Reacher (TV series)
American TV series From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Reacher is an American action crime television series developed by Nick Santora for Amazon Prime Video. Based on the Jack Reacher book series by Lee Child, it stars Alan Ritchson as the title character, a self-proclaimed hobo and former U.S. Army military police officer with formidable strength, intellect, and abilities. During his travels, Reacher crosses paths with dangerous criminals and battles them.
| Reacher | |
|---|---|
Title card | |
| Genre | |
| Based on | Jack Reacher novel series by Lee Child |
| Developed by | Nick Santora |
| Showrunner | Nick Santora |
| Starring | |
| Composer | Tony Morales |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 24 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Cinematography | Bernard Couture Michael McMurray Ronald Plante |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 42–56 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Amazon Prime Video |
| Release | February 4, 2022 – present |
| Related | |
| Neagley | |
The first season of Reacher was based on Killing Floor, Child's 1997 debut novel, and was released on February 4, 2022. The second season, based on Bad Luck and Trouble (2007), began on December 15, 2023, and concluded on January 19, 2024. The third season, based on the 2003 novel Persuader, premiered on February 20, 2025 and concluded on March 27, 2025. In October 2024, before the third season premiere, the series was renewed for a fourth season.
A spin-off series, Neagley, is in production.
Premise
Jack Reacher is a former U.S. Army military police major with extensive investigative and combat experience who prefers to live as a drifter, travelling from town to town across the United States.
In the first season, Reacher visits the rural town of Margrave, Georgia, where he is arrested for the murder of a man who turns out to be his brother. After he is freed, he teams up with two honest police officers, Oscar Finlay and Roscoe Conklin, to investigate a local conspiracy involving corrupt lawmen, politicians, and a wealthy business tycoon and his son who are running a counterfeiting syndicate.
In the second season, Reacher is contacted by Frances Neagley, a former member of his old Army special-investigations unit. She tells him of the murder of another unit member, and they assemble the unit's remaining members to avenge his death. Their investigation leads them to a technology company with a corrupt security division conspiring with an arms dealer.
In the third season, Reacher attempts to rescue a DEA informant and delves into the dark heart of a rug-importing business that is a front for an arms trafficking enterprise led by Xavier Quinn, an enemy from his past.
Cast and characters
- Alan Ritchson as Jack Reacher
- Maxwell Jenkins as young Jack Reacher (season 1)
- Malcolm Goodwin as Oscar Finlay (season 1; guest season 2), Margrave PD Police Captain and Chief Detective
- Willa Fitzgerald as Roscoe Conklin (season 1), Margrave PD Sergeant
- Chris Webster as KJ Kliner (season 1), the entitled son of Kliner Sr. who is assisting his father's criminal operation
- Bruce McGill as Mayor Grover Teale (season 1), a crooked politician in league with the Kliner family
- Maria Sten as Frances Neagley, a corporate security professional who served with Reacher in the Army's 110th Special Investigations Unit as a Master sergeant
- Serinda Swan as Karla Dixon (season 2), a forensic accountant in corporate risk management, who served with Reacher in the 110th Special Investigations Unit
- Shaun Sipos as David O'Donnell (season 2), a lawyer with a family, who served with Reacher in the 110th Special Investigations Unit
- Ferdinand Kingsley as A.M. (season 2), a seasoned mercenary and terrorist arms dealer travelling under multiple assumed identities
- Robert Patrick as Shane Langston (season 2), a former NYPD detective and the corrupt head of security for New Age, a private defense contractor
- Sonya Cassidy as Susan Duffy (season 3), a DEA agent who is leading an investigation into Zachary Beck
- Johnny Berchtold as Richard Beck (season 3), Zachary's son who lost his ear to terrorists
- Roberto Montesinos as Guillermo Villanueva (season 3), a DEA agent and member of Susan Duffy's team
- Olivier Richters as Paul "Paulie" van Hoven (season 3), Zachary Beck's hulking bodyguard and Quinn's henchman
- Brian Tee as Francis Xavier Quinn / Julius McCabe (season 3), a corrupt former U.S. military intelligence lieutenant colonel turned arms dealer and previous nemesis of Reacher
- Anthony Michael Hall as Zachary Beck (season 3), the owner of an Oriental rug importer, Bizarre Bazaar
Episodes
