When news of a new Taylor Sheridan-helmed show about historical lawman Bass Reeves first made the rounds in early 2022, everyone was buzzing about how exactly it would fit into the “Yellowstone” universe Sheridan has created. It was widely reported that it would be an offshoot of the wildly popular “Yellowstone” origin story “1883,” which starred Tim McGraw and Faith Hill as ancestors of Kevin Costner’s John Dutton character. But somewhere along the way, plans changed, and Sheridan passed the “Bass Reeves” baton to a rising star in the industry: Chad Feehan, who now takes top billing as creator/showrunner.
With Sheridan still involved as an executive producer, the long-awaited finished project, officially titled “Lawmen: Bass Reeves,” is ready for the world to see, premiering Sunday, November 5, on Paramount+. The limited eight-episode series loosely tells the real-life tale of Reeves, a former slave who became the first Black Deputy U.S. Marshal west of the Mississippi River in the late 1800s. It’s an often-overlooked piece of history that Sheridan, Feehan, and star David Oyelowo felt compelled to introduce to mainstream America.
During an exclusive interview with Looper, Feehan — whose previous credits include “Paranormal Activity 4” and “Ray Donovan” — revealed just how involved Sheridan was on the set of “Lawmen: Bass Reeves” and how important it was to make sure they set the right tone when bringing Reeves’ story to life.
Taylor Sheridan gave Feehan ‘a ton of freedom’
The series has been at the center of a lot of assumptions and speculation for the past couple of years, and Taylor Sheridan’s involvement has shifted during that time. How involved was Taylor, and how did the baton get passed to you?
Taylor and I have been in a similar orbit for a number of years, and he recommended me to David Oyelowo, who’s been championing this project for eight years. I had heard about Bass Reeves as a child and was intrigued and enamored with this mythical lawman. Then, I went to dinner with David, where I anticipated an hour- to an hour-and-a-half-long dinner. It was a four-hour dinner where we felt an incredible kinship. Also, David told me things about Bass that I didn’t know, where the myth both intersected with and separated from reality. Based on what David told me, I became obsessed with being a part of the journey, at which point David and Taylor hired me.
Taylor gave me a ton of freedom and autonomy to not only tell the story but produce the show as well. Taylor came in at beautiful moments and sprinkled some of his magical storytelling dust on the episodes. When it came to production, he has built this incredibly well-oiled machine that helped us execute what was on the page. In post[-production], he was there as well, sprinkling that magical dust that’s so innate to him and his ability to craft a story.
It was widely reported for a while that “Bass Reeves” was going to be an extension of “1883.” Was that ever the case?
That was before my time, so I wasn’t really a part of those conversations. When I was hired, there was a brief conversation about whether there was an “1883” tie-in that I wanted to do in my storytelling, saying, “You have the freedom to do that. But if there’s not, you don’t have to.” Once I decided where the story began and ended, we took that and ran with it.
Feehan felt ‘enormous responsibility’ to get things right
Aside from being associated with Taylor Sheridan, would you consider “Lawmen: Bass Reeves” to be part of the “Yellowstone” universe?
No. It stands on its own two feet. It’s definitely part of the Taylor Sheridan universe, but the show itself stands on its own two feet.
That said, there is a connection between the two shows as Mo Brings Plenty works on both. How did he get involved? And did you ever watch him in action on the “Yellowstone” set?
I’ve never seen him in action on the “Yellowstone” set. I’ve seen him in action on my TV screen. For us, authenticity was paramount to this series, and we had many American Indian consultants throughout the show, but the first was Mo — who I was introduced to by Taylor — and [we] relied on him and others to make sure that we got our storytelling correct throughout the season. And not to give anything away, but Mo does make a cameo.
These days, representation is a hot topic when it comes to film and TV, and “Lawmen: Bass Reeves” is now part of that discussion. As a non-minority helming such a significant story, how did you know you’d get it right? Was it a demanding experience in that sense?
I was honored and humbled to be asked to be a part of it. I view television writing as a team sport. My job was to hire the most talented, diverse, and wide array of voices as I could to be a part of the writing team. My touchstone for this series was the universality of the human condition and the thing that connects all of us as human beings, and to very carefully listen to perspectives and experiences that I couldn’t possibly know and allow those voices to shine through. David [Oyelowo], first and foremost, was that touchstone, in addition to many different talented writers that we had on staff. I felt enormous pressure and responsibility to get it as right as we possibly could.
This is currently billed as an eight-episode limited series, but I’ve heard that there might be future iterations that will follow other iconic lawmen and outlaws who have impacted history. Can you expand on that at all?
That is the idea. We don’t know what’s next. There are certainly people’s stories that I’d love to tell. I’m not going to give away any spoilers, but whatever is next, I’m excited for the opportunity.
“Lawmen: Bass Reeves” premieres on Sunday, November 5, on Paramount+.
This interview has been edited for clarity.