Reacher is based on the very successful book series of the same name by author Lee Child. It has spawned two movies starring Tom Cruise and a streaming show on Prime Video. Season one was a big hit and so it didn’t take very long for season two to be greenlit. Season one took place in rural Georgia and involved a money laundering scheme. Season Two takes Jack Reacher to the Big Apple.

Jack Reacher (Alan Richson) is a Drifter. He goes from place to place on buses and only carries with him his toothbrush and the clothes on his back.  When he gets word from a close friend Frances Neagley (Maria Sten) an ex-member of his 110th Special Investigation Police Unit that one of their team has been killed he jumps into gear to try to find out why. He ends up getting help from a couple of his old team, Carla Dixon (Serinda Swan) and David O’Donnell (Sean Sipos), and reluctantly from an NYPD Detective Guy Russo (Domenick Lombardozzi) 

Reacher is a fun show because it takes the viewer to a realistic world of police, military, and average everyday life. This drifter isn’t your average run-of-the-mill Drifter though. He has a good heart and helps those in need wherever he goes. That’s why the book series is so revealed. Most people can relate to him. Richson plays him a little bit lighthearted though which is straight out of the book series. He’s ‘6”3 and cuts an intimidating figure. Because of his size, he eats a lot but the writers play this off as a funny aspect of his character. Richton was perfectly cast as this popular literary character.

Season Two of Reacher deals more with his past in the military. There are flashbacks to his time with his team and these scenes give a lot more context to the present-day story. This story is much more complex than the small-town story that took place in Season One. There is a terrorist angle to the story which makes for much more action scenes. Even bigger-name actors are cast as villains.

Robert Patrick plays Shane Langston, a  tough ex-NYPD Detective now the Security Chief of a Weapons Manufacturer. He has a lot of his old buddies working for him and they are involved in some shady business involving an arms broker and sending their tech overseas. This story is much more sophisticated in its complexities. There are a lot of moving parts to the season but it boils down to Reacher and his friends trying to stop terrorists from acquiring technology to launch missiles.

Aforementioned there are a lot of action sequences. Helicopters, explosions, and many car chase sequences are featured in Season 2. Which begs the question: did the budget get bigger? All the action involved in the show proved that this series can get bigger and if people watch Season Two as much as Season One this could be another successful season. The source material is used but changed slightly as the story is on the East Coast instead of the West Coast but that is a minor issue as long as the show delivers as much as it did in Season One.

Amazon has been making a lot of shows based on literary properties over the last few years. Even though they are based on established stories they seem to find ways with their showrunners, writers, and directors to infuse political agendas as well as stories cut from the headlines. That way it makes the shows more accessible to viewers who are watching them. I think it’s good practice to adapt stories that way but also keep the essence of the source material. Season Two of Reacher does that exceptionally. 

Reacher Season Two had a little bit of everything. Fans of the books will be happy because the character of Jack Reacher is very much similar to the books and the fans of the show will be happy because this season is an action-packed adventure. More information about the character and his past are shared and Lee Child gets a cameo to boot. Everybody is a winner. Action buffs will also be happy because there is plenty of that as well. I very much enjoyed Season Two just a little bit more than Season One but both seasons are good. I can’t wait for Season Three.

4 ½ stars

Dan Skip Allen