I have been watching Prime Video’s Reacher since the beginning, and heading into Reacher Season 3, I wasn’t sure how I wanted things to play out. I have not read books or seen movies, so for me, each season is a surprise. However, Reacher Season 3 was based on Lee Child’s Persuader from the Jack Reacher series of books.
This season will be released in chunks, with the first three episodes arriving on Feb. 20, the next three on March 6, and the rest released weekly beginning March 13. Having had the chance to binge the first six episodes in advance, I can say that Reacher Season 3 will keep you on the edge of your seat constantly. Waiting for the next episode’s release will feel like torture, which speaks to the excitement this season brings.
Reacher is on the move again in Season 3, and as usual, trouble seems to find him. Revealing too much about the plot this season would spoil it, so consider this a spoiler-free take. What I can say is that in Reacher Season 3, every time you think you know something, you really don’t. In fact, the more confident you are, the less likely you are to be correct. The constant misdirects are exciting this season and used just enough to keep you on your toes.
“Reacher Season 3 will keep you on the edge of your seat constantly.”
Alan Ritchson is still an absolute beast of a human, and in Reacher Season 3, I feel like he is bringing a little more humanity to Reacher than we have seen before. He gets caught up working for a family headed by Zachary Beck (Anthony Michael Hall: The Breakfast Club, Halloween Kills) and develops a soft spot for his son, Richard (Johnny Berchtold: Tiny Beautiful Things). We see Reacher in protector mode more than once and even in the place of a mentor.
This season also sees further insight into Reacher’s, which is fuel to the fire this season. The way that Ritchson can emote so much through nothing more than a stern demeanour is astonishing to me. A lot of that is thanks to the writing and storytelling present in Reacher, but even something as simple as picking up a glass this season is done with purpose and gives insight into how he operates. Nothing is done without reason, and it speaks to how smart this show that comes off as a simple action romp really is.
Maria Sten (Swamp Thing) is back as Neagley, and there is another new badass woman on the block, Susan Duffy, played by Sonya Cassidy (The Last Kingdom). Something I adore about Reacher is its ability to bring strong, independent women to the forefront. Neagley and Duffy are Reacher’s allies, but the show doesn’t ever make them damsels in distress. If anything, they can really save Reacher’s ass, and it is really refreshing from a series.
“Something I adore about Reacher is its ability to bring strong, independent women to the forefront.”
There are some other new players this season, notably the Becks, Paulie (Olivier Richters: Black Widow, The King’s Man) and Quinn (Brian Tee: The Wolverine, Lucifer). I have been a fan of Anthony Michael Hall since I was a kid, and in Reacher Season 3, he plays a slimy businessman who is up to no good. I hate to say it, but he fits the role perfectly. Something about his physicality and tone really fit Zachary Beck, even as the story unfolds, and Hall owns the character in every light.
Paulie is meant to be the man who truly puts Reacher to the test. Richters is a massive human, and I’ll be honest—the first time 6-foot-3, absolutely jacked Alan Ritchson stepped up to Olivier Richters, I audibly yelled, “Oh, shit!” Richters is a shocking 7-foot-2, and that’s without even touching on their weight.
Brian Tee’s character, Quinn, is a match for Reacher in another way, as by far the scariest person on the show to date. How Tee can appear as the kindest, most well-spoken, put-together man in interviews (I would know—check out our Reacher interviews coming soon!) and then transform into what I can only describe as an absolute monster is worthy of awards. Tee’s performance takes Reacher Season 3 above and beyond other action television, elevating the show to new heights.
As always, an action, vigilante, anti-hero story requires a level of disbelief to really work, and that still remains true with Reacher Season 3. This season brings a whole new level of “tough guys don’t look back at explosions” and other action tropes that we all love. The production value in Reacher just gets better and better, and Season 3 has me amped for what the future holds.
Reacher Season 3 is a whole new ball game for the series, and I truly can’t wait to see where Season 4 heads. Alan Ritchson is getting better—and even more jacked—each season. The misdirects and twists keep you wanting more, and season 3’s new cast members raise the bar for the series. Action fans won’t want to miss this one.
