Reacher season 2: release date, trailer, confirmed cast, plot synopsis, and more

Reacher season 2 has finally made its bow on Prime Video, so it's time to be reunited with everyone's favorite man mountain vigilante.

The first season of Reacher was a surprise hit for Amazon, so it was no surprise to see the action-crime series renewed for another outing in early 2022. Now that the show's sequel season is out in the wild, we suspect you'll be eager to check out the episodes released on launch day.

Before you do that, though, you should read our spoiler-light thoughts on Reacher season 2 to see if it's as punchy and entertaining as its predecessor. After that, we give you full permission to load it up on Prime Video and get reacquainted with Alan Ritchson's superb showing as the titular character.

If you're a newcomer to the show, or you've just binge watched season 1 to get the drop on its follow-up, you've got plenty of reading up to do before you stream Reacher's second season. In this guide, we've compiled a list of what you need to know about one of the best Prime Video shows' return, including its trailer, cast list, plot specifics, and the series' future. Full spoilers follow for Reacher season 1.

Reacher season 2 release date

Reacher season 2 debuted on Prime Video on December 15, 2023. In early November, we reported that Reacher's second season had been given a festive Prime Video release date, so you can now watch him pummel his foes once more with some hot chocolate, Christmas-themed treats, and from under a warm blanket (that's if you live in the northern hemisphere, anyway).

Previously, Prime Video confirmed its hugely popular series would return in a sizzle reel promoting the streamer's late 2023 film and TV show line-up. That launch window reveal came back in July, though, so Reacher season 2's official release date has been a long time coming, especially as principal photography wrapped in February.

Season 2 arrived with a three-episode launch. Its final five entries will release weekly until its finale on Friday, January 19, 2024.

Reacher season 2 trailer

The official trailer for Reacher season 2 was released alongside its confirmed launch date. In it, we see everyone's favorite man mountain reverting back to his life as a drifter following the season 1 finale. That remains the case, anyway, until he's pulled back into another thriller-based storyline that involves some of his former army friends.

Unsurprisingly, Reacher season 2's official teaser is packed with footage fans will have been hoping to see. We get plenty of snippets of Reacher beating up dudes, using his intellect to get to the bottom of another mystery concerning his friends, and the odd shot of lead star Alan Ritchson showing off his impressive physique.

Reacher season 2 cast

Here's the confirmed Reacher season 2 cast so far:

• Alan Ritchson as Jack Reacher
• Maria Sten as Frances Neagley
• Shaun Sipos as David O'Donnell
• Serinda Swan as Karla Dixon
• Ferdinand Kingsley as A.M
• Robert Patrick as Shane Langston
• Domenick Lombardozzi as Guy Russo
• Ty Victor Olsson as Saropian
• Josh Blacker as Hortense Fields
• Al Sapienza as Marsh
• Luke Bilyk as Calvin Franz
• Dean McKenzie as Stan Lowery
• Edsson Morales as Manuel Orozco
• Andres Collantes as Jorge Sanchez
• Shannon Kook-Chun as Tony Swan

Ritchson and Neagley reprise their respective roles from the first season. Everyone else, though, is new to the series, meaning there'll be plenty of new faces to get to know over the course of season 2's eight episodes.

Per an Amazon Studios press release, Sopis will portray O'Donnell, who served with Reacher in 110th, the army's unit of special investigators, and is like a brother to Reacher. Inthe release date and trailer press blast, he's also described as a "fast-talking, switchblade-wielding family man", so expect him to provide lots of comic relief and knife-based skills soon. Meanwhile, Swan's Dixon is a "forensic accountant for whom Reacher has long had a soft spot". Have we just received confirmation of Reacher's romantic dalliance for this season? Potentially.

Elsewhere, Bilyk's Franz, McKenzie's Lowery, Morales' Orozco, Collantes' Sanchez, and Koon-Chuk's Swan are all part of the 110th task force. Blacker's Fields was the lieutenant overseeing the elite special forces, too.

As for the other characters, Kingsley's A.M is described as a "ghost-like mercenary [who] operates under a number of aliases" and who's motivated by money. Patrick's Langston is a "head of security for a private defense contractor with a questionable track record".

Lastly, Olsson's Saropian is a "brutal professional hitman" who begins targeting Ritchson's former army colleagues, Lombardizzo's Russo is a "tough NYPD detective" who investigates the case surrounding Saropian, and Sapienza's Marsh is a former NYPD lieutenant.

Reacher season 2 plot

Here's Reacher season 2's official story synopsis, courtesy of Amazon Studios: "Reacher season 2 begins when veteran military police investigator Jack Reacher (Ritchson) receives a coded message that the members of his former U.S. Army unit, the 110th MP Special Investigations, are being mysteriously and brutally murdered one by one. 

"Pulled from his drifter lifestyle, Reacher reunites with three of his former teammates turned chosen family to investigate, including Frances Neagley (Sten); Karla Dixon (Swan), and David O’Donnell (Sipos). Together, they begin to connect the dots in a mystery where the stakes get higher at every turn, and that brings about questions of who has betrayed them – and who will die next. 

"Using his inimitable blend of smarts and size, Reacher will stop at nothing to uncover the truth and protect the members of his unit. If there’s one thing Reacher and his team know for certain, it’s that you do not mess with the Special Investigators. This season, get ready for Reacher and the 110th to hit back hard."

That's enough to go on for now, but we can glean even more details about the show's second season. First, it's based the 11th book in Lee Child's Jack Reacher book series 'Bad Luck and Trouble', which was released in 2007.

Per the novel's synopsis, the action kicks off when there’s a small, anonymous deposit placed in Reacher’s bank account, which "triggers his fixation for math and his investigative instincts". Using his powers of deduction, he works out that this is a signal that only one of the eight former members of his elite team of army investigators would use, leading Reacher to reunite with Neagley when some of the duo's former teammates start getting bumped off.

That's about all we know without digging too deep in 'Bad Luck and Trouble' – and, honestly, we're okay with that. Part of Reacher's appeal is how it slowly spins out its mysteries, so audiences won't want to go searching for more answers as it'll spoil the biggest surprises to come in season 2.

Reacher's future on Prime Video

We didn't expect a renewal this quickly, but Amazon confirmed a third season was in the works before Reacher season 2 made its Prime Video bow. Speaking to fans at CCXP 2023 (essentially Brazil Comic-Con) via a pre-recorded video in early December, Ritchson revealed filming had already begun on season 3, so we can expect to see the ex-military man embark on more small screen adventures in the near future.

As for more installments post-season 3, Ritchson is more than happy to continue. "I love that Reacher [is always one step ahead of everyone]," he told Square Mile. "He's calculating. This possibility feeds into this possibility. Also, he's not always right – there are times he makes a wrong assumption. I love the fallibility – if I'm playing a chess game with somebody, I'm not gonna win 'em all."

Elsewhere, Reacher author Lee Child told RadioTimes.com that it could potentially run to 26 seasons – and he might not be joking. "By October [2023] there'll be 27 books, so there's 26 more seasons to go by, by which time I'll be about 100," he said. "And that would work for me. But like everything in showbiz, everybody knows this, it's not up to me. It's not up to any of us. It's up to the viewer. Are they going to like it? And I think yes, they are.

"Nothing is ever certain, but they're going to love it I think, and when you've got a series that people love, why not do a second season? Why not do a third? Why not do a 27th? By that time I’ll have written some more. It could go on forever, literally to the heat-death of the universe."

That would be fine with us, Lee, and we're sure there'll be plenty more Reacher on the way as long as audiences continue to tune in.

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