Sheriff Justice TV series shoots scene outside Wentworth in southwest Missouri

The production team for the new Sheriff Justice television series spent some time Saturday morning shooting a scene at a farmhouse outside Wentworth in northeastern Newton County in southwest Missouri.

Sheriff Justice is an upcoming Smokey and the Bandit prequel television series that explores the backstory of the iconic lawman, Sheriff Buford Justice.

The series is directed by Doc Elliot and stars Sean Bailey as Sheriff Justice and Jason Bobbitt as his son, Junior.

The series is set in the town of Sedalia in Montague County, Texas.

Production began earlier this year in Sedalia, Missouri, which was transformed to look like Montague County.

Local connection

The house where the scene was filmed Saturday morning near Wentworth was originally owned by the grandfather of the real-life director and force behind Sheriff Justice, Hollywood veteran Doc Elliot.  

Elliot, a silver-haired, compact man with an easy smile and a confident attitude, grew up in Springfield.

“I left Springfield in 1979, went out to Los Angeles to be a stuntman,” he recalls.

“I was working on the Dukes of Hazzard and The Fall Guy by the early 1980s.  I then I started inching into writing and directing because I knew stunt work wasn't going to last forever. I taught myself and learned from some really good writers and directors.”

Elliot says he lived in Los Angeles for nearly 45 years before deciding to return to the Springfield area. But, although he moved across the country, he was anything but out of show business.

“My goal was to bring production back here,” he says.

“In the deal that we got with Universal and Netflix, one of the stipulations was that we're allowed to film it here. So it’s set in Sedalia, which is supposed to be in Texas. It goes from the 60s to the 90s and it’s all about Buford and Junior and it leads up to what went on in Smokey and the Bandit."

Bailey, a large man dressed in a sheriff's outfit, bears an eerie resemblance to Jackie Gleason, one of the stars of the original films.

Saturday morning’s shooting involved interior scenes at the family house.

Missouri Incentives: 

Doc Elliot says although shooting in Missouri may not be the best financial deal for movie companies, that is something the Missouri State Legislature could change.

“Missouri needs permits and tax incentives,” he says. 

“It's not bad but places like Canada are better. In Yugoslavia, you have no tax, so you can film there anytime.  That's why a lot of productions actually film in Ireland and Yugoslavia."

“The tax incentives are huge," he declares. "In Georgia it's same thing."

"Here in Missouri, it's only 30%.  At least they have that now.  They didn't have that even a few years ago.  We didn't even really have a film commission here until a few years ago.”

Elliot says, due to costs, well-known sets in Hollywood now often sit empty, with film crews opting for other areas where taxes and other costs are lower.

Heat and other challenges

Elliot admits that shooting in Missouri presents some challenges.

“The weather in Missouri is less predictable than California and that poses scheduling challenges,” he says.

“Technology such as color grading and day-for-night shooting helps mitigate weather issues, but local infrastructure and crew availability are still developing in the Midwest," he adds.

Local Impact

Elliot says extended filming in Missouri  supports the local economy through job creation and use of adjacent community locations.

“This production serves as a case study to demonstrate Missouri’s viability as a filming hub and to attract more projects to this area," he says.

Netflix

Elliot says Sheriff Justice is ultimately headed to Netflix.

“Universal would like this series to debut in May of 2027 because that's the 50th anniversary of Smokey and the Bandit," Elliot states.

“They're already starting to put out Smokey and the Bandit 1 and 2 on Netflix to get the buzz going a little bit. They'll also do some marketing to get the ball rolling on this series."

How long  in southwest Missouri?

“We’re here just today for this scene,” Doc Elliot answers.

“We're doing interior shots of Buford and his grandson. And then it's back up to Sedalia, Missouri, tomorrow to do car chases.”

The original Smokey and the Bandit movies starred Jackie Gleason, Burt Reynolds, Jerry Reed, Dom DeLuise, Sally Field, Pat McCormick and Paul Williams.