I am already as excited for Reacher Season 4 as Alan Ritchson’s titular hero is large in stature. I was hooked on developer Nick Santora’s adaptation of author Lee Child’s bestselling novel series from the start, but I think the third season of Reacher has been the strongest yet, which is why I am especially looking forward to what the next return of one of the best Amazon Prime original TV shows has in store.
While Reacher Season 4 was announced even before the third season became available to stream with an Amazon Prime subscription, there is still much that we do not know about Jack Reacher’s next run-in with trouble. So, naturally, I have a few questions regarding what we can expect when the action-packed Amazon Prime original returns.
Quick Facts About Reacher Season 4
Before I get into what I do not know, but desperately want to know, about Reacher Season 4, here is a quick breakdown of all the facts we thankfully have at our disposal for now:
- Reacher Season 4 Currently Has No Premiere Date
- According To Lee Child (via TechRadar), Reacher Season 4 Starts Shooting Summer 2025
- A Neagley Spin-Off Is In The Works
Questions I Have About Reacher Season 4
Having followed the series since the beginning, I have a relatively decent idea of what I can expect from the fourth season. For instance, there is a strong chance we will see Alan Ritchson in one of his best roles kicking ass left and right alongside his latest love interest over the course of eight episodes. That being said, there are still a few things about the series’ next installment that I am still in the dark about.
What Book Will Reacher Season 4 Adapt?
This is usually the first question anyone asks when the latest season of Reacher is greenlit. Following Paramount’s two feature-length adaptations from 2012 and 2016 (which were based on One Shot and Never Go Back), the first season of the show took inspiration from Lee Child’s debut novel, 1997’s Killing Floor, before Season 2 skipped over to the 11th installment, Bad Luck and Trouble, and Season 3 went in reverse, and brought the seventh Jack Reacher novel, Persuader, to life.
As of March 2025, it is anybody’s guess which of Child’s 29 books will serve as the source material for the upcoming season. The author did tell The Independent in February that his choice would be his 22nd novel, 2017’s The Midnight Line, which sees Reacher taking on the illegal opioid trade. Considering the real-world relevance of that topic, I agree that would be a fantastic choice for the character’s next small-screen adventure, but what if the show went in a different direction?
Will Reacher Season 4 Be An Original Story Instead?
Obviously, there would be no Reacher without the acclaimed work of Child, whose words have genuinely inspired some of the most suspenseful, exciting, and fun television I have seen in my lifetime. However, are there any other fans like me who would be curious to see the show tell a completely new story that is not based on a novel for Season 4?
I feel that, at this point in the show’s astonishingly successful run, it has earned the right to try something new and attempt to put Reacher in a situation that not even the most die-hard fans of the books will be able to see coming. I realize there is still a great deal of source material for Santora and co. to borrow from, but I am also deeply confident that they will have plenty of chances to bring many of those stories to life in future installments, which is why it might be worth it to experiment with going off track at least once.
How Much Will Neagley Be Involved This Time?
Reacher’s longtime friend and former colleague, Frances Neagley, was not introduced until Lee Child’s sixth book, Without Fail. However, the army ranger turned private investigator was brought into the series with a four-episode arc in Season 1, as portrayed by Maria Sten, and has practically become its co-lead ever since. This begs the question, will Reacher lose its co-lead in Season 4?
Before Season 3 debuted, Amazon announced that Neagley would lead her own spin-off series, which Sten revealed was in production with an Instagram post from February 2025. Considering that the fourth set of episodes still have some time before the cameras start rolling, it is not completely out of the question that the breakfast cereal-loving badass could be involved in some way. However, I imagine that her screen time will be significantly reduced from her starring role in Season 2, much like it was for Season 3.
Will Tom Cruise Make A Cameo?
At the time I write this, despite my affinity for the TV series, I have actually seen neither of the feature-length adaptations of Child’s books, 2012’s Jack Reacher and 2016’s Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. I intend to use my Paramount+ subscription to watch them at some point in the future because, after witnessing Ritchson’s phenomenal portrayal, I am very curious to see how his predecessor, Tom Cruise, measures up.
Child would later admit he agrees with his readers’ opinion that the 5’7” Mission: Impossible movies star, while great at portraying Reacher from an emotional standpoint, might not have been the right choice in terms of his physical appearance. However, Ritchson attempted to reach out to Cruise as a show of respect and gratitude with a letter that, ultimately, never made it to him because, according to Skydance’s Dan Granger, the actor has “moved on.” Well, I still think it would be really cool if Cruise actually provided evidence of his blessing by at least making a small appearance alongside Ritchson on the show, perhaps as someone from Reacher’s past.
How To Watch Reacher
If you have never seen Reacher before, but the information and speculation above makes you interested in giving it a try, you might want to get to work on catching yourself up before Season 4 drops. Also, go ahead and give the movies a try if you cannot get enough of Lee Child’s badass hero.
How to watch Reacher and the Jack Reacher Movies
With how big of a hit Reacher has become, I would love to see more literary action heroes get their own shows on Amazon Prime or elsewhere. Maybe something else will pop up on the 2025 TV premiere schedule to bide my time before Season 4 hits.