Lawmen: Bass Reeves, a new Western TV show with Yellowstone’s Taylor Sheridan as executive producer, sets a streaming record for Paramount+.
Lawmen: Bass Reeves sets a new streaming record for Paramount+. Created by Chad Feehan, the new Western series is about the real-life lawman Bass Reeves, one of the first Black deputy U.S. marshals west of the Mississippi River. The show stars David Oyelowo as the titular lawman, alongside co-stars Dennis Quaid, Lauren E. Banks, Demi Singleton, and Forrest Goodluck.
According to Deadline, Lawmen: Bass Reeves has become the most-streamed show on Paramount+ this year. The show’s first two episodes racked up 7.5 million views globally in their first seven days on the platform. This is more than double the CBS broadcast totals for Lawmen: Bass Reeves, which received 3.55 million views.
Why Lawmen: Bass Reeves Is So Successful?
Lawmen: Bass Reeves is co-executive produced by star Oyelowo and Taylor Sheridan. Sheridan is the talent behind another hit Western series, Yellowstone. Because of this connection, it was originally thought that Yellowstone and Lawmen shared the same universe, but this was later proven not to be true, as Lawmen: Bass Reeves is a completely independent series from the story of Yellowstone.
That said, Yellowstone’s success has undoubtedly contributed to that of Lawmen: Bass Reeves. Sheridan has gained a positive reputation because of Yellowstone’s success, reviving the Western genre for a mainstream audience. The universe has since expanded into spinoff series, such as 1883 and 1923, with even more to come. Lawmen: Bass Reeves continues Sheridan’s work in the genre and is likely getting the attention of viewers still anxiously awaiting the release of Yellowstone season 5, part 2.
The prominence of Lawmen: Bass Reeves is exciting because of the nature of the show’s future. Lawmen is building to be an anthology show, meaning that future seasons will go beyond Bass Reeves to explore other lawmen. The show’s star Oyelowo recently stated, “the idea, going forward, is to have other lawmen in history whose story should be told.” This structure creates immense possibilities for the newfound Lawmen franchise, and with the news of its Paramount+ success, the chances for Lawmen season 2 look all the more likely.