Prime Video's biggest action hero is back for Reacher season 3 as we see the much-loved Alan Ritchson reprise the role of the military hardman on one of the best streaming services.
A press release from Amazon MGM Studios confirms that fans can expect the next installment of one of the best Prime Video shows to return in 2025, though an exact date hasn't been announced. But luckily for you, there's set to be more muscle power in the Reacher universe as the series has been given an early season 4 renewal.
There are 28 books in the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child, with season 3 adapted from the seventh Reacher book, Persuader. This time, we'll see the man-mountain hero out of his comfort zone, as the story sees Reacher adopting a more stealthy approach as he goes undercover to rescue an informant who's been held captive.
Not every literary creation is lucky enough to get a third and now a fourth chance on screen, but that opportunity has proved to be a charm for Jack Reacher. After two modestly successful but critically-panned movies with Tom Cruise in the title role, it's now fair to say that author Lee Child's bestselling series has finally found its groove on TV with Reacher as season 2 became Prime Video's most-watched show of 2023.
So, while you wait for more thrills and wince-inducing fight scenes, we thought we'd help and recommend six muscular thrillers to tide you over until Reacher season 3...
Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan
- RT score: 78%
- Age rating: TV-MA
- Length: ~51 minute episodes
- Creators: Carlton Cuse and Graham Roland
Jack Ryan has enjoyed a similar journey to Reacher, though his spell on the big screen lasted much, much longer. The character is the creation of late author Tom Clancy and has been the subject of 21 novels with over 100 million copies sold. He has been portrayed previously in movies by Harrison Ford, Alec Baldwin, Ben Affleck and Chris Pine before being rebooted for TV by John Krasinski and Prime Video in 2018.
Krasinski's Ryan is a former Marine veteran, who now works as a financial analyst for the CIA. Happy to sit behind his desk and run numbers, Ryan constantly finds himself drawn into the firing line. The show has a similar sensibility to Reacher in that its heroes and villains are clear cut and there's no ambiguity in Ryan's motivation. He's the good guy and he's taking down the bad guys all across the world. That said, the show is tremendous fun, well put together and Krasinski is a great leading man.
Available to stream on Prime Video in the US, UK and Australia.
Justified
- RT score: 97%
- Age rating: TV-MA
- Length: ~43 minute episodes
- Creator: Graham Yost
A much-loved, dust-in-throat, uncompromising drama, Justified ran for six well-received seasons from 2010 to 2015. Based on Elmore Leonard's books, the show stars Timothy Olyphant as Marshal Raylan Givens, a cowboy hat-wearing lawman who's expelled from Miami law enforcement after killing a criminal in broad daylight.
Needing a fresh start, Given sent back to his hometown in Kentucky, where he deals with more small-time types of crime – not to mention his childhood friend, Walton Goggins' unpredictable and fiery Boyd Crowder. Too trigger-happy for his own good, Givens keeps running into all kinds of trouble. Much like Reacher, Olyphant's loves taking the law into his own hands and is a real no-nonsense man of action. If you enjoyed Reacher's antics, you'll love Justified.
Available to stream on Hulu in the US and Disney Plus in Australia and the UK.
In From The Cold
- RT score: 71%
- Age rating: TV-MA
- Length: ~49 minute episodes
- Creator: Adam Glass
This dynamic drama scored over 85 million hours of viewing time across the world in its first two weeks on Netflix, but unfortunately What's On Netflix reported that the streamer canceled the show after one season. Which is disappointing, as it's really, really good. Created by Adam Glass, whose credits include Criminal Minds and Supernatural as well as a number of Marvel comics, In From The Cold follows Margarita Levieva's Jenny Franklin, a single mother in suburban New Jersey.
Her life is turned upside down when the CIA arrests her and forces her to confront her long-buried past as highly trained, bio-engineered Russian agent Anya Petrova and become an asset in the battle to stop the influence of Russia's underworld drug trade. Hard-hitting, action-packed and addictive, this deserves both a second season and your attention.
Available to stream on Netflix in the US, UK and Australia.
Banshee
- RT score: 90%
- Age rating: TV-MA
- Length: ~51 minute episodes
- Creators: Jonathan Tropper and David Schickler
One of HBO's most underrated shows, Banshee ran for four seasons from 2013 to 2016. Set in the small town of Banshee in Pennsylvania Amish country, the shows stars The Boys' Antony Starr, a master thief who leaves prison after a 15-year stretch and assumes the identity of Lucas Hood, a recently murdered sheriff. Now with a badge in his hand, Hood wants to resume his old life. But it turns out that he picked the wrong town to try and start over...
Violent, bloody, searing and ever-so gripping, this is a tale tailored made for Reacher lovers.
Available to stream on Max in the US, Sky Go in the UK, and Binge in Australia.
Pieces Of Her
- RT score: 51%
- Age rating: TV-MA
- Length: ~51 minute episodes
- Creator: Charlotte Stoudt
Toni Colette and Bella Heathcote spearhead this intriguing action-drama. Heathcote plays Andy, a teenage girl on a Saturday afternoon trip to the mall with her mother, Laura. When the pair find themselves caught in a deadly mass shooting at a local diner, Laura suddenly turns into John Wick and eliminates the gunmen. This sudden revelation changes everything for Andy and brings out a number of characters from her mother's past, a past that's clearly nothing like Andy imagined. A familiar yarn, but one told in a full-throated and gripping manner, and with some brilliant action sequences.
Available to stream on Netflix in the US, UK and Australia.
The Terminal List
- RT score: 40%
- Age rating: TV-MA
- Length: ~58 minute episodes
- Creator: David DiGilio
Prime Video's lavish new military thriller has been monstered by critics, but we're including it here as it's scored a 95% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, so it's clearly struck a chord with viewers.
The show, which is led by Jurassic World: Dominion star Chris Pratt, is based on the novel of the same name by Jack Carr and follows Pratt's Lieutenant Commander James Reece, a US Navy SEAL who is left bereft after his platoon is ambushed while on a covert mission. Reece is the only survivor from the mission, and, as he tries to piece together the truth about what happened, his version of events doesn't match up with the account given by the Navy's top brass. So, naturally, the beginnings of a deadly conspiracy start to form.
It's a chest-thumping drama, again with clear cut heroes and villains. For us, it doesn't have Reacher's panache or sense of style, but lots of people have fallen in love with it. Maybe you will too?
Available to stream on Prime Video in the US, UK and Australia.
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