One Of Reacher's Biggest Changes For Season 2 Was A 'Huge Relief' For Alan Ritchson
This post contains spoilers for "Reacher" season 2
Season 1 of Prime Video's "Reacher" was a big hit for the streamer, topping the Nielsen streaming charts back in 2022. Now, with the arrival of season 2, Jack Reacher has triumphed once again. Not only has he overcome Robert Patrick's insidious Shane Langston in an explosive season finale, but he's once again garnered enough ratings to hit the number 2 spot on the Nielsen charts for the show's first week of release (Nielsen releases their stats a lot later than you'd think).
This all suggests that Prime Video has a reliable hit on its hands with "Reacher." Prior to the show's debut, two Tom Cruise-starring films came and went, upsetting fans of Lee Child's Jack Reacher novels in the process who felt that Cruise's diminutive stature wasn't quite the embodiment of Child's hulking ex-Military Police officer. But "Reacher" introduced the 6-ft 3-inch, 235-pound Alan Ritchson in the lead role, finally gifting fans of the novels with a book-accurate Jack Reacher.
Of course, there was much more to season 1's success than Ritchson. The self-aware humor and overall pulpiness of the show worked to its advantage. As did Malcolm Goodwin and Willa Fitzgerald, who provided Ritchson's Reacher with a nice little supporting cast in the form of Margrave PD Chief Detective Oscar Finlay and Officer Roscoe Conklin, respectively. But season 2 arguably topped the camaraderie element of season 1, reuniting Reacher with his former Army Special Investigations unit, with whom he seemed to have even more chemistry than with his erstwhile season 1 cohorts.
None of this seems to have been lost on Ritchson who evidently felt relieved to be surrounded by his new cast members.
Reacher's handpicked team
There's no doubt Alan Ritchson had great chemistry with his season 1 co-stars, especially Willa Fitzgerald's Roscoe Conklin. In fact, author Lee Child was devastated that Roscoe wouldn't be returning for season 2. But it was Child's novels that established the episodic nature of the Jack Reacher universe, which saw the protagonist traversing the US and embarking on a new adventure with new characters in every novel. As such, season 2 saw Ritchson's hero teaming up with a whole new cast of characters in the form of the 110th Special Investigators — the unit he led in the Army.
This team is made up of Maria Sten's Francis Neagley (returning from season 1), Serinda Swan's Karla Dixon, and Shaun Sipos' David O'Donnell. For Alan Ritchson, that group made his job a lot easier. In a ScreenRant interview, the leading man was asked whether it was a challenge being paired up with colleagues that Reacher sees as equals, to which he replied that it was actually a "huge relief." He continued:
"Reacher handpicked these individuals. They're the best of the best, and they're unique in a way that other people would miss. Reacher sees something special in them. The fact that he can be surrounded by people he fully trusts is great, and who wouldn't want that in life, you know? To know that some of the best of the best have our back, that's a great feeling."
Of course, the 110th weren't the only ones to have Reacher's back this season. Episode four saw the return of Malcolm Goodwin's Oscar Finlay, who helped further the investigation into Shane Langston's dodgy operations. But the long-standing camaraderie between Reacher and the 110th made for a dynamic that Finlay and Roscoe just couldn't provide.
Getting to the heart of Reacher
"Reacher" season 1 served as great introduction to this latest iteration of the character, and obviously pleased fans of the novels. But it also felt a little smaller and less engaging than the second run of episodes. Season 2 feels so much bigger than its predecessor, which is largely due to the fact the first season was hampered by pandemic-related restrictions. But it also feels like the chemistry between the characters is more effective this time around.
Because there's a familiarity between the 110th and Reacher, this allows them to challenge their former boss a little more. Whereas Oscar Finlay and Roscoe Conklin perhaps weren't quite the equals of Reacher in terms of skill and experience, the Special Investigators are almost as seasoned and skilled as their leader, allowing them to question Reacher in a way that Roscoe and Finlay couldn't. While Finlay certainly started out wary of the mysterious brute who wandered into his small town, it wasn't quite the same as the 110th ribbing Reacher for his nomadic lifestyle and challenging his tactics with suggestions of their own.
Still, there's no doubt fans are eager to see the return of Roscoe. The seventh episode of season 2 teased us with her return, but unlike Finlay, it looks like we'll have to wait to see her in a later season. Let's hope we also see the return of the Special Investigators, who after this season will surely be as beloved as the first-season favorites.