No matter how many of his neighbors Alan Ritchson beats up, Reacher remains a televisual breath of fresh air. The books are such a smash hit because they are unashamedly masculine and devoid of almost all current year foibles. The TV show wisely followed suit.
The result? Amazon’s biggest serial hit on its streaming platform, globally delivering huge numbers and a solid fanbase. Even though the series seems to take an age between seasons, we are about to get into the 4th run.
The first season of Reacher was based on Killing Floor, the debut 1997 novel by author Lee Child. It followed a simple structure, updating the Ronin approach, or that of the lone gunslinger, as Jack Reacher, a nomadic former military policeman, wanders into the small fictional town of Margrave, Georgia, and is unjustly arrested for murder. He teams up with two honest local cops – Oscar Finlay and Roscoe Conklin – to untangle a massive, dark local conspiracy.
Season 2 was based on Bad Luck and Trouble, which is the 11th novel in the series. This followed Reacher as he reunites with the surviving members of his former elite military squad (the 110th Special Investigations Unit) to investigate the mysterious murders of their fellow squad members.
This was arguably less successful, creatively, as it felt too early in the run of the show on TV to introduce the large wider team and tell a story where a lot of the action takes place in a big city. These stories work in the books because they come later.
Season 3 was based on Persuader, the seventh book. Reacher goes undercover for the DEA to infiltrate a nefarious gun-smuggling ring, aiming to rescue a missing informant, settle a score with a brutal arms dealer from his past, and protect a powerful businessman’s vulnerable son.
Now, Reacher season 4 is close. It will adapt the 2009 novel Gone Tomorrow. The plot kicks off on a New York City subway, where Reacher notices a woman exhibiting warning signs of a suicide bomber. Before he can de-escalate the situation, she brandishes a gun and shoots herself
This jarring incident pulls the lone wolf into a massive conspiracy involving government secrets, terrorist cells, undercover federal agents, and powerful politicians. As he investigates the woman’s true identity, he uncovers ties to a mysterious Pentagon employee and finds himself dodging hostile forces from the NYPD, FBI, and the Department of Defense.
This season lands pretty soon on Amazon Prime. August 12th. Three episodes will drop as part of the premier before going weekly. Then spin-off Neagley lands from September 16th.
As part of the publicity for this upcoming fourth season, Ritchson has been out doing press. In an interview with Screen Rant he let slip that season 5 is starting up sooner than we thought:
“We start shooting on Monday. The last half of my year is going to be all Reacher season 5.”
He also confirmed they’ve selected which book they’re adapting next, but hasn’t revealed which one of the many it is.
