RATED: TV-MA
RUNNING TIME: 12 episode series - Each episode is 1 hour
RELEASE DATE: January 28, 2022
DIRECTORS:
Norberto Barba...(1 episode, 2022)
M.J. Bassett...(1 episode, 2022)
Sam Hill...(1 episode, 2022)
Omar Madha...(1 episode, 2022)
Christine Moore...(1 episode, 2022)
Lin Oeding...(1 episode, 2022)
Stephen Surjik...(1 episode, 2022)
Thomas Vincent...(1 episode, 2022)
WRITERS:
Lee Child...(based on the book by) (9 episodes, 2022)
Nick Santora...(developed by) (9 episodes, 2022)
Cait Duffy...(staff writer) (8 episodes, 2022)
Aadrita Mukerji...(written for television by) (3 episodes, 2022)
Scott Sullivan...(written for television by) (3 episodes, 2022)
STARRING:
Malcolm Goodwin...Oscar Finlay
Willa Fitzgerald...Roscoe Conklin
Hugh Thompson...Officer Baker
Chris Webster...KJ
Bruce McGill...Mayor Grover Teale
Maxwell Jenkins...Young Reacher
Gavin White...Young Joe
Leslie Fray...Josephine Reacher
Jonathan Koensgen...Stevenson
Willie C. Carpenter...Mosley
Harvey Guillén...Jasper
Matthew Marsden...Stan
Maria Sten...Frances Neagley
Kristin Kreuk...Charlene 'Charlie' Hubble
Currie Graham...Kliner Sr.
Marc Bendavid...Paul Hubble
Lara Jean Chorostecki...Molly Beth Gordon
Nancy Palk...Mrs. Jobling
SPOILER ALERT: THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Where do I begin with this series? I never read the books and never saw the movies. For some reason there was little interest from me. Even when the show was announced I remember thinking that I’m a fan of Alan Ritchson from Smallville, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Titans but could not connect him to this roll due to Tom Cruise. Yes I did not see the movies but knew that Tom Cruise played the character of Jack Reacher in the films. They are so different. Tom Cruise is a tiny 5’nothing actor with a thinner athletic build. Alan Ritchson is a giant man with huge muscles. My interest began.
I began to do some research on the character if Jack Reacher. Once I found out that the character was actually 6’5” and 250 lbs I asked myself how the hell did Tom Cruise land this role. I get it, action movie plus Tom Cruise typically means money. However Cruise is so far removed from the physical appearance of the character it just through me off. I thought that I would watch the films but decided against it once I found out Alan Ritchson did an episode of the Michael Rosenbaum podcast "Inside of You." Mind you, I still have not read the books.
Once hearing the show I realized how big of a deal this was for Alan Ritchson. They did speak about all of the loops Alan had to jump through to get the role, how the shooting schedule which seemed dangerous and stressful was physically damaging to him and they even touched on Tom Cruise. Alan Ritchson was thankful of the work that Tom Cruise had put into the films which created the recognition for the character but also admitted that there was a universal agreement that Tom Cruise had been miscast in the role and the studio took complete credit for that. The feeling was that Cruise did incredible with material but he should not have been put in the position to do so. That was why they gave Alan such a hard time while casting, they wanted to get it right with the series. This interview is what made me have to watch the series as soon as I possibly could.
For those who don’t know the character of Jack Reacher. He is a huge man that is super intelligent and has an extensive military background. He was raised one of the two sons of an army serviceman who had to move his family around a lot around the world. He was given great lessons on life from his parents and brother Joe and raised to always do the right thing even if it hurt someone.
One thing that I will spoil in this review is how smart this character is. He has lived a very experienced life when it comes to violence and taking out the bad guys. He has been in almost every possible scenario and knows exactly how it will play out. He is also super confident that he will be the one to walk away after each encounter. As we continue to watch the series play out, the more you believe that he knows exactly what he’s talking about and there is no doubt in him. You will have to watch the series to see exactly what I mean.
My wife and I ended up binge watching this series. We even had moments that we laughed out loud. She even rewound one scene where Reacher open palmed smacked one of the villains in the mouth that ends up being hilarious. She doesn’t usually do that and she did it here.
The end of the series left me wanting more. All of the characters are well cast and believable. I know I didn’t spend much time on them but you will understand why I spent so much time on Reacher after watching the series. With that said, I tried to watch the film after I watched the series. I lasted 10 minutes before I turned it off. Tom Cruise is just not believable after watching Alan Ritchson. If you want to watch the films, do it before the series. I fully intend on reaching the books and I completely recommend this series to everyone. Watch it. Enjoy it.
