Prime Video's 40-Episode Crime Thriller Franchise Keeps Getting Better Ahead Of 3 More Seasons
Felipe Rangel is a Movie and TV Journalist ScreenRant. He has been writing about movies and TV since 2021. Felipe joined ScreenRant in 2022, working across different teams, covering everything from breaking news to features to reviews and more.
Felipe is a writer who is an avid film and TV fan, with superhero movies and series being his biggest passion. He graduated from college in 2019, having studied Journalism. Before college, he spent a month studying at the Oxford English Centre. His superhero knowledge expands to the comics, with his undergraduate thesis being "Politics Reflected In American Comics."
Prime Video's major action thriller franchise is moving full steam ahead with at least three more confirmed seasons, and after 40 episodes so far, the shared universe manages to keep getting better. When a franchise starts to run long, quality issues may arise. Take the Marvel Cinematic Universe, for example. It is the most successful franchise in movie history, deservedly.
The MCU made studios see the potential of shared universes on the big screen, with DC rushing its world-building with the DCEU to try to catch up to it. However, Marvel Studios' most recent chapter, the Multiverse Saga, is easily its most criticized thus far, with misfires on the big and small screens. It is hard to keep a long-running franchise always on overdrive.
That is why Prime Video is doing a remarkable job in the streaming sector. The streaming service holds quite a few franchises, with some of them, like Critical Role's high fantasy world of Exandria, which includes two TV shows at this time, thriving many seasons into its run. That is also true for an action thriller franchise that features one of Prime Video's best series.
Scratch & Peek
Scratch& Peek
Identify the cover art while scratching off as little foil as possible.
That universe would be the Reacher franchise, which started in 2022 with the first season of Alan Ritchson's adaptation of Lee Child's Jack Reacher novels. In 2026, it formally turned into a shared universe, as the first Reacher spin-off series, Maria Sten's Neagley, was released on Prime Video to record-breaking success. Somehow, four years later and with multiple seasons on the way, the Reacher franchise just keeps getting better.
The Reacher Franchise Never Lets Up
So far, including Reacher's four seasons and Neagley season 1, the action thriller franchise has released 40 episodes on Prime Video. It is quite impressive how this popular universe continues to be a consistent hit, not only in terms of every new release instantly topping Prime Video's United States and global charts, but also quality-wise. For instance, on Rotten Tomatoes, all four seasons of Reacher come with the coveted Fresh score, with the action thriller series' worst critics' score being a near-perfect 92%, which came in its first season, the one tasked with setting up the franchise and Ritchson's character.
After that, Reacher flew even higher, as the Prime Video action thriller series maintains a season average of 95% throughout its first four seasons, a fantastic achievement. Making it all the more impressive is that Ritchson's Jack Reacher is the only character to appear in all four seasons of Reacher. Given his role as a drifter, Reacher keeps moving around, facing new threats, and that comes with a fresh set of characters around him every season. As such, keeping a consistent level of engaging action, intricate mysteries, and exciting characters while hitting the reset each season and still getting better is admirable.
Not only is Ritchson's Reacher as solid as ever, but its first spin-off, Neagley, also hit the ground running. After playing a key role in the first three seasons of Reacher, Sten's Frances Neagley was given the chance to shine on her own, and both the actress and the character showed that they have what it takes for a long run. Neagley stands at a stellar 94% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes and a high 83% audience score. Neagley succeeded with a different formula, as the new Prime Video series boasts a team that will likely keep coming back. The Reacher franchise remains fresh, only making it better.
Prime Video Already Revealed Reacher And Neagley's Fates
At the same time that the Reacher franchise keeps getting better, Prime Video has already guaranteed its future for at least three more seasons. Reacher season 5 is currently filming for an expected 2027 release, and the action thriller series has already been confirmed for season 6. In parallel to that, Neagley season 2 has also been announced. Given how the Jack Reacher series of novels will soon include 31 entries when Lee Child and Andrew Child's Chain Reaction releases on October 20, the Reacher franchise could continue for many more seasons, especially if it keeps getting better like this.
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Reacher
8/10
- Release Date
- February 3, 2022
- Network
- Prime Video
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Jack Reacher
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Maria Sten
Frances Neagley
Without a phone and traveling light, former military police officer Jack Reacher drifts between American towns, embroiling himself in local crimes and bringing justice in his wake. Based on the series of novels by Lee Child, Reacher's journey offers him an intimate understanding of the nation he once served.
- Main Genre
- Action
- Creator(s)
- Nick Santora
- Seasons
- 4
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