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Neagley is not only the first spinoff of Prime Video’s Reacher, it marks a major first in the franchise after almost 30 years. Lee Child’s Jack Reacher books always felt custom-made for the big screen, but finding a 6-foot-5, 250 lbs actor proved too hard a task in 2012; hence, Tom Cruise was cast instead. While Cruise certainly embodied Reacher’s intellect and ruthlessness, he was nobody’s ideal vision of the character from the books.
When Prime Video’s Reacher debuted with Alan Ritchson playing the title role, it felt like the hulking actor was born to play the part. 2026 is proving a major year for Ritchson too; not only is he appearing in four movies (including Motor City and Netflix hit War Machine), he also has the upcoming Reacher season four. As if his schedule wasn’t packed enough, he’ll even be guest-starring on Neagley.
After three seasons of stealing scenes on Reacher, Maria Sten’s titular character is getting her own solo show. Plot details are largely being kept a secret, though the synopsis involves Neagley looking into the death of an old friend. How Reacher himself will play into the plot is also a mystery, though it’s almost a certainty Neagley calls on her bestie when things get deadly. What’s really significant is that, for the first time since Child’s debut novel Killing Floor in 1997, Neagley is making Reacher a supporting player.
Neagley Will Make Reacher A Supporting Character For The Very First Time
Every single novel in the series and their various live-action adaptations have featured Reacher as the protagonist. He’s the one driving the plot and avenging the innocent, but Prime’s spinoff marks a true first. Neagley will also feature an original story, so it’s impossible to gauge how much or how little Ritchson will feature on the new series. It sounds like Reacher will appear for at least a couple of episodes, but it is – in every sense of the word – Maria Sten’s show.
Prior to Reacher, Maria Sten fronted TV shows like Swamp Thing and Channel Zero: The Dream Door.
If anything, that’s what makes the spinoff so intriguing. Reacher has made Neagley a bigger character than she was in the novels, as she didn’t even appear in Killing Floor or Persuader, the books that season one and three adapted. Sten’s witty, tough take on the Chicago-based private investigator has made her an audience favorite, and a procedural following her misadventures sounds like a fun time.
Neagley Will Test The Waters For More Spinoffs
In all likelihood, Neagley won’t stray too far from the tone of its parent show, and it feels like an organic extension of the saga. In the same way Prime Video has extended the life of its other hit thrillers like Bosch with multiple offshoots, they’ll be keeping a close eye on how its Reacher spinoff performs.
If it proves to be a big streaming success, fans should expect more sequel shows to pop up. Some possibilities include a procedural following Detective Finley (Malcolm Goodwin) from Reacher’s first series, who went back to Boston following the bloody events in Margrave. Goodwin was another audience favorite and could easily front his own show.
Another possibility is a prequel, exploring Reacher’s time as a military police officer in the army. The show has explored this period in flashbacks, but hasn’t directly adapted any of Child’s prequel stories like The Affair or The Enemy. This would, of course, involve casting a younger actor than Ritchson, and one who is equally built like a human tank.
That’s no small task, but it also feels like Reacher devotees would happily digest more spinoffs while waiting between seasons of the main show. Neagley will be the first true test, and it will be interesting to see how viewers react to Reacher taking a smaller role. A similar move worked for The Terminal List: Dark Wolf, where Chris Pratt’s Reece only appeared in a few episodes of that spinoff, but the story proved strong enough to keep audiences hooked.