If you were hoping to watch "Lawmen: Bass Reeves" but don't have Paramount+ then you're in luck: the season will release in its entirety on CBS.
The episodes will air on the network right after "Yellowstone." The first two episodes of "Lawmen: Bass Reeves" will air on November 12 at 9 PM ET, with the remaining six following a weekly release schedule.
It's the same duel-channel treatment given to "Yellowstone," which began airing episodes on CBS earlier this year. The network had found itself lacking in shows to fill slots this fall, primarily due to the Writers Guild of America and ongoing Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists strikes in Hollywood.
"Lawmen: Bass Reeves" chronicles the real-life man who escaped slavery to become the first Black US Marshal. The official description for the series reads: "Despite arresting over 3,000 outlaws during the course of his career, the weight of the badge was heavy, and he wrestled with its moral and spiritual cost to his beloved family."
The series is executive produced by Taylor Sheridan and David Oyelowo, the latter of whom also plays the titular role in the series. Bass Reeves is only the first lawman to be covered by the series. If all goes according to plan, each subsequent season will chronicle a different lawman who made a significant impact on the American West.
Thus far, the series' inaugural season has received positive reviews from critics — 77% of whom had a positive response, according to the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes. The critical consensus reads: "With David Oyelowo capably stepping into the stirrups of 'Bass Reeves,' this gritty procedural is slow to the draw but hits its mark nonetheless." The audience found it slightly less appealing and gave the first two episodes a 68%. These scores could change as the season moves closer to the December 17 finale. (And hey, who can properly judge a show after the first two episodes anyway? Ya gotta let things build!)
The show contributes to a larger moment happening in Western films and shows, where Black cowboys are finally getting the representation they deserve. Historically, they've been largely absent from Westerns even though 1 in 4 cowboys were Black in the real Wild West. This has begun to change in more recent years with films like "The Harder They Fall," "The Magnificent Seven" and "Django: Unchained."
