Prime Video has no shortage of action thriller shows, but one of them stands out above the rest. There are several very good reasons for its success. Not only has the show in question been a huge hit with critics, but fans love it too. Those two things don’t always go hand in hand. So, when a show is almost universally beloved, it’s a sign that everyone involved with the production is doing something right. That is certainly the case with one Amazon show in particular.
Since premiering in 2022, Amazon’s adaptation of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher books has become one of the biggest shows on TV. It currently has an impressive 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes after three seasons. With Reacher Season 4 on the way, a very high standard has already been set. Although some viewers claim that Reacher peaked in Season 1 and has been in decline ever since, the show’s high profile would suggest that its appeal is as strong as ever. So, what exactly is it that’s allowing Reacher to have such a successful run?
Why ‘Reacher’ Has Been Such a Big Hit for Prime Video
Although it’s primarily an action thriller, Reacher doesn’t forget that an underlying story is necessary for a show to be rewarding. Lee Child gave Amazon plenty to work with in this respect, but it’s not unusual for a live-action adaptation to boil the source material down to only its most prominent elements. Alan Ritchson gets to play a version of the franchise’s main character who doesn’t just get to acknowledge his long and storied past, but those underrated parts of the lore actually come across as even more fulfilling than in the books.
Sure, Reacher isn’t exactly the most emotionally complex story in the world, but it’s definitely up there with the most nuanced in the action genre. Furthermore, Prime Video hasn’t shied away from spending the big bucks to make sure all the high-octane fight and chase scenes look like they’re taken straight out of a Hollywood movie. Tom Cruise’s short-lived Jack Reacher film series also had great action sequences, but the Amazon show has pulled it off on a far more consistent and long-running basis.
Finally, the overall concept that Child has championed in his books is just incredibly entertaining and easy to digest. There’s nothing overly cerebral about Reacher’s adventures, but there is an element of brain power required for those who thrive on predicting what’s going to happen next. Child also made sure that if readers didn’t like one book, then Reacher would find himself in an entirely new setting in the next, surrounded by a fresh group of characters. Amazon clearly saw the benefit of this and made use of it in an adventure-per-season version of the author’s blueprint.
‘Reacher’ Will Likely Be Around for a Long Time Yet
Reacher has a big advantage not boasted by many other franchises: the sheer volume of source material. There are currently 30 books, and more are on the way. It’s incredibly unlikely that every novel will be adapted by Amazon, but there is certainly no shortage when it comes to choosing the next step in the journey of Ritchson’s character. Showrunner Nick Santora can just continue to keep selecting which books suit his vision the best.
There’s also the possibility that Reacher could start venturing into original narrative territory. The upcoming Neagley spin-off has already started toying with this, and Reacher itself has already made some big changes to the books that suggest a willingness to tastefully stray from the source material. That said, maybe it depends on how Neagley is received before the parent show tries exploring this option more thoroughly. Either way, Reacher will almost definitely be in control of its own fate until the day it ends.
- Release Date
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February 3, 2022
- Network
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Prime Video
- Showrunner
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Nick Santora
