The Yellowstone franchise has quickly risen to be one of the most prominent entertainment properties in modern media. The flagship series boasts the highest ratings of any scripted series on television - broadcast or cable. That success has led to a multi-series franchise consisting of spin-offs 1883, 1923, and the upcoming 1944 and 6666. We can presumably expect thousands of additional offshoots to cover every other four-digit number in existence. (Quick aside, anyone else initially think Netflix's mystery sci-fi 1899 was part of this franchise? Dutton ancestors on a ship bending the fabric of space and time could work.)
With rumblings that the original series could be on its way out, it makes sense that Paramount is leaning heavily into spin-offs. One of Yellowstone's newest spin-offs surprisingly has no numbers. Of course, we're talking about Bass Reeves. Besides its utter lack of a four-digit title, Bass Reeves also presents one big difference from the rest of the franchise. It is based on a true story. The titular Bass Reeves was a real-life person and the first black deputy U.S. Marshal operating west of the Mississippi. Reeves operated in the late 1800s and early 1900s in modern-day Arkansas and Oklahoma.
So, what else do we know about the Bass Reeves spin-off of Yellowstone? Integrating a real person into an offshoot of a hugely popular scripted drama franchise is a bold move. So how will Taylor Sheridan and the production team connect his story to the Dutton clan? Let's look at everything we know about Bass Reeves, including the plot, cast, and expected release date.
Bass Reeves: The Plot
As mentioned, Bass Reeves is a unique entry in the Yellowstone franchise, as it is based on a real person. Born into slavery in 1838, Reeves gained his freedom after escaping forced service in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. He fled to live among Native American tribes, learning their languages and culture, until he was officially freed from slavery by the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865.
Later moving to work in farming, a US Marshal heard about Reeves and how he could speak Native American languages. The Marshal hired Reeves as the first black deputy Marshal west of the Mississippi River. As a deputy, Reeves hunted down some of the most wanted fugitives of the time, becoming an expert detective and marksman. Toward the end of his life, Reeves switched careers, taking a job as a police officer before dying at the age of 71 (and possibly influencing the Lone Ranger).
Of course, as with all "based on a true story" projects, we can expect that the show Bass Reeves will likely change some elements of the real man's life, namely by connecting it to Yellowstone. A logline tells us that the prequel "will bring the legendary lawman of the wild west to life. Reeves, known as the greatest frontier hero in American history, worked in the post-Reconstruction era as a federal peace officer in the Indian Territory, capturing over 3,000 of the most dangerous criminals without ever being wounded."
Bass Reeves is set to be a semi-sequel series to 1883, placing it in that strange category of shows that are both prequels and sequels. The plot will also reportedly be heavily influenced by author Sidney Thompson's historical novel trilogy that detailed Reeves' life. Given that 1883 followed the Dutton ancestors in post-Civil War Texas, we can assume that family members could encounter Reeves, as he operated in the same area around the same time. Other than that, we don't yet know how directly Bass Reeves will tie into 1883 or the franchise as a whole. We can likely expect additional plot information to follow as production continues.
Bass Reeves: The Cast
We can expect to see a fresh group of names in Bass Reeves, as currently, no cast members from 1883 or any other Yellowstone shows are set to appear. Instead, actor David Oyelowo, recently seen in See How They Run, is set to take on the leading role of Bass Reeves himself.
Besides Oyelowo, the cast includes big names like Dennis Quaid. Quaid is set to play Sherrill Lynn, another deputy U.S. marshal and possible co-worker with Reeves. Forrest Goodluck of The Revenant and Cherry will play Billy Crow, a young Cherokee man with a unique style. Gaslit's Lauren E. Banks plays Jennie Reeves, the fiercely devoted wife of Bass.
Actor Barry Pepper is Esau Pierce, a hardened warrior and leader of the 1st Cherokee Mounted Rifles. Grantham Coleman of Power Book III: Raising Kanan plays Edwin Jones, a persuasive man with a unique vision of the future he'll share with anyone who will listen. Finally, Demi Singleton of King Richard rounds out the cast as Sally, the precocious daughter of Bass and Jennie.
We can likely expect additional cast information and any potential appearance from other stars in the Yellowstone-verse to be revealed in the coming weeks and months.
Bass Reeves: The Release Date
Currently, there is no confirmed release date for Bass Reeves. However, we know it is a limited series that will stream on Paramount+. Filming began in January 2023, so a premiere later this year or early next year could be plausible.