Season 1 (2022)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Welcome to Margrave" | Thomas Vincent | Nick Santora | February 4, 2022 |
| 2 | 2 | "First Dance" | Sam Hill | Scott Sullivan | February 4, 2022 |
| 3 | 3 | "Spoonful" | Stephen Surjik | Aadrita Mukerji | February 4, 2022 |
| 4 | 4 | "In a Tree" | Christine Moore | Cait Duffy | February 4, 2022 |
| 5 | 5 | "No Apologies" | Norberto Barba | Scott Sullivan | February 4, 2022 |
| 6 | 6 | "Papier" | Omar Madha | Aadrita Mukerji | February 4, 2022 |
| 7 | 7 | "Reacher Said Nothing" | Lin Oeding | Scott Sullivan | February 4, 2022 |
| 8 | 8 | "Pie" | MJ Bassett | Nick Santora | February 4, 2022 |
Season 2 (2023–24)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 1 | "ATM" | Sam Hill | Nick Santora | December 15, 2023 |
| 10 | 2 | "What Happens in Atlantic City" | Sam Hill | Scott Sullivan | December 15, 2023 |
| 11 | 3 | "Picture Says a Thousand Words" | Omar Madha | Penny Cox | December 15, 2023 |
| 12 | 4 | "A Night at the Symphony" | Omar Madha | Cait Duffy | December 22, 2023 |
| 13 | 5 | "Burial" | Carol Banker | Scott Sullivan | December 29, 2023 |
| 14 | 6 | "New York's Finest" | Carol Banker | Cait Duffy & Michael J. Gutierrez | January 5, 2024 |
| 15 | 7 | "The Man Goes Through" | Julian Holmes | Penny Cox & Lillian Wang | January 12, 2024 |
| 16 | 8 | "Fly Boy" | Julian Holmes | Scott Sullivan | January 19, 2024 |
Season 3 (2025)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date [1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 1 | "Persuader" | Sam Hill | Scott Sullivan | February 20, 2025 |
| 18 | 2 | "Truckin'" | Sam Hill | Penny Cox | February 20, 2025 |
| 19 | 3 | "Number 2 with a Bullet" | Gary Fleder | Cait Duffy | February 20, 2025 |
| 20 | 4 | "Dominique" | Sam Hill | Lillian Wang | February 27, 2025 |
| 21 | 5 | "Smackdown" | Sam Hill | Michael J. Gutierrez | March 6, 2025 |
| 22 | 6 | "Smoke on the Water" | Sam Hill | Scott Sullivan | March 13, 2025 |
| 23 | 7 | "L.A. Story" | Sam Hill | Penny Cox & Cait Duffy | March 20, 2025 |
| 24 | 8 | "Unfinished Business" | Sam Hill | Scott Sullivan | March 27, 2025 |
Production
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Development
On July 15, 2019, a TV series adaptation of Lee Child's Jack Reacher novels was announced by Amazon. Nick Santora, who created Scorpion, was set to write, showrun, and produce the series through Paramount Television and Skydance Media.[2] On January 14, 2020, the TV series was greenlit, with Don Granger, Scott Sullivan, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Marcy Ross, and Christopher McQuarrie as executive producers with Child. The first season was announced as an adaptation of Child's novel Killing Floor.[3] In July 2021, it was announced M. J. Bassett had joined the series as a director.[4] On February 7, 2022, Amazon Prime Video renewed the series for a second season.[5] To adapt the books to screen the writers decided they would need to make Reacher verbalize his thoughts more often, but that they would keep his dialogue short and direct and have him only speak longer to people he respects. They also decided to introduce Neagley to the series earlier than in the books.[6] On December 2, 2023, ahead of the second-season premiere, it was revealed that filming of a third season had begun.[7] On October 9, 2024, ahead of the third season premiere, Amazon renewed the series for a fourth season.[8]
Casting
On September 4, 2020, Alan Ritchson was cast in the title role.[9] On March 22, 2021, Malcolm Goodwin, Willa Fitzgerald, and Chris Webster were cast as series regulars.[10] On May 19, 2021, Bruce McGill, Maria Sten, and Hugh Thompson joined the main cast.[11] On June 11, 2021, Kristin Kreuk, Marc Bendavid, Willie C. Carpenter, Currie Graham, Harvey Guillén, and Maxwell Jenkins were announced to have joined the cast in undisclosed capacities.[12]
On September 14, 2022, Shaun Sipos joined as a series regular for the second season.[13] On September 21, 2022, Serinda Swan, Ferdinand Kingsley, and Rory Cochrane joined the main cast while Domenick Lombardozzi, Luke Bilyk, Dean McKenzie, Edsson Morales, Andres Collantes, Shannon Kook, Ty Olsson, Josh Blacker, and Al Sapienza were cast in guest roles for the second season.[14] Goodwin, Swan and Lombardozzi already starred in Santora's Breakout Kings in 2011. On May 5, 2023, Robert Patrick was cast to replace Cochrane who left due to a scheduling conflict with the second season.[15]
On February 8, 2024, Anthony Michael Hall and Sonya Cassidy were cast as series regulars for the third season.[16] On March 6, 2024, Brian Tee, Johnny Berchtold and Roberto Montesinos were cast as regulars of the third season, while Daniel David Stewart in a recurring role.[17] In May 2024, bodybuilder Olivier Richters, also known as "the Dutch Giant", was cast as Persuader's secondary antagonist Paulie.[18]
