Amazon brought Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan to the screen yet again in 2018 with the first season of an ambitious new series. Jack Ryan cast an unconventional leading man for the action-heavy role, and it was difficult to guess how much of a hit it would be. Well, Amazon was clearly happy with how the first season was received, as the streamer has already renewed the show for a third season before the second has even debuted.
Amazon Studios boss Jennifer Salke announced the renewal at the TCA press tour (via Deadline), saying that she "saw no reason not to do more episodes." While this is obviously great news for folks who became hooked on Jack Ryan after the first batch of episodes, it is somewhat surprising considering that Season 2 doesn't even have a premiere date, let alone accumulated viewership data.
Jennifer Salke explained the early renewal, stating the the first season of Jack Ryan was such a hit and the second season's creative direction is so strong that a renewal was already warranted. The Season 3 renewal does follow how Amazon handled Jack Ryan's renewal for Season 2. That order came back in April 2018, nearly four full months before the first batch of episodes became available. When it comes to Jack Ryan, Amazon isn't afraid to move quickly.
John Krasinski stars as the titular Jack Ryan, and this was a TV role that proved he can be more than just a Jim Halpert-type leading man on the small screen. Krasinski certainly wasn't best-known on television for action-heavy roles, and his casting -- after actors like Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, and Ben Affleck tackled the role -- was surprising to many. Based on the early Season 3 renewal, I think it's safe to say that Amazon has faith in Krasinski to keep turning in compelling performances.
Although Amazon hasn't released precise viewing data for viewers to gauge how popular Jack Ryan was in Season 1, data analytics provider 7Park Data found that Jack Ryan garnered interest from nearly 40% of Prime Video users, which is a very big deal. The average audience share for Prime Video is reportedly only 9%. Who needs Superman when you can score huge numbers with Jack Ryan?
Critics had mixed reactions to Jack Ryan's first season, but none of the lukewarm or negative reviews prevented an audience from accumulating. The big question now is whether the audience from Season 1 will stick around. The early renewal for Season 2 meant that work could begin early, and the next episodes are expected to premiere at some point in 2019.
Not all streaming dramas can be counted on for a season per year. Does the early renewal for Season 3 mean that Amazon will continue producing new seasons at relatively fast pace?
We'll have to wait and see. Hopefully Amazon announces a premiere date for Jack Ryan Season 2 sooner rather than later. Amazon has plenty of exciting projects in the works, ranging from the upcoming premiere of The Boys (which released a badass new trailer last month) to The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 3 to the big Lord of the Rings project. Check out our midseason TV premiere schedule for some upcoming Amazon debut dates.
