Prime Video's 10/10 Action Thriller With Near-Perfect Rotten Tomatoes Score Keeps Getting Better

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Sonya Cassidy and Roberto Montesinos in Reacher

Published Jan 26, 2026, 1:23 PM EST

Tom is a Senior Staff Writer at Screen Rant, with expertise covering all things Classic TV from hilarious sitcoms to jaw-dropping sci-fi.

Initially he was an Updates writer, though before long he found his way to the Classic TV team. He now spends his days keeping Screen Rant readers informed about the TV shows of yesteryear, whether it's recommending hidden gems that may have been missed by genre fans or deep diving into ways your favorite shows have (or haven't) stood the test of time.

Tom is based in the UK and when he's not writing about TV shows, he's watching them. He's also an avid horror fiction writer, gamer, and has a Dungeons and Dragons habit that he tries (and fails) to keep in check.
 

Amazon Prime Video has steadily built a reputation as the go-to streaming destination for high-caliber action thriller TV shows that feel cinematic in scale and impact. Few series have embodied that identity quite like Reacher, the Lee Child adaptation that has wowed viewers since its debut. With bone-crushing fight sequences and deliciously layered conspiracies, Reacher has become a definitive Amazon Prime thriller show.

Since its premiere in 2022, Reacher has run for three seasons and counting. The show adapts Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novels, with Alan Ritchson taking on the titular role and truly making it his own. Ritchson’s towering physical presence and finesse with intense action have been a cornerstone of the show’s success, and his version of Jack Reacher is now one of streaming’s most iconic action heroes.

Critics have consistently praised Reacher, with the series holding an impressive 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes that underlines its quality and consistency. While Ritchson’s performance and the pull of Child’s novels explain some of the buzz, the show’s storytelling, pacing, and strategic reinvention each season make it one of the best action thrillers of the decade.

Reacher Is One Of The Most Consistent Shows On TV

The Hit Prime Original Delivers Thrilling Episodes And Gripping Arcs Every Season

Alan Ritchson mid fight in Reacher on Prime Video

Consistency is one of Reacher’s defining strengths, and it’s a major reason the show has maintained both critical acclaim and audience enthusiasm. From the debut season’s sharp adaptation of Lee Child’s Killing Floor to the intense conspiracies of its latest installments, Reacher rarely misses a beat. Each season presents a new, self-contained story without losing the connective tissue that makes the world feel cohesive and compelling.

Episode by episode, Reacher delivers knockout moments that balance high-stakes action with richer character work. Even the quieter scenes are engineered to build tension or deepen investment in the characters, rather than merely serve as waiting rooms for the next fight. This structure keeps audiences locked in and prevents the series from feeling like it’s merely repeating the same beats.

Reacher’s pacing across seasons demonstrates an understanding of how to craft a thriller that never lets momentum fade. Major revelations are spaced with tactical precision, and the show rarely overstays its welcome in any single arc. This meticulous rhythm has helped Reacher avoid the bloated storytelling pitfalls that have hampered lesser action series.

Another key to the show’s consistency is its cast. Beyond Alan Ritchson’s committed performance, the supporting players often elevate the material, giving each season a distinct energy. This ensures that Reacher feels fresh even within its structural familiarity, and fans always have a reason to return.

How Reacher Has Managed To Stay Fresh

Reacher Keeps Reinventing Itself To Avoid Stagnation And Sustain Interest

Alan Ritchson peering down an elevator shaft Reacher

A common challenge for long-running action series is preventing fatigue, but Reacher has navigated this expertly. While rooted in a formula - ex-military sleuth crashes into trouble, unravels a conspiracy, delivers justice - the show reinvents the stakes and tone with each season. New antagonists, shifting environments, and evolving narrative themes ensure that the series never becomes predictable.

The choice to adapt a different Lee Child novel each season plays a major role in this freshness. Each book offers its own unique setting, ensemble of supporting characters, and central mystery, giving the writers rich, varied source material to work with. This means Reacher can experiment with different subgenres of thriller, from conspiracy-heavy politics to smaller, character-driven mysteries, without losing its core identity.

Beyond plot variation, Reacher consistently outdoes itself with its action scenes. The fight sequences aren’t mere set-pieces; they reflect Reacher’s brutal ingenuity and often involve inventive contexts that distinguish one season’s conflicts from another. The production team’s willingness to escalate both physical and narrative stakes prevents these moments from ever feeling stale.

Character evolution also contributes to the show’s refusal to be repetitive. Ritchson’s Jack Reacher is not a static force of nature; his interactions with allies and enemies reveal shifts in perspective and vulnerability that make him more than just a punching machine. These moments of depth provide balance to the breakneck action and help the emotional backbone of Reacher grow season after season.

When Is Reacher Season 4 Coming Out

Season 4 Is In The Works And A Neagley Spinoff Is In Development

Alan Ritchson looking smug as Jack Reacher

Prime Video confirmed that Reacher will return for a fourth season, buoyed by the series’ success and the strength of its existing run. While no official release date has yet been announced, filming for season 4 has already been underway, following the wrap of the Neagley spinoff series.

The next chapter reportedly adapts Lee Child’s Gone Tomorrow, one of the author’s most intricate and suspense-driven novels, positioning Jack Reacher against a web of relentless foes after a mysterious subway incident draws him into a high-stakes conspiracy.

Alan Ritchson is confirmed to reprise his role as Jack Reacher, maintaining continuity at the heart of the series. Meanwhile, Maria Sten’s Frances Neagley, a fan favorite, is branching out into her own series, further enriching the Reacher universe with stories that spotlight secondary characters from the original canon.

With strong source material, an expanding narrative world, and a production team that clearly understands how to adapt Lee Child’s novels for the screen, Reacher season 4 is poised to uphold the series’ established standards. While fans await official announcements on the release date and full cast list, anticipation continues to build around what promises to be another standout chapter for Prime Video’s flagship action thriller.

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Release Date February 3, 2022

Network Prime Video

Showrunner Nick Santora

Directors Omar Madha, Carol Banker, Julian Holmes, Lin Oeding, M.J. Bassett, Norberto Barba, Stephen Surjik, Thomas Vincent

Writers Cait Duffy

  • Headshot Of Alan Ritchson In The New York Premiere of Lionsgate's 'Ordinary Angels'
  • Headshot Of Maria Sten

    Maria Sten

    Frances Neagley

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