‘Reacher’ Is Good Again, As Season 3 Arrives With Perfect 100% Scores

One of Amazon Prime Video’s most popular shows, one I believe may be on its way to being its most popular, is back for season 3. That would be Reacher, starring Alan Ritchson as the hulking crime-solver, and this new season? Critics all agree that it’s quite good. In fact, with 18 reviews in so far, it has a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

But wait, don’t critics always like Reacher? How can it be good “again”? Well, because critics were straight up wrong about season 2, I don’t care what anyone says. A 98% score for season 2, which had a significant quality drop from season 1 with a focus on an awkward team dynamic, was not good, and the lower audience scores were more right than critics that time.

Are critics wrong now? I don’t think so, as I’ve started watching this season, which has its first three episodes out today, and it’s already a lot better than season 2 as Reacher is back on his own and the storyline this time seems a lot more interesting. Even the choreography is better. Here’s the official synopsis of season 3, which is adapting a new book:

“Based on Lee Child’s novel Persuader, Reacher hurtles into the dark heart of a vast criminal enterprise when trying to rescue an undercover DEA informant whose time is running out. There, he finds a world of secrecy and violence and confronts some unfinished business from his own past.”

One of the main hooks of this season is the introduction of an opponent that gives the very large Reacher a run for his money, a character played by bodybuilding giant Olivier Richters, who is 7’2. Yes, 7’2. Ritchson is always filmed as looking a bit bigger than his 6’3 height, but this man is a full foot taller than him and probably has 100+ pounds on him, at least.

I firmly believe that Reacher may be the most valuable show that Amazon Prime Video has right now. Yes, other shows have reached higher viewership peaks, but I am not exaggerating when I say that Reacher did not leave Amazon’s top 10 show list since season 2 aired in December of 2023. That kind of performance is simply incredible, and it’s clear this show could run for ten seasons if it wanted to, given the source material. And it probably will.

So, Reacher launches today, and new episodes will air every Thursday. Tune in to see the improvements for yourself.

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Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.