Reacher
Reacher is one of Amazon Prime Video’s top-performing shows, consistently hanging out inside its top 10-most watched series months and months after it airs. Now, despite a million actual Reacher books to adapt, they want to expand on that with another show to fill the gaps between seasons.
A new report from Deadline says that Amazon is about to greenlight a spin-off of Reacher called “Neagley.” Yes, that would be Reacher’s former military buddy Frances Neagley who has shown up in both seasons so far to aid Reacher in his various murder cases, having an especially prominent role last season. The series would star Maria Sten, who Deadline says plays the “fan-favorite” character.
Ehhh.
I’m not sold on this idea at all, nor really the conceit that Neagley is a fan-favorite character. Spin-offs usually are centered on fan-favorites, but they only work some of the time, and I just don’t think Neagley has anywhere near the presence or impact as Alan Ritchson’s Reacher. Past that, I don’t really even think she’s particularly…good in the role. Not that her increased presence in season 2 made that season worse, but that season was definitely worse, and she seemed better as more of a guest star in season 1 than a full-on sidekick to Reacher.
Reacher
This feels to me like Amazon reaching out to find some way, any way to squeeze more out a Reacher as a series. Neagley, I suppose, makes logical sense as someone who has appeared frequently and can also kick ass, but it’s not clear what this series would look like. Neagley only appears in four Jack Reacher books, and there are no Neagley-specific books. I guess maybe they could give her a Reacher story they’re not otherwise adapting? But that would be weird, and it would be a challenge to come up with original stories for her.
Other spin-offs make more sense, like Gen V being in The Boys universe while creating an entirely new crop of solid characters. Or what The Walking Dead is doing now with Daryl and Carol, Negan and Maggie, Rick and Michonne spin-offs, all great characters with years of investment from fans. I don’t think Neagley has that going for her.
Still, it’s pretty obvious why Amazon would try this as…what do they have to lose? This series would not be expensive at all compared to their other offerings and if it does even a quarter as well as Reacher, that would still make it a hit. If it fails, well, Neagley and Sten still have a job with Reacher on the main show. We’ll see what happens.
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Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
