The Taylor Sheridan Western coming to Netflix this June
Netflix’s revolving door of content is just as much a reason for heartbreak as it is for anticipation. Although the weather feels generally gloomy with the fast-approaching reminders of what’s leaving in June, today’s episode is all about what’s coming up next on Netflix, which is Taylor Sheridan’s Lawmen: Bass Reeves.
Scheduled to hit Netflix shelves on June 1st, it is a gripping eight-part limited series that brings Hollywood-level production to a crucial, often overlooked chapter of American history.
Created by Chad Feehan, who also serves as a showrunner, Lawmen: Bass Reeves is executive produced by Sheridan, the mastermind behind the Yellowstone universe, alongside Feehan, David C Glasser, David Oyelowo, Jessica Oyelowo, David Permut, Christina Alexandra Voros, Ron Burkle, Bob Yari, and David Hutkin.
The plot is based on the life of Bass Reeves, one of the first African American Deputy US Marshals west of the Mississippi River and one of the greatest frontier heroes in American history, which adapts Sidney Thompson’s first two books of the Bass Reeves trilogy.
His real life reads like pure fiction, spanning a 35-year career in which he arrested over 3,000 outlaws, reportedly never once sustaining a gunshot wound. In fact, Reeves is widely regarded as the real-world inspiration behind the Lone Ranger, and the reputation alone explains the craze surrounding the Western series.
While Lawmen: Bass Reeves originally dropped on Paramount+ in late 2023, if you missed the show during the Paramount+ drop, its arrival on Netflix is the perfect excuse to catch up.
Although Lawmen’s historical origin is a convincing enough reason to draw more and more viewers, David Oyelowo delivers a masterclass in the title role, infusing the character with heavy emotional weight despite playing a deeply principled man wrestling with the moral shades of grey, the weight of the badge and the toll of his decisions and duty on his family. He garnered widespread critical acclaim for the portrayal, earning a Black Reel Award for his performance.
If you love Sheridan’s signature style, the sweeping frontier landscapes, the intensely gritty shootout sequences, sharp dialogue, and an uncompromising look at post-Civil War America, evocative of Lawmen: Bass Reeves, is bound to leave you craving more of the genre.
On Netflix, you may find several traditional Hollywood Westerns. However, what sets Lawmen apart is its determination to reclaim a marginalised history by flipping the script and placing a Black historical titan front and centre. So, in case you’re wondering where to start on Netflix this June, Bass Reeves might just be it.