Alan Ritchson appears born to play Jack Reacher. Which is impressive, because given the way that author Lee Child describes Reacher in his numerous novels, finding a human being who resembles the giant, wandering force of vengeance seems difficult. Just ask Tom Cruise. So far, Ritchson has played Reacher in two seasons of Reacher, easily one of the best shows available on Prime Video, and a third season should be in the can and hopefully reaching the streaming service early in 2025. But now there’s word that the Reacher universe might be expanding… though, I’d prefer that they focused on the main show before branching out.
The report is coming from Deadline, which cites sources saying that Reacher executive producer and showrunner Nick Santora is actively developing Neagley, a spinoff series that would focus on Jack Reacher’s closest ally, Frances Neagley, played on Reacher by Maria Sten. For the time being, Neagley is the only other main recurring character on Reacher, having appeared in Season 1 before increasing her role in Season 2. That was warranted by the Lee Child book that was chosen to sustain Reacher Season 2. Bad Luck and Trouble focused on Reacher’s former Army group, the Special Investigators, and a plot to take them out one by one. Neagley was a crucial aspect of that book, and of the Prime Video season.
The thing about the Jack Reacher books, however, is that it’s very rare to have a recurring character from story to story. Reacher is a wanderer, preferring life on the road over anything that ties him down – including personal relationships. Yes, Neagley has been someone that Reacher could trust over the years. But the joy of an ongoing Reacher series should be how different the seasons can be, because Reacher books change up from one to the next. Reacher might in the Florida Keys to kick off one story, then find himself in Colorado for the next book.
Personally, I’d prefer that the showrunners on Reacher focus on the main show before they start forcing spinoff shows for characters who haven’t been properly established, and don’t have that major of a role in the books to begin with. I like Maria Sten as Frances Neagley, but I’m not clamoring for more Neagley adventures. She’s a role player in Reacher’s universe… but it’s Reacher’s universe. Neagley has appeared in four Reacher books, and one short story. There are no standalone Neagley books from which a new series could draw. Given the fact that there are so many amazing Lee Child books that could easily sustain more Reacher series, why water down the main series with spinoffs that don’t have literary roots, and could detract from the overall impact of the main saga?
Not everything has to be Yellowstone. Not everything is worthy of a Taylor Sheridan expansion. But Reacher appears to be heading down this road. Maria Sten will appear in Reacher Season 3, even though Neagley was not in that book. And the Deadline notes that if Neagley gets off the ground, it’s expected that Alan Ritchson would crossover and play Reacher in the series, for a few episodes. I don’t know. It just feels unnecessary. Make Reacher the best show it can possibly be, and focus on that without trying to milk the show’s success to create other shows for which very few are clamoring.
