Back in 1875, Bass Reeves became one of the first Black Deputy US Marshals to work west of the Mississippi River. This allowed him to become a legend and the subject of a 2023 Paramount+ miniseries entitled Lawmen: Bass Reeves.

This three-disc Blu-ray package includes all eight episodes. The plot synopses come from the set’s insert.

Part I: “Bass Reeves (David Oyelowo) rides into hell. Esau Pierce (Barry Pepper) makes a violent impression on Bass. Bass escapes his chains but has to make a hard sacrifice.”

Although my intro to Reeves goes to 1875, Lawmen actually launches in 1862. We meet Reeves as a slave in combat during the Civil War.

The twist comes from the fact Reeves finds himself on the Confederate side. Still a slave in 1862, Reeves worked under the orders of his owner, Confederate Colonel George Reeves (Shea Whigham).

“Part I” leads us through these experiences as well as what happens to Bass Reeves after he becomes a runaway slave. Essentially this makes the episode an “origin story”, though it concludes before Reeves earns his status as a Deputy US marshal.

As such, “Part I” largely remains expository and without a lot of real depth. Still, it exists as a reasonably efficient introduction to the characters and situations.

Part II: “Bass and his family endure tough times on their farm. Bass gets a visit from the law and is faced with an interesting proposition.”

This program picks up in 1875. Given the biographical information I mentioned in my intro, one can figure out pretty easily what that “interesting proposition” will encompass.

With Reeves involved in the career that made him famous, “Part II” adds some intrigue. I still can’t claim that I feel terribly invested in the series yet, however, as matters remain vaguely interesting but without a lot of dramatic impact.

Part III: “Bass is sworn in and embarks on his first mission as a Deputy US Marshal. The Underwood gang strikes after Bass is let in on a secret.”

While Lawmen wants something deeper in terms of how it depicts Reeves’ life and family, it really feels like it should focus on his US Marshal work primarily. The series becomes most compelling when we see those adventures.

“Part III” gives us some of the usual character beats, but it also digs more heavily into Reeves’ new career. That makes it more engaging than the first two episodes and gives me some optimism the rest of the series will continue along this upward swing.

Part IV: “Bass and his new posse man Billy Crow (Forrest Goodluck) have a fateful encounter at the women’s boarding house. Jennie (Lauren E. Banks) reunites with someone from her past.”

Once again, I find the character drama of Lawmen to seem less than enchanting but Reeves’ deputy escapades prove more compelling. Though this leaves “Part IV” as a mixed bag, it does enough to keep me engaged.

Part V: “After pandemonium erupts at Bywater's store, Bass is forced to choose between his oath and family. Sally (Demi Singleton) runs into trouble at the carnival, while Bass confronts an old nemesis.”

Once again, the aspects of the show that focus on Reeves’ work succeed. Once again, the parts that deal with his family become less compelling. This results in another inconsistent episode.

Part VI: “Chaos ensues as a firefight breaks out in Checotah. Bass and Jennie have a painful reunion. Bass has an unsettling realization about the myth of Mister Sundown.”

Unusually, the segments of “Part VI” that deal with Bass’s home life actually become intriguing here – at least when we cover Bass himself. I find the threads connected to his wife and kids less interesting. Still, at least “Part VI” manages some quality drama beyond the usual gunplay.

Part VII: “Bass struggles with the weight of the badge like never before. After a deadly mission goes awry, the US Deputy Marshal's fate is left in the hands of someone else.”

An unusually brief episode, “Part VII” lasts a mere 32 minutes, 12 seconds. This means it comes with a tighter than normal focus, one that concentrates on Reeves’ mental and emotional decline. It pushes toward the series’ finale well.

Part VIII: “After a waltz with the devil, Bass, Billy Crow, and Sherrill Lynn (Dennis Quaid) have a dangerous reckoning with Mister Sundown. Meanwhile, trouble ensues for Jennie, Sally, and Esme (Joaquina Kalukango) back at the Reeves' farm.”

Inevitably, various issues the bubbled beneath the surface come to a head with the series’ final show. This leads to a reasonable amount of drama, though I can’t claim the episode becomes a truly fulfilling conclusion.

Some of that stems from my feeling that Lawmen just seems too erratic across its whole span of episodes. I like it more in theory than in reality, as it simply lacks consistency.

Lawmen: Bass Reeves appears in an aspect ratio of 2.00:1 on these Blu-ray Discs. Across the board, the shows looked good.

Sharpness was fine. A little softness occurred in some wide shots, but those didn’t become a concern, so overall definition seemed solid.

I noticed no jagged edges or moiré effects, and the presentation lacked apparent edge haloes or other artifacts. I also saw no print flaws, as the episodes always seemed clean.

