Lawmen: Bass Reeves is the latest addition to Taylor Sheridan’s collection of TV shows set in the Western world. Being the executive producer of the series, Sheridan is expanding upon his Yellowstone series to bring in new stories from the cowboy era.
Talking about the success of the show, its creator Chad Feehan talked about how he did not want to imitate Yellowstone simply. Stating that people might have set some expectations for the show due to the inclusion of Taylor Sheridan, Chad Feehan revealed that the thought hadn’t crossed his mind!
Chad Feehan Hadn’t Thought About Imitating Yellowstone
Lawmen: Bass Reeves is a series depicting the story of the first Black deputy U.S. Marshal west of the Mississippi River. Based on a real-life historical figure, the story was brought to life by creator Chad Feehan and executive-produced by Taylor Sheridan.
Taylor Sheridan is most famously known for being the co-creator of the American drama series Yellowstone. Depicting a story set in the Western world, Sheridan is creating and collecting a cinematic universe set around the world of cowboys and gunslingers. In an interview with The Post (via NYPost), series creator Chad Feehan talked about how he did not want to imitate Yellowstone at all!
“As a child, and I think most people’s experiences with Bass – you hear about this badass gun-slinging lawman, pursuing the most hardened outlaws in the West. “He had 3,000 arrests. But his backstory was shocking to me.”
He further continued,
“Didn’t cross my mind, to be honest [about imitating Yellowstone]. I was purely guided by telling the best story I could tell, and by honoring Bass Reeves.”
As the interview progressed, series creator Chad Feehan also talked about how Taylor Sheridan was a guiding light who used to show up occasionally and sprinkle some wisdom while he was creating Lawmen: Bass Reeves.
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Taylor Sheridan Gave Complete Freedom To Chad Feehan
While creating the 2023 series, Chad Feehan further talked about how good of a person was Taylor Sheridan. Stating that he had complete freedom to create the series however he liked, Feehan stated that Sheridan even lent some help with the writing when he needed it.
“Taylor and I have been in the same orbit for many years. He recommended me to David [Oyelowo, who is also an executive producer on the show]. I’m incredibly grateful to both of them for entrusting me.”
He further continued,
“Taylor gave me a lot of freedom and autonomy to not only tell this story, but [to] produce the show. He came in at key moments and sprinkled some magic storytelling dust for us.”
As of now, Lawmen: Bass Reeves has released 6 episodes so far and the series has received some average ratings for its first season. With a rating of 7.8/10 on IMDB and 81% on Rotten Tomatoes, the series is available to stream on Paramount+ in the U.S.
