"Lawmen: Bass Reeves" wrapped its knockout 8-episode run on Dec. 17. The latest Taylor Sheridan joint was the most-watched series premiere on Paramount+ in 2023, and series star David Oyelowo scored a 2024 Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor. But will the titular Deputy U.S. Marshal ride on in "Lawmen: Bass Reeves" Season 2, or will another Old West legend take the reins?
"Lawmen: Bass Reeves" has not yet been renewed for a second season at Paramount+. This likely spells the end of the line for Oyelowo's Bass Reeves. Season 1 covers 20 years of Reeves' astonishing rise, tying a neat bow on his life story. Besides, Oyelowo recently inked a first-look deal with Apple TV+, which will see him develop and produce for the streamer through his Yoruba Saxon banner. He will also reprise his starring role in the upcoming Apple TV+ series "Silo." That's a full plate for the Oscar-nominated actor.
But we have high hopes that "Lawmen" will score a Season 2 renewal. For one thing, the show was always planned as an anthology series, with future seasons centering on other iconic lawmen and outlaws. (Think "Lawmen: Wyatt Earp" or "Lawmen: Wild Bill Hickok.") And in November 2023, Oyelowo (who also produces "Lawmen") hinted that future seasons were very much in play:
"The idea, going forward, is to have other lawmen in history whose story should be told, who haven't been told, to have the opportunity to tell those stories," he told The Hollywood Reporter, adding: "I'm a producer on those going forward; so, the idea is to keep the good work going."
Here's everything we know about the fate of the series, from what the creators have said about "Lawmen: Bass Reeves" Season 2 to other Old West figures who could be featured next.
What Happened in 'Lawmen: Bass Reeves' Season 1?
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"Lawmen: Bass Reeves" centers on the true story of the legendary Bass Reeves, who escaped slavery to become the first Black Deputy U.S. Marshal west of the Mississippi River. Throughout the late-1800s, Reeves is said to have arrested more than 3,000 criminals without ever being seriously wounded. His story was part of the inspiration for "The Lone Ranger."
Reeves' remarkable, decades-long career with the Marshal Service went largely untold until "Lawmen: Bass Reeves." It took 8 years for Oyelowo to get the series made, eventually finding a home for his passion project at Paramount+ under Taylor Sheridan's "Yellowstone"-adjacent umbrella of Western shows like "Tulsa King" and "Special Ops: Lioness."
The series was created by Chad Feehan ("Ray Donovan"), with Oyelowo and Sheridan serving as executive producers. Lauren E. Banks co-stars as Reeves' wife, Jennie, and Demi Singleton as his daughter. Donald Sutherland also appears as the real-life "Hanging Judge" Parker, and Dennis Quaid as the fictional Sherrill Lynn.
'Lawmen: Bass Reeves' Season 2 Cast
Emerson Miller/Paramount+
The 2-episode "Lawmen: Bass Reeves" premiere amassed 7.5 million viewers globally in its first week on Paramount+ and CBS, Deadline reported. The series is certainly no slouch, but Paramount has not formally announced a Season 2 renewal.
Still, "Lawmen" was always billed as an anthology series with plans for future seasons featuring all-new casts and characters. Paramount's official series description reads: "'Lawmen: Bass Reeves' is an all-new, standalone anthology series and future iterations will follow other iconic lawmen and outlaws who have impacted history."
That being said, series creator Chad Feehan revealed in a Nov. 2023 interview that he's open to either centering Reeves again in a second season, or going with a different lawman.
"I wanted to leave some meat on the bone in case there was an appetite for more Bass Reeves," Feehan told Collider, explaining that he ended the series decades before Reeves' death in 1910 on purpose. "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."
"There is more on the bone should there be an appetite for a different lawman," he added. "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."
What Lawmen Will Be Featured in Season 2?
Emerson Miller/Paramount+
Future iterations of "Lawmen" could feature the most well-known figures of the Wild West. There's the whole "Tombstone" gang: Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. Or Bill Doolin's Wild Bunch robbers vs. Heck Thomas' Three Guardsmen. Buffalo Bill, Wild Bill Hickock, the list goes on.
Problem is, those stories have been told over and over in classic Western films. And you can count out America's most famous outlaw: MGM+ is in the midst of "Billy the Kid" Season 2. Oyelowo has said that, as a producer on "Lawmen," he'll champion lesser-known stories:
"I think there is a feeling, which I very much resonate with, that there is real potency and interest in telling stories of this nature about those who, for whatever reason, fell out of history unjustly," he told THR.
We'd like to see "Lawmen" tackle other legendary Black cowboys who haven't yet received the biopic treatment. The gunslinger Nat Love was portrayed by Jonathan Majors in Netflix's excellent "The Harder They Fall" (2021), but we'd love to see 8 hours of television devoted to his story. Or Bill Pickett, the first Black cowboy honored in the National Rodeo Hall of Fame. Okay, we're getting excited.
'Lawmen: Bass Reeves' Season 2 Premiere Date
Emerson Miller/Paramount+
Even if it's greenlit, "Lawmen" Season 2 is a long way out. The much-anticipated "Yellowstone" Season 5, Part 2 is slated for Nov. 2024, with the "Yellowstone" spinoff series "2024" set to debut directly afterwards. And we're still waiting on "1923" Season 2.
There are a lot of Sheridan-verse projects taking center stage in 2024. Besides, 2023's dual strikes impacted Hollywood's production timelines. Don't expect to see "Lawmen" return to screens again until 2025 at the earliest.
The entire first season of "Lawmen: Bass Reeves" is now streaming on Paramount+.
