawmen: Bass Reeves’ cast include Dennis Quaid and Donald Sutherland in this drama based on the life of the first Black U.S. Marshal west of the Mississippi. Let’s see what the critics have to say, starting with Alex Maidy of JoBlo. Maidy rates it a “Good” 7 out of 10, calling the first episodes “exciting, emotional and violent,” and writing:
David Hookstead of OutKick says Taylor Sheridan has “another massive hit” on on his hands, and fans of his other series won’t be disappointed, as Lawmen delivers the performances and dark, gritty content we’ve come to expect. The critic continues:
Akos Peterbencze of Paste calls Lawmen: Bass Reeves a “damn good Western.” It undoubtedly follows the imprint established by Taylor Sheridan but benefits from having creator and showrunner Chad Feehan’s undivided attention. Peterbencze writes:
Not all of the critics agree, however, and Ben Travers of IndieWire grades it a C-. Lawmen: Bass Reeves is too formulaic, too rushed and too incurious, Travers says, to delve into the nuances of a former slave forced to fight for the Confederate army and a pacifist who picked up a gun every day. In the critics’ words:
Daniel Fienberg of THR echoes the above sentiment, saying that Bass Reeves deserves to have his story told, but Lawmen doesn’t do justice to the man’s experience. Fienberg writes:
The critics do seem to agree that the man portrayed by David Oyelowo is deserving of such a series, but it’s in the writing and execution that they disagree on how successful Chad Feehan was in that endeavor. It sounds like fans of Taylor Sheridan’s other works will be pleased, as Lawmen: Bass Reeves captures the same spirit, so if you’d like to check this series out, you can catch the series premiere on Paramount+ on Sunday, November 5.
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Heidi Venable is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend, a mom of two and a hard-core '90s kid. She started freelancing for CinemaBlend in 2020 and officially came on board in 2021. Her job entails writing news stories and TV reactions from some of her favorite prime-time shows like Grey's Anatomy and The Bachelor. She graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a degree in Journalism and worked in the newspaper industry for almost two decades in multiple roles including Sports Editor, Page Designer and Online Editor. Unprovoked, will quote Friends in any situation. Thrives on New Orleans Saints football, The West Wing and taco trucks.