The True Story of ‘Lawmen: Bass Reeves’ Starring David Oyelowo is Told With Justice

The latest western series to hit TV screens in 2023— Lawmen: Bass Reeves—tells the story of the real-life Deputy U.S. Marshall, Bass Reeves starring David Oyelowo. The series follows the journey of Reeves and his rise from enslavement to law enforcement. The miniseries drew in viewers who enjoyed learning about the history of Reeves’ journey while also enjoying the gritty portrayal of a Black man of the law during this era.

In conversation with director Damian Marcano, co-executive producer Jewel Coronel and producer Chad Feehan, they share behind-the-scenes details on the making of the series and give us details on how accurate the real-life story of Bass Reeves is.

Can you talk about the process of bringing Bass Reeves’ real story to life for this series?

Jewel Coronel: We borrowed from two books to keep us historically accurate. We held true to many tentpoles in Bass’ life. We also used creative license to amplify some of the stories and tell them if some things are better visually told or just told in a different order. There’s not any story that doesn’t change and shift by virtually being historical or fiction, but by being a creative work of art that many people touch.

Chad Feehan: Our job was to rely on historians and the information that there was, and use them as a guidepost. For example, in episode three when he was sworn in, we have that document of what exactly was said, so we recreated that. We don’t know the conversation that happened around that, so that was the job of the team of writers to try to imagine what could have been said.

EBONY: What were some challenges you all faced during the production of this project?

Chad Feehan: The challenges were the pressure to do Bass Reeves’ legacy justice and balancing what we do know to be true, versus creating a narrative that was propulsive and compelling. 

Damian Marcano: We had tornadoes that were touching down when we were in Fort Worth. When you make art, there is something to be said for when you hit a wall. The true artists will always find a way around that wall. We just had such a good crew that they could switch at a moment’s notice.

What was it like working with David Oyelowo as Bass Reeves?

Jewel Coronel: David is just a joy. He is one of the most grounded, kind, authentic, and compassionate men as well. David’s a strong compass of understanding Bass. He’s just a true creative asset on the show.

Damian Marcano: Working with David was a pleasure because he is a very honest and nice human being. He gave me a lot of pride while doing this. There is a lot of love there and it still is there. It’s been a long time since I spent six months with anybody from this business where I always felt exalted every single day. He always reminded me of how it just was. It was beautiful.

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