The third season takes the title character to unfamiliar territory as Anthony Michael Hall and Brian Tee join the cast.
Plot: Based on Lee Child’s novel Persuader, in the third season of the action-packed series, Reacher hurtles into the dark heart of a vast criminal enterprise when trying to rescue an undercover DEA informant whose time is running out. There he finds a world of secrecy and violence—and confronts some unfinished business from his own past.
Review: The success of Prime Video’s Reacher has hinged on the charisma of star Alan Ritchson. While Tom Cruise’s appeal helped make the two feature films based on Lee Child’s long-running series modest hits at the box office, Ritchson’s physical presence and embodiment of Jack Reacher made it an instant hit when the first season premiered back in 2022. While the initial run of Reacher, based on the first novel Killing Floor, did not blow me away, I found the series hit its stride with the second season in 2023. Based on the eleventh novel, Bad Luck and Trouble, it was already revealed that a third season was in production. Based on Lee Child’s seventh novel, Persuader, the third season of Reacher continues to bring faithful adaptations of the source material to screens while taking advantage of fan response to supporting characters like Maria Sten’s Francis Neagly. With a distinct plot compared to the first two seasons and a physical nemesis that finally gives Jack Reacher a worthy adversary, the series is again improving on what came before it for a solid addition to the franchise.
Like the two previous seasons, this new story picks up an indeterminate amount of time since we last saw Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson). This season, Reacher becomes involved with a wealthy oriental rug importer, Zachary Beck (Anthony Michael Hall), and his son, Richard (Johnny Berchtold). Unbeknownst to the Becks, Reacher is working undercover as part of a DEA operation by Susan Duffy (Sonya Cassidy). At the same time, Reacher is also searching for Francis Xavier Quinn (Brian Tee), a man from his past with whom Reacher has unfinished business. As Reacher ingratiates himself further with the Becks, it becomes apparent that he may have gotten himself involved in something far bigger than he initially anticipated. This means Reacher must use discretion and his various physical and mental skills while calling in familiar faces as backup. What unfolds over the season draws Reacher into a clash of his personal journey with the need to help those in his path. Basically, it is exactly what Reacher fans have been looking forward to after similar narratives in the first two seasons. The biggest difference this season is Reacher may have met a worthy opponent.
While I have seen the entirety of the third season of Reacher, I have been asked not to divulge any spoilers that limit pretty much any specifics. Those who have read the source novel, Persuader, already know the core plot of the season, as this eight-episode run sticks pretty close to the overall narrative. Some characters are removed entirely while new characters are introduced, including the return of Francis Neagly, whose appearance across the first three seasons deviates from where she came into the chronology of the novels. Brian Tee is a phenomenal foil for Alan Ritchson’s Reacher as their past conflict represents a key moment that led to Jack Reacher becoming the man he is today. Anthony Michael Hall is also quite good as the devious Zachary Beck, with some elements of his performance echoing characters the former child star has played frequently in recent years. The biggest surprise is Olivier Richters as Beck’s bodyguard, Paulie. Towering over Reacher, Richters is the first character in the three seasons of this series that presents a challenge to the title character’s physicality. Over the season, the two go toe-to-toe in various ways that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats through the end of the season finale.
Alan Ritchson continues to mine Reacher’s stoic presence and a seemingly endless library of skills this season. Whether it be guns, hand-to-hand combat, military tactics, or witty one-liners, Ritchson has perfected his portrayal of Lee Child’s character in a way that Tom Cruise never did. While Neagly’s return is always welcome, Ritchson interacts greatly with Sonya Cassidy’s Susan Duffy. As a DEA agent with a mission of her own, Cassidy gives Duffy enough bite to hold her own with Reacher while planning the overall operation at the center of the season. With Roberto Montesinos and Daniel David Stewart also, along with Duffy’s DEA colleagues Guillermo Villanueva and Steven Elliot, the early episodes of this season pave the way for progressively more intense chapters leading up to the eighth and possibly most action-packed episode of the season. I am unsure how the fourth season will deviate from this season’s format, but again, it falls on Alan Ritchson’s charisma to carry this series. For a man of few words, Ritchson still maintains a hold over every scene he is in.
While series showrunner Nick Santora does not boast a credit on any of the third season of Reacher, season two veteran scribe Scott Sullivan is back to anchor this run with three episodes to his name. He is joined by Penny Cox, Lillian Wang, Michael J. Guttierez, and Cait Duffy. Directing duties fall to Sam Hill, Stephen Surjik, Gary Fleder, and more. The overall scale of this season is limited in terms of setting compared to the prior seasons, but the overall journey that Reacher takes us on this season is as dynamic and engaging as ever. I would think only die-hard fans of Lee Child’s novels will even notice deviations from the novel as the story does not rely on the events from the first two seasons, nor does it lay many hints at the already rumored spin-off starring Maria Sten. Newcomers can enjoy season three of Reacher without seeing the first or second. Limited callbacks and references echo the similar structure of the Reacher novels, which can be ready in any order.
While I was underwhelmed by the first season of Reacher, I still appreciated the approach that Nick Santora and Alan Ritchson brought to the adaptation. By the second season, I was hooked by the fun the series could reach as it was no longer bogged down by origin stories or setting up the characters’ universe. The second season benefited from giving Jack Reacher a team of colleagues that made for a cool unit that no bad guy would want to go against. This season returns to Reacher being on his own but builds on the fun side of the story in equal measure with the intense stakes that make this series feel like no one is safe at any given time. I am curious to see if Reacher can find a way to keep topping itself as seasons two and three each built on what came before them. Fans of the books and of this show are in for a great season that may be the best Reacher adaptation yet.
Reacher‘s third season premieres February 20th on Prime Video.
