Lawmen: Bass Reeves — The Truth Behind the Show

In this episode, we’re breaking down Lawmen: Bass Reeves and comparing the TV series to the real history behind one of the most legendary lawmen of the American West.I really enjoyed the series. It was entertaining, well acted, beautifully shot, and had some incredible moments. If you’re wondering how much of it actually happened, the answer is: some of it did, a lot of it didn’t, and the real Bass Reeves, in my opinion, was even better. The show takes plenty of creative liberties, adds fictional characters, changes real events, and builds a dramatic storyline around Bass Reeves that often goes far beyond the historical record.That being said, the show was not trying to be a documentary, and there are several real events from Bass Reeves’ life woven throughout the series. In this episode, I’ll be breaking down what Lawmen: Bass Reeves got right, what it changed, what it left out, and what appears to be completely fictional.We’ll cover Bass Reeves’ Civil War years, his escape into Indian Territory, Judge Isaac C. Parker, Fort Smith, the outlaws he chased, the murder trial over the death of his cook, and the fictional storylines created for the show.If you want the full historical deep dive, check out my 8-part Bass Reeves series, where I cover his entire life from start to finish.All clips used in this video are from the Paramount+ television series Lawmen: Bass Reeves.#BassReeves #LawmenBassReeves #WildWest #WesternHistory #OldWest #TrueStory #ParamountPlus #Netflix #AmericanWest #historydeepdive 00:00 Intro01:55 Episode 113:32 Episode 217:03 Episode 322:25 Episode 428:27 Episode 533:15 Episode 637:40 Episode 742:57 Finale