Reacher is an American crime thriller streaming television series developed by Nick Santora for Amazon Prime Video. Based on the Jack Reacher book series by Lee Child, it stars Alan Ritchson as the title character, a drifter and former military policeman who battles dangerous criminals throughout his travels.

“The phenomenal debut of Reacher is a testament to Lee Child’s creation of one of entertainment’s most well-known heroes,” said director, Nick Santora.

 In episode one, a man later identified as Pete Jobling is shot dead just outside Margrave, Georgia. The following morning, Jack Reacher arrives on a Greyhound bus and walks into town, where he is arrested at a diner for the murder. He is sent to be held in the local prison with Paul Hubble, a banker who falsely confessed to the murder. Spivey, a crooked guard, puts them in with the general population, where Reacher brutally foils an attempt on their lives. Hubble explains he confessed to cover for a criminal organization that would have otherwise killed him and his family. After being released, Reacher is verbally threatened in town by the son of local businessman Kliner. When he later returns to the police station, he is informed about a second killing. At the morgue, a discussion about both the recent murder and another one earlier in the week leads him to identify the first victim as his older brother, Joe.

The season continues with Jack Reacher going around town “playing police,” to try and find his brother’s killer. Each episode does have flashbacks of Jack and his brother Joe as children and their military family moving from place to place. It shows the audience a little bit about what Joe’s character is like and how even as a kid, Reacher is a bit feisty and hard-headed. The show goes on to explain that Jack Reacher was in the army just like his father was. It seems that Joe was the only family Reacher had left, leaving him with no family after Joe’s murder. 

The cast includes Malcolm Goodwin as Oscar Finlay, Willa Fitzgerald as Roscoe Conklin, Chris Webster as KJ, Hugh Thompson as Baker, Maria Sten as Frances Neagley, Harvey Guillén as Jasper, Kristin Kreuk as Charlie, Currie Graham as Kliner Sr., Marc Bendavid as Hubble, Willie C. Carpenter as Mosley, Maxwell Jenkins as Young Reacher, and Bruce McGill as Mayor Teale.

“The entire Reacher team – cast, production, writers, etc. – is so happy with the wonderful reception the show has received. Amazon, Skydance, and Paramount have been such fantastic partners and everyone is excited to roll up their sleeves and get to work on what will be a great Season 2,” said Santora.

It doesn’t stop there, folks. Looks like the new Lee Child adaptation has been renewed for a second season. According to Amazon, Reacher ranked in its top five most-watched series ever in the U.S. and globally over a 24-hour period – though it’s worth noting that all eight episodes of the series launched at once. The company added that it also was among its highest-rated original series, with subscribers giving it an average rating of 4.7 out of 5.