Bass Reeves led a life that would make any Western writer jealous. Born into slavery, he escaped and became one of the first Black deputy U.S. marshals, tracking down fugitives across the Wild West. In 2023, David Oyelowo brought him to life in the Taylor Sheridan-produced Lawmen: Bass Reeves, giving the icon his own series. Now, three years later, Reeves is back on screen—but this time, he's packing a mechanical arm.
Netflix's Bass X Machina, from Yasuke creator LeSean Thomas, reimagines Reeves as a bounty hunter in a West overrun with outlaws and automatons. Brian Tyree Henry voices the title character and serves as an executive producer, with Tati Gabrielle as a young engineer and Janelle Monáe as Reeves' wife, Glory. The premise is wild enough that you'd expect the first question to be about that robotic limb. But one reaction Henry heard was about something else entirely: why revisit Bass Reeves at all?
In an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the series with Collider Set Stories, Henry recalled someone describing the show as “another narrative about Bass Reeves.” He fired back with his own question: “How many narratives do you know? Because I don’t know of many.” He didn't stop there. “Like, how dare you? Like, why not more Bass Reeves narratives, actually?”
Henry, who helped shape the series as an executive producer, had a deeply personal reason for taking on the role. “I can only speak for me. I needed a hero. And I needed to feel heroic. I needed to feel it. I didn’t want to just participate in a way that was observant. I wanted to really get in and get my hands dirty,” he told Collider.
That hands-on approach started with the pilot, which introduces six different versions of Bass Reeves. The episode follows him as a bounty hunter, then into rooms where he must answer to white authorities, and finally home to his wife and children. Henry saw a reflection of his own life in those shifts. “Brian, when he leaves his front door, already has to figure out how many different Brian’s he has to be in society, period, too.”
For Henry, the goal was to push the character into new territory. “Let’s add some fantasy. Let’s add some punk rock to it. Let’s do something radical,” he said. That radical energy is exactly what Bass X Machina delivers, blending historical inspiration with sci-fi flair.
If you're hungry for more Western tales, check out John Wayne's Hondo and its defining final line, or dive into Clint Eastwood's Richard Jewell for a different kind of American story. And for those who love a good binge, this Netflix binge guide has you covered.
With Bass X Machina, Henry isn't just adding to the Bass Reeves legacy—he's redefining it. And he's making it clear: there's room for plenty more.
