Neagley & Riley's Romantic Future Addressed By Star Greyston Holt After Hugely Successful Season 1

Prime Video expanded its hugely successful Reacher universe with the new spinoff series Neagley, in which Maria Sten reprises her fan-favorite role of Frances Neagley and gets her own new set of allies and enemies. Co-created by Nick Santora and Nicholas Wootton, Neagley has been very well-received by audiences, and the eponymous private investigator has amassed a supporting cast worthy of attention.

Perhaps her closest new ally is Hudson Riley (played by Greyston Holt), the black sheep of his organized crime family who hopes to make it as a straight-and-narrow cop. Neagley fans have already responded warmly to the slow-burn romance between the two characters, as they bond over their respective traumas and emotional scars. However, Frances' haphephobia makes any intimacy between them unlikely at the moment.

ScreenRant's Liam Crowley interviewed Holt in the wake of Neagley's season 2 renewal, and the actor shared his thoughts on Riley's backstory, the possibility of a relationship with Frances, and the storylines that could be explored in future seasons of either Reacher or its spinoff.

Neagley's Hudson Riley Does Not Want To Be Judged For His Family

ScreenRant: I'd love for you to talk about exploring Riley this season and getting to know a little bit more about where he comes from and the criminal connections he has, regardless of whether or not he wants them.

Greyston Hoult: That's Hudson's inner turmoil and inner conflict. The thing I really loved about this character is that he's constantly stuck between a rock and a hard place. And he comes from this family of career criminals, of lowlifes, and I decided that at a young age, he just wanted nothing to do with that. Sometimes, no matter how much influence there is from your family, you know from a young age that this is not the life for you, and you want nothing to do with this.

As he got older, he decided to really cut ties and become an honest, loyal, hardworking cop. He really wanted nothing to do with that life. And obviously, inherently, that is going to cause some friction and some doubt in the department when your name just automatically, when that comes up, everyone's first instinct is bad dudes crime.

For him to constantly be swimming upstream and trying to prove himself in the department is really hard, and he's got a bit of a chip on his shoulder. And as much as he tries to cut ties with his family, family's still family. It's like not every single person in your family is a bad seed, even if they're connected tangentially, or it's like there's still going to be a grandma who you love, so you're always getting pulled back into your family, and there's family dinners and that kind of thing.

For him, it's just trying to find that balance of being committed to his job as a cop and not. I think there are certain people in his family he wants to 100% cut ties with, but ultimately you can't completely cut off your entire family no matter what the situation. But yeah, that was the main character point of Hudson that I really, really liked and what really drew me to the character.

ScreenRant: Neagley is somewhat making the first steps to get over her phobia. How does that impact Riley's hope for what can exist between them romantically?

Greyston Hoult: I think that's huge because any relationship, if there's a physical barrier when you literally can't touch each other, that can only go so far. And so I think Hudson knows he still has a lot of work to do, though she shook Reacher's hand, and that's one thing; that's a huge step.

But I think them getting to any place that's more remotely intimate is going to be an even bigger step. And I think he's in for the long haul, and he's willing to be patient and loyal and wait for the right timing. But certainly that handshake is a step in the right direction.

ScreenRant: Do you think he truly regrets steering Neagley towards Tracy, or is that a desperate move to get her back on the same page as him?

Greyston Hoult: I think he regrets it. I think there was another way he could have gone about that, and I think it was certainly an insensitive move. But they're all dealing with these high-stakes situations, and sometimes you make mistakes, and you can hurt people around you that you care about. But yeah, I think ultimately he regrets that move and feels bad for doing it.

ScreenRant: Do you think it's Neagley season 2 for Riley first, or do you think there's a chance we get to see him in Reacher season 5?

Greyston Hoult: I don't know. I haven't heard of any potential crossover back the other way into Reacher, into actual Reacher. I mean, I would be down obviously, but I think what's more likely is that we'll see more of Riley in season 2.

ScreenRant: Is there anything specific about his character that you're excited to explore?

Greyston Hoult: More of his family dynamic. We really only got a little taste of that in season one with my dad and my cousin, but I really would like to dig more into that dynamic, especially with my father. I think there's so much to unpack there in the rest of the gang.

At the end of the season, we set up our dynamic foursome that is going to move forward as sort of its own entity now. We've all come from our own respective histories and backgrounds, and now we've come to this moment where we're all going to be working together. I think to have time and seasons to play more off that dynamic will be awesome.

All episodes of Neagley season 1 are streaming on Prime Video.

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  Greyston Holt

  Detective Hudson Riley

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  Maria Sten

  Frances Neagley