Published Oct 21, 2026, 11:02 AM EDT
Collier Jennings is an entertainment journalist with extensive experience. Collier, or “CJ” to his friends and family, is a dedicated fan of genre films - particularly science fiction, fantasy, and comic book adaptations, not to mention all forms of animation. This stems from a close bond with his father, who introduced him to these genres via copies of X-Men comics and reruns of the original Ultraman series. With his near-encyclopedic knowledge and bottomless love of genre, he’s tackled a wide variety of articles.
Sign in to your Collider account
Taylor Sheridan gained a reputation for bringing the Western back to TV, most notably through ***Yellowstone ***and its fleet of spin-offs. However, he also produced another Western that follows a real-life figure: Lawmen: Bass Reeves. Starring **David Oyelowo **in the title role, *Lawmen: Bass Reeves *chronicles Reeves’ career as a deputy U.S. Marshal who holds a staggering record of 3,000 arrests. The series also made history for Paramount+, becoming its most-watched series premiere globally in 2023.
According to Paramount Global, its first two episodes reached 7.5 million viewers worldwide in their first seven days across Paramount+ and a CBS broadcast run. That makes the next adaptation of Reeves’ story especially interesting: Netflix is bringing a wildly different take on the legendary lawman to life on November 3 with a new anime series. The series, titled Bass X Machina, stars Brian Tyree Henry (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) as Reeves and also covers his career as a lawman. However, that’s where the similarities end, since *Bass X Machina *is taking a sci-fi approach to Reeves’ story, according to its official logline.
“In a lawless Steampunk West overrun by brutal outlaws, machines, and supernatural terrors, a father is forced to become judge, jury, and executioner — knowing that every act of justice meant to protect his family may ultimately cost him the very people he’s fighting to save.”
In addition to facing off against massive steam-powered robots and fighting on floating trains, *Bass X Machina *also features Reeves packing a cybernetic arm with a collection of guns built into it. *Bass X Machina *might be an unorthodox approach to such a legendary figure, but it definitely stands out from what Oyelowo and Sheridan brought to the table. This is a new take on Reeves, not a continuation of the Paramount+ hit.
window.arrayOfGalleries[“article-gallery-1-1231166503”] = ’“<div class=“w-gallery-carousel”><section id=“main-carousel-1-1231166503” class=“splide splide-gallery” data-gallery-expanded-id=“main-expanable-carousel-1-1231166503” data-gallery-expanded-thumbnail-id=“expanded-gallery-thumbnails-1-1231166503” ><button class=“expand icon i-expand” type=“button”></button><div class=“splide__track”><ul class=“splide__list” style=“—gallery-aspect-sm: 2.3529411764706 / 1; —gallery-aspect-md: 2.3529411764706 / 1; —gallery-aspect-lg: 2.3529411764706 / 1;” ><li class=“splide__slide gallery-main-img”>
Based on the exclusive sneak peekNetflix shared with Collider, Bass X Machina is going to be a gorgeous-looking anime. Everything from Reeves’ movements to the mechanical monstrosities he fights immediately draws the eye, thanks to fluid motion and a unique design that keeps the Western aesthetic intact. Studio Mir handles the animation for Bass X Machina; if that name sounds familiar, it’s because this studio has produced** some of the biggest hits in modern animation**. Studio Mir rose to prominence with Avatar: The Last Airbender and has continued to work on other projects like ***X-Men ‘97 ***and My Adventures with Superman. It’s also maintained a steady relationship with Netflix after animating Devil May Cry, which features the same over-the-top elements as Bass X Machina.
The show that claimed the most of your answers is the world you were built for. If two tied, both are shown — you’re complicated enough to straddle two Sheridan universes.
You are a Dutton — or you might as well be. You understand that some things are worth protecting at any cost, and that the modern world’s indifference to history, to land, to legacy, is not something you’re willing to accept quietly. You lead from the front, you carry your family’s weight without complaint, and when someone threatens what’s yours, you don’t escalate — you finish it. You’re not cruel. But you are absolute. In Yellowstone’s world, that combination of ferocity and loyalty doesn’t make you a villain. It makes you the only thing standing between everything that matters and everyone who wants to take it.
You thrive in the chaos of high-stakes negotiation, where the money is enormous, the margins are thin, and the wrong word in the wrong room can cost everyone everything. You’re a fixer — the person called when a situation is already on fire and needs someone with the nerve to walk into it. West Texas oil country rewards exactly what you are: sharp, adaptable, unsentimental, and absolutely clear-eyed about what people want and what they’ll do to get it. You’re not naive enough to think this world is fair. You’re smart enough to be the one deciding who it’s fair to.
You are a Dwight Manfredi — someone who has served their time, paid their dues, and arrived somewhere unexpected with nothing but their reputation and their wits. You adapt without losing yourself. You build loyalty through respect rather than fear, though you’re not above reminding people that the two aren’t mutually exclusive. Tulsa King is for people who are still standing when everyone assumed they’d be finished — who find, in an unfamiliar place, that they’re more capable than the world gave them credit for. You don’t need a throne. You build one, wherever you happen to land.
You carry the weight of a system that is broken by design, and you do it anyway — because someone has to, and because you’re the only one positioned to do it without the whole thing collapsing. Mike McLusky’s world is for people who are comfortable operating where there are no good options, only less catastrophic ones. You speak every language: law enforcement, criminal, political, human. That fluency makes you invaluable and it makes you a target. You’ve made your peace with both. Mayor of Kingstown belongs to people who understand that keeping the peace is not the same as being at peace — and who do the job regardless.
*Bass X Machina *also features the creative talents of LeSean Thomas, who developed the series and serves as its executive producer alongside Brian Tyree Henry. If Taylor Sheridan has become synonymous with bringing Westerns to television, then Thomas is synonymous with working on anime and anime-influenced products. His prior work includes ***The Legend of Korra ***and The Boondocks, and he also created original anime like ***Cannon Busters **for Netflix. This pedigree means that Bass X Machina *will stand out among Netflix’s anime offerings.
Ironically, *Bass X Machina *won’t be the first time that LeSean Thomas filtered a historical figure’s story through the lens of anime. In 2021, Thomas brought Yasuke to the streamer, teaming with legendary anime studio MAPPA (Attack on Titan) in the process. Like Bass X Machina, **Yasuke tells the real-life story of the titular Black samurai; it also weaves supernatural elements into its narrative as Yasuke (voiced by LaKeith Stanfield) faces off against a legion of demons and steampunk warriors. Thomas’ approach to Black history may be unorthodox, but it adds real variety to the types of Black stories told on screen.
The life of Bass Reeves has inspired many forms of pop culture, including the Lone Ranger. *Bass X Machina *is the latest attempt, **and it looks like Netflix is pulling out all the stops **to make this a series worth watching.
Bass X Machina premieres on Netflix on November 3, 2026. For viewers curious about the real-life lawman behind this sci-fi reinvention, Lawmen: Bass Reeves is available to stream on Paramount+.