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.