Filming
A temporary townscape was built in North Pickering, Ontario to support filming of the first season. The entire fictional city of Margrave was built from the ground up in a leased farm field in Ontario. Other areas of filming include Toronto, Port Perry and Pickering.[19] Principal photography of the first season took place between April 15 and July 30, 2021, in Toronto.[20] During filming, Ritchson broke a bone in his shoulder, which required surgery. He also tore an abdominal muscle during a fight scene.[21]
Filming for the second season took place between September 2022 and March 2023.[22] The season was filmed in various locations in Ontario, Canada, including Toronto, Brampton and Hamilton.[23]
Filming for the third season took place in between July and November 2023.[24] Different parts of Canada served as backdrops, including Millbrook, Brantford and Downtown St. John's.[25]
Filming for the fourth season is scheduled to begin in summer 2025.[26]
Release
The first season's episodes were released on February 4, 2022.[27] For the second season, the first three episodes were released on December 15, 2023, with an additional episode released each week through January 19, 2024.[28] For the third season, the first three episodes were released on February 20, 2025, with an additional episode released each week through March 27, 2025.[29]
Reception
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Audience
Reacher was the most streamed television series for the week of February 7–13, 2022, according to the Nielsen streaming rankings, the first Amazon production to achieve the feat.[30]
Critical response
For the first season, the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 92% approval rating with an average rating of 7.3/10, based on 75 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Reacher captures the trademark bulk of its titular hero while trading away some of his definition, but fans of the novels will find plenty to love about this faithful adaptation."[31] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 68 out of 100 based on 18 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[32]
Lucy Mangan of The Guardian said, "This rollicking adaptation of Lee Child's man-mountain ex-military sleuth is hugely fun, packed with punchups and far better than Cruise's movie efforts."[33] Michael Hogan of The Telegraph wrote, "Reacher is huge, pulpy fun and far classier than you might expect."[34] Joshua Alston of Variety praised the casting of Ritchson but said the character was unsuitable to carry this kind of show: "the longer it runs, the more obvious its protagonist-shaped void becomes".[35] Dan Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter called it "frustratingly over-faithful to the source material", saying, "I wouldn't mind another season, but I'd probably still rather read another book."[36]
The second season has a 98% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 43 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The website's critics consensus states, "Brawny as Alan Ritchson's biceps, Reacher swaggers confidently into its sophomore season as rock 'em sock 'em pulp with a sly wink."[37] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 79 out of 100 based on 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[38] Conversely, Forbes panned the second season as "one of the worst shows on TV", adding that "there’s just not enough going on to make him (Reacher) a particularly compelling protagonist".[39]
The third season has a 98% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 42 critic reviews, with an average rating of 8.1/10. The website's critics consensus states, "Jack Reacher finally picks a fight with someone his own size in this crunchy third season, reliably doling out justice to foes and satisfaction to viewers."[40] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 76 out of 100 based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[41] The latest season was complimented by Forbes for having improved after certain disappointments from the previous season.[42]
Spin-off
On September 4, 2024, it was announced that a spin-off series focusing on the Reacher series regular Frances Neagley was in development at Amazon Prime Video with Maria Sten set to reprise her role.[43] On October 1, 2024, it was announced that Prime Video had greenlit the series with Santora and Nicholas Wootton serving as showrunners for the series.[44] Filming on Neagley commenced in Toronto in February 2025.[45][46]
References
External links
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