In terms of palette, Lawmen reflected Hollywood’s modern fascination with orange and teal. As tedious as that has become, the colors looked fine within the design parameters.

In addition, blacks were dark and tight, while low-light shots were decent. Some could be a bit dense, but they weren’t bad. This was a positive presentation.

As for the series’ DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack, it added breadth to the experience. The shows didn’t deliver a consistently rock-em-sock-em soundscape, but they managed to open up well.

A few louder sequences – usually connected to action beats – made more dynamic use of the spectrum, but those didn’t pop up with great frequency. Instead, the emphasis on general environment remained, and that was fine, as I felt the soundfields fit the material.

Audio quality always pleased. Speech remained natural and concise, with no edginess or other flaws.

Music sounded full and dynamic, while effects came across as accurate and clear. All of this suited the series and earned a solid “B+”.

All eight episodes come with Behind the Story featurettes. Combined they run a total of 48 minutes, 56 seconds.

Across these, we find notes from historian/consultant Dr. Sidney Thompson, writer/creator Chad Feehan, directors Christina Alexandra Voros and Damian Marcano, Indian Affairs Coordinator/actor Mo Brings Plenty, stunt coordinator Jordan Warrack, set decorator Adrian Segura, exotic animal trainer Mark Schwaiger, and actors David Oyelowo, Barry Pepper, Shea Whigham, Lauren E. Banks, Dennis Quaid, Donald Sutherland, Forrest Goodluck, and Demi Singleton.

The featurettes mainly look at character and story elements, though we also get some production domains and historical notes. Though they remain fairly promotional in general, they come with a smattering of insights.

Disc Three adds seven other segments. Unbreakable spans 39 minutes, 19 seconds and involves Feehan, Oyelowo, Voros, Pepper, Singleton, Quaid, Banks, Marcano, Goodluck, Thompson, Whigham, Sutherland, Plenty, Segura, Singleton, Schwaiger, executive producers Taylor Sheridan and David C. Glasser, production designer Wynn Thomas, military technical advisor/military costumer Harlan Glenn, property master Ira A. McAliley, and costume designer Isis Mussenden.

“Unbreakable” digs into the history involved in the series and its path to the screen, cast and performances, sets and locations, costumes and period details, and stunts/action. Expect a mix of useful insights and happy talk.

A Breed Apart runs 16 minutes, 59 seconds. It provides comments from Thomas, Feehan, Voros, Sheridan, Oyelowo and Segura.

This piece covers Thomas’s work on the series. Despite some fluff, we get a nice take on the movie’s production design.

Next comes The Native American Nations. It lasts four minutes, 31 seconds and provides statements from Oyelowo, Goodluck, Plenty, Feehan, Thompson, Mussenden, and Segura.

“Nations” examines the series’ portrait of Native characters and cultures. Expect another combination of self-praise and insights.

Behind the Battle of Pea Ridge occupies four minutes, 56 seconds. Here we get info from Oyelowo, Pepper, Thompson, Voros, Whigham, Feehan, Glenn, Mussenden, Glasser, and head armorer Harry Lu.

As implied by the title, “Battle” covers aspects of these particular series segments. We get a decent view of the topic, albeit with more of the standard fluff.

After this, we find Building the World of Lawmen: Bass Reeves. It fills five minutes, 37 seconds with remarks from Oyelowo, Quaid, Sutherland, Voros, Thomas, Singleton, Whigham, Mussenden, Feehan, McAliley, Plenty, Segura, Marcano, Goodluck, Thompson, Banks and Pepper.

“World” digs into attempts to recreate the eras involved with the series. Despite a few useful nuggets, much of the program leans on happy talk.

The Legend Behind the Badge takes up four minutes, 22 seconds. It features Oyelowo, Quaid, Banks, Voros, Marcano, Glasser, Pepper, Thompson, Feehan, Singleton, Goodluck, Whigham, and Sutherland.

The featurette offers another overview of the history behind the series. It feels redundant, as most of the notes appear elsewhere.

Finally, the eight segments of Meet the Characters go for a total of seven minutes, 51 seconds. These give us thoughts from Oyelowo, Banks, Singleton, Quaid, Sutherland, Goodluck, Pepper and Whigham.

As implied, these offer quick summaries of various series roles. With only about one minute apiece, the clips give us brief promotional segments.

Despite an intriguing historical premise and a good cast, Lawmen: Bass Reeves only sporadically clicks. While the series functions well enough to keep us with it, inconsistencies mean it never quite hits the mark. The Blu-rays come with very good picture and audio as well as an array of bonus materials. Expect a moderately interesting but up and down Western.