CBS will air a special broadcast of Taylor Sheridan’s newest Paramount+ series “Lawmen: Bass Reeves,” the network announced Wednesday.
Following Sunday’s launch of the new anthology series on Paramount+, the first two episodes of “Lawmen: Bass Reeves” will premiere back-to-back on CBS on Sunday, Nov. 12, at 9 p.m ET/PT, following an episode of “Yellowstone.”
David Oyelowo stars as Bass Reeves, an enslaved laborer who rose to become one of the first Black U.S. Deputy Marshals west of the Mississippi. “Despite arresting over 3,000 outlaws during the course of his career, the weight of the badge was heavy, and he wrestled with its moral and spiritual cost to his beloved family,” according to the official logline.
This season of “Lawmen” rounds out its cast with guest stars Shea Whigham and Garrett Hedlund and recurring roles for Joaquina Kalukango, Lonnie Chavis, Tosin Morohunfola, Dale Dickey, Rob Morgan, Ryan O’Nan, Margot Bingham, Mo Brings Plenty, Justin Hurtt-Dunkley and Bill Dawes.
Subsequent seasons of the anthology series will center on additional lawmen and outlaws who have carved out a remarkable place in history.
The sampling of “Lawmen: Bass Reeves” on CBS follows the network’s success of airing the first season of Sheridan’s Paramount Network hit “Yellowstone,” which came amid this summer’s double WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike that left the broadcasters scrambling to fill their fall slate. While the network began airing the first season of “Yellowstone” out of necessity for content during the labor dispute, the network decided to continue airing the drama’s second season on Sundays.
Beyond “Yellowstone,” Paramount Global has utilized CBS as a promotional vehicle for its Paramount+ streaming releases, as the broadcast network has aired special episodes of “Star Trek,” “Criminal Minds” and “Frasier,” whose first two episodes debuted to an average of 2.23 million viewers during their CBS premiere in October.
