Lawmen: Bass Reeves Takes the Taylor Sheridan-Verse in a New Direction

Looking for your next binge-watch, or just need to fill an hour? Welcome to Your Weekly Watch List, our curated collection of the best shows on television. Here's what to watch from Sunday, November 5 through Saturday, November 11.

There's something for everyone on TV this week as Taylor Sheridan and David Oyelowo tell the story of Old West lawman Bass Reeves, and The Buccaneers refreshes Edith Wharton's unfinished romance novel. Plus, the Rap Sh!t duo go on tour in Season 2, Colin From Accounts delivers doggone rom-com action, and more.

Lawmen: Bass Reeves

Sunday, Paramount+
*Our must-watch pick of the week

Lawmen: Bass Reeves was initially conceived as a Yellowstone prequel (specifically, a spin-off of 1883), but beyond sharing a Western setting and an executive producer in Taylor Sheridan, the eight-episode anthology has little in common with the Paramount Network behemoth. In a refreshing change of pace, Sheridan hands over the reins to creator Chad Feehan and star David Oyelowo, who chart the untold story of Bass Reeves, the first Black U.S. Marshal west of the Mississippi. The series follows Reeves as he escapes enslavement during the Civil War and makes a name for himself in the Indian Territory in Arkansas, but his success comes at a steep price for his family, who live under the constant threat of danger in the post-Reconstruction U.S.

With its focus on Black and Indigenous characters and refusal to glorify the Old West, Lawmen: Bass Reeves feels like a major departure for Paramount+'s Taylor Sheridan universe, but it's a welcome one. Oyelowo is magnetic as Bass, and as his world expands — to include characters played by Dennis Quaid, Forrest Goodluck, and Barry Pepper — his command over the series grows along with it. Without a doubt, Oyelowo's performance is strong enough to put him in the awards conversation, though voters will have just one chance to honor his work, as future seasons will center on other famed lawmen and outlaws (hence the plural Lawmen title).

The Buccaneers

Wednesday, Apple TV+

It's only natural to compare The Buccaneers to Netflix's smash hit Bridgerton, but Apple's adaptation of Edith Wharton's unfinished novel stands on its own. In the 1870s, a group of strong-willed American girls take the London social scene by storm with their unconventional attitudes about marriage and a woman's role in society. While some of the girls are eager to find a husband and secure their futures — and one, Conchita Closson (Alisha Boe) has already been married off to an English lord (Josh Dylan) — the others are more concerned with dancing the night away at the lavish balls that occur throughout the season. But this is Edith Wharton's world, after all, and even the most marriage-resistant of the group, Nan St. George (Kristine Froseth), soon finds herself in an unexpected love triangle with a charming playboy (Matthew Broome) and England's most eligible bachelor, Theo, Duke of Tintagel (Guy Remmers).

The girls' experience sets up an old-versus-new-money and English-versus-American conflict, creating real stakes for a show that outwardly presents as a frivolous trip through the aristocracy. Add in a scene-stealing performance from Christina Hendricks as New York socialite Mrs. St. George and a killer soundtrack made up of top female performers (including Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Brandi Carlile, and Boygenius) and you get a period drama with a more modern perspective on the expectations placed on young women by a world that refuses to see them as anything but future wives and mothers.

Rap Sh!t Season 2 Premiere

Thursday, Max

For fans of music-industry comedies, the hits keep on coming with the return of Issa Rae's Rap Sh!t. After making their rap debut in Season 1, reunited high school friends Shawna (Aida Osman) and Mia (KaMillion) head out on a cross-country tour with Reina Reign (Kat Cunning). As their popularity grows, Shawna and Mia are forced to decide whether to stay true to themselves, or conform to an industry that demands Black women behave a certain way. They also struggle with the many indignities that come with being an opening act, including limited stage time and shoestring budgets.

These storylines reinforce Rap Sh!t's reputation for laugh-out-loud comedy — something showrunner Syreeta Singleton, who worked on the final two seasons of Insecure, understands quite well — but Shawna and Mia's determination to accomplish their dreams in the face of adversity continues to serve as the show's driving force. It's time for the world to start paying attention to this formidable rap duo and the talented creatives telling their story. Two episodes drop Thursday, followed by one every week through December 21.

Colin From Accounts

Thursday, Paramount+

Real-life married couple Patrick Brammall and Harriet Dyer put their chemistry to the test in romantic comedy Colin From Accounts, which premiered in Australia last year. Gordon (Brammall) and Ashley's (Dyer) romance begins with the opposite of a meet-cute: The two are thrust together when Gordon, distracted by Ashley flashing him on the street, accidentally hits a dog with his car. The dog survives, but he needs constant care, and it's up to these deeply flawed singles to step up in a way they've never done before.

As Gordon and Ashley co-parent Colin — a name they settle on because they want something human, like a guy who works in "accounts payable" — they find themselves in laugh-out-loud funny situations, from poop emergencies to d*ck pick disasters. But these quirky mini-dramas only bring them closer, and over the course of the season, they learn to be vulnerable with one another, something that wouldn't have been possible before Colin entered their lives. Sadly, viewers will have to wait a few weeks to see how Gordon and Ashley's love story ends (in terms of Season 1, at least; the comedy was renewed for a second season in Australia earlier this year), as Paramount+ is only dropping two episodes per week until the November 30 finale.

If You Have...

An Hour

The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror XXXIV: Sunday, 8:00 PM ET on Fox
The Morning Show Season 3 Finale: Wednesday, Apple TV+
The Santa Clauses Season 2 Premiere: Wednesday, Disney+
Loki Season 2 Finale: Thursday, 9:00 PM ET on Disney+
For All Mankind Season 4 Premiere: Friday, Apple TV+

An Evening

JFK: One Day in America: Sunday, 8:00 PM ET on National Geographic (Streams next-day on Disney+ and Hulu)
57th Annual CMA Awards: Wednesday, 8:00 PM ET on ABC
Big Brother Season 25 Finale: Thursday, 8:00 PM ET on CBS

A Full Day

De La Calle: Tuesday, Paramount+
Escaping Twin Flames: Wednesday, Netflix
007: Road to a Million: Friday, Prime Video

Up Next

The Curse: Sunday, November 12 on Showtime
A Murder at the End of the World: Tuesday, November 14 on Hulu
The Crown Season 6, Part 1: Thursday, November 16 on Netflix
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters: Friday, November 17 on Apple TV+
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off: Friday, November 17 on Netflix

Claire Spellberg Lustig is the Senior Editor at Primetimer and a scholar of The View. Follow her on Twitter at @c_spellberg.