Taylor Sheridan Meets Arcane In Netflix's 6-Part Series Releasing In 2 Weeks

Published Oct 21, 2026, 3:01 PM EDT Faith Roswell is a Senior Writer on Screen Rant's Classic TV team. Since earning her degree in Creative Writing over a decade ago, Faith has written articles on film and TV from a variety of different angles. Faith now combines her knowledge of psychology with her love of monster movies to give more insight into what makes the best ones. You may have read her Screen Rant lists and features covering horror, sci-fi, and fantasy, or read her Amazon Top 10 book, "Movie Monsters of the Deep." Faith has had an extensive career as a writer, appearing on BBC live radio, researching true crime for Rotten Mango podcast, and writing for publications including Mental Floss, Atlas Obscura, and The Daily Jaws before beginning here at Screen Rant. Taylor Sheridan might be considered the modern king of the Western genre, but there is room for more creativity in Western TV shows, and one upcoming Netflix project combines a favorite theme in Sheridan's work with the cinematic animation style that has recently been popularized by Arcane. While still mistakenly viewed as a style aimed at children, the best adult animated TV shows of the last decade have proven that this is not the case, and Netflix's show will continue making this point, with a fresh but blood-soaked take on one of Western TV's greatest lawmen. There have been some exceptional space Western TV shows, but steampunk Westerns are often associated with Wild Wild West, Will Smith's genre-bending movie flop with a 16% positive Rotten Tomatoes score. However, while the movie's inspiration, the forgotten Western TV show The Wild Wild West, remains a hidden gem, Bass X Machina may draw more attention to the underrated genre, redeeming it for a wider audience. The show will follow a fictionalized version of the real-life lawman Bass Reeves, featuring a talented vocal cast and a surprising but very welcome extra element in the form of a distinctive soundtrack. Bass X Machina Is A Steampunk Western Releasing November 3 On Netflix Image via Netflix Created by LeSean Thomas (The Legend of Korra,) Bass X Machina is an unmissable upcoming animated TV show with six episodes, set in an alternate history in which a scientist has found a way to reignite the Civil War. The man ideally suited to help prevent this is the legendary Bass Reeves, who usually works alone but finds himself with unexpected assistance from an aspiring engineer. In an attempt to protect his family, Reeves becomes judge, jury, and executioner, but risks losing his family in the process. The series combines typical Western themes like vigilante justice with steampunk technology, giving gunslingers robotic weapons and exploring a dark and futuristic take on a genre more commonly associated with the past. The show does not yet have a Rotten Tomatoes rating, but previews have been received positively. MovieWeb has stated that Bass X Machina has "everything needed to be another major hit" for Netflix, and of all the many exciting Netflix animated series on the way, the show stands out for its ambition and highly talented team. Bass X Machina features an impressively stacked voice cast, with Bryan Tyree Henry (This Is Us) playing the titular character and executive producing the series, which also stars Tati Gabrielle (You,) Cree Summer (Abbott Elementary,) and Janelle Monáe (Hidden Figures) in central roles, with Monáe also recording the theme song. It is this attention to the musical score and soundtrack that has attracted comparisons with Arcane, while the show's main character is understandably reminding Western fans of Taylor Sheridan, who executive produced the show Lawmen: Bass Reeves, which took a very different approach. Bass X Machina Is An Entirely Different Take On The Real Bass Reeves Reeves was widely recognized as the first Black U.S. deputy marshal west of the Mississippi River, and his career spanned decades, during which he made over 3000 arrests. Lawmen: Bass Reeves does not rank among the most historically accurate TV Westerns ever made, with the show using dramatic license to change the true story of Bass Reeves. Still, the show's acting and writing were praised by audiences, who gave it a 93% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and while a more faithful biopic would likely be well received, Bass X Machina's alternate history is intriguing. Bass Reeves spent 35 years as a law enforcement officer. The fact that the series is animated prevents it from immediately being compared to Lawmen: Bass Reeves while further separating it from the life of the real Bass Reeves, but historical purists may need to temporarily forget their prior knowledge. Rather than feature Reeves' real family, the series has created a narrative around a different family, made him a bounty hunter rather than a U.S. marshal, and given him a weaponized prosthetic arm, which may well inspire future cosplays but was not something he really possessed. Many Western TV shows were inspired by real people, and yet Reeves' story has not always had as much attention as it deserved. Making the lawman into a steampunk bounty hunter action hero is a bold choice, but if the show does justice to his character and gives viewers a truly immersive setting, Bass X Machina can be enjoyed in its own right without needing to be a factual retelling of his extraordinary life. Source: MovieWeb Bass X Machina Release Date November 3, 2026 Network Netflix Cast Janelle Monae Glory (voice) Brian Tyree Henry Bass Reeves (voice) Tati Gabrielle Dana (voice)