Taylor Sheridan’s New Western Show Repeats A Major Yellowstone Prequel Complaint

WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Lawmen: Bass Reeves.

Taylor Sheridan’s new Western series Lawmen: Bass Reeves continues a particular trend from a popular Yellowstone prequel. Although Sheridan did not write or direct any episodes of Lawmen: Bass Reeves, he still acts as an executive producer along with lead actor David Oyelowo, who had spent nearly a decade trying to bring the legend of the real-life Old West Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves to life. While the series started with a close adherence to historical accuracy and the true events of Bass Reeves, it has deviated almost entirely into fictional retellings in its later episodes.

Lawmen: Bass Reeves was initially expected to be a spinoff of a popular Yellowstone prequel series, 1883. Since Bass Reeves served as a Deputy U.S. Marshal from 1875 to 1907, it would have been plausible for Reeves to have become a part of the Yellowstone universe through the 1883 characters and timeline. There would have certainly been some creative stretches in order to have Reeves cross paths with the Dutton family, as Bass stayed in the areas of western Arkansas, eastern Texas, and Indigenous Territory (modern-day Oklahoma) throughout his life.

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8 Reasons Lawmen: Bass Reeves Is Better Not Being A Yellowstone Spinoff

Lawmen: Bass Reeves was originally announced as a Yellowstone prequel spinoff series but fortunately it became a standalone anthology series instead.

Lawmen: Bass Reeves Repeats A Big Problem After 1883’s Historical Inaccuracies

The series started with a keen eye for historical accuracy before falling off track

Lawmen: Bass Reeves started to derail from its historical track in Lawmen: Bass Reeves episode 5, when the show mostly skimmed over one of Bass’s biggest real-life rivals, Jim Webb. The long conflict between Webb and Reeves could have been documented over the course of an entire episode, however, it was reduced to just one introductory scene that was mostly a shootout ending with Reeves killing Webb without much build-up. Webb had no lines in the series, making his character feel like a missed opportunity and a clear indication that historical accuracy would no longer be the driving force.

From that point in Lawmen: Bass Reeves, the existing fictional elements of the plot completely take over the narrative, such as the emergence of the mythical slave catcher Mr. Sundown. Considering all the different real-life avenues that the show could have gone with only eight episodes, it feels unnecessary for Lawmen: Bass Reeves to drift from historical fiction to what feels like straight-up fantasy at some moments. 1883 received similar criticisms for its rewriting of certain parts of history, one of which, for example, referred to Indigenous Territory as the Oklahoma Territories.

Lawmen: Bass Reeves Inaccurately Portrays Bass Reeves As A Lawful Killer

The real Bass Reeves only killed 14 outlaws in 35+ year career

While some historical inaccuracies can be easily overlooked, especially when they serve to create an interesting and entertaining story, one major inaccuracy in Lawmen: Bass Reeves completely changes the narrative to the point where it actually rewrites his real-life legend. The main conflict at the end of Lawmen: Bass Reeves episode 6 sees Bass face harsh feelings of shame and guilt for having killed so many people on the job. Bass is haunted by Esau Pierce’s chilling message about the weight of his badge and the blood on his hands, implying that Bass is a monstrous murderer no better than a savage outlaw.

Bass Reeves killed a total of 14 outlaws throughout his career in law enforcement, a fact that completely undermines the central theme of Lawmen: Bass Reeves episode 6. The series tries to make Bass reconcile with the morality of his job, which it accomplishes through the introduction of Jackson Cole in episode 5. Cole was a former Union Army soldier who killed a slave owner named James Neblett. Neblett had burned his slaves alive following emancipation, providing a complex internal conflict for Bass between moral good and the obligations of the law. However, Mr. Sundown’s storyline, which is also fictional, loses its significance by painting Bass as a murderer under the protection of the law when in reality, he only killed 14 outlaws in 35+ years.

Bass Reeves’ Incredible True Story Did Not Need To Be Changed

There was plenty of real-life inspiration to choose from

Lawmen: Bass Reeves had many real-life narratives of the Old West lawman to build from but instead chose to insert its own fictional antagonist and alter the historical perception of Bass Reeves. This creative choice feels like a missed opportunity to celebrate the actual achievements and tragedies of Bass Reeves, especially considering that Bass had to arrest his son Bennie in real life for murdering his wife. There were more than enough factual accounts to choose from in Lawmen: Bass Reeves, which makes the fictional Mr. Sundown conflict and the false perception of Bass Reeves with a guilty conscious seem unnecessary.