Does HBO Max have Jack Reacher?

If your father is alive, chances are he likes Jack Reacher. Reacher is the stereotypical "man’s man". He’s intelligent, decisive, and vigilant–oh, and he’s a trained killer. Reacher plays the mysterious stranger, roaming around the nation and running into wrongs only he can right. The behemoth military veteran–written as a six-and-a-half-foot hunk of muscle–with a strong moral center was surprisingly written as a subversion of trends in the written crime thriller genre at the time. Jack Reacher started as a Lee Child novel that spun into a series that numbers closer to 30 than 20 volumes now. The written character mirrors the invincible action hero embodied classically by actors like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone, and yet when he made his feature debut, he was played by Tom Cruise. Cruise, for lack of a better word, freaking killed it as the no-nonsense tough guy in both films–Jack Reacher and Jack Reacher: Never go Back–but since then the franchise has remained silent.

Six years later and Reacher is resurrected for a television series, this time starring Alan Ritchson (Titans). Ritchson definitely fits the look as a late 30-something beefcake himself. Fans dissatisfied with Cruise’s casting last decade finally have their hulking blonde hero, as Ritchson has starred as multiple superheroes and even a ninja turtle. When speaking with Empire, Ritchson talked about leaning into his size for the role saying:

Barefoot, I’m six [foot] three and a half-ish. When I put the boots on, I’m six [foot] five. And we decided we’re gonna come in at 235lbs. I walk around at 205, so I wanted to put on some weight–and it shows on screen. I look like an ox!

In a conversation with the Toronto Sun, author Lee Child heaped praise upon Ritchson saying, “It was all about the very first impression…Immediately, he nailed it.” He continued, “If you loved Reacher [the book series], Alan [Ritchson] nails it, and he just gets better and better.”

Here’s where, when, and how to check out Alan Ritchson’s turn as and on Reacher.

Image via Prime Video

Anyone with an Amazon Prime account has access to Reacher, which is streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Amazon Prime continues to position itself as the home of Tom Clancy’s adaptations with Jack Ryan already approved for a fourth season, Without Remorse reaching almost 5 million households in the first 30 days of release, and a fresh reboot of Reacher arriving imminently.

When is Reacher’s Release Date?

Image via Prime Video

Reacher arrives on Amazon Prime on February 4, 2022. The entire season is set to be released on the same day, so ravenous action and crime fans can have their fill of Reacher starting then.

Watch the Reacher Trailer

Amazon Prime Video released the official trailer for Reacher on December 2, 2021. The video starts off with a prison fight scene that's very reminiscent of the iconic elevator scene in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It firmly establishes what kind of a guy Reacher is and Alan Ritchson is delightful in the role. It's quite clear from the 2-minute clip that Reacher is going all-in on the character's almost-superhuman physical capabilities but playing it mostly for comedic effect. Check out the trailer for the first season above.

How Long is the First Season of Reacher?

Image via Amazon

Reacher debuts with an eight-episode story arc adapting Lee Child’s first Jack Reacher novel, The Killing Floor. In The Killing Floor, Jack Reacher is framed for murder, and he vengefully seeks out those who sought to imprison him. It’s essentially the introductory story of the Reacher mythos, showing how Jack becomes the man we know and love. Additionally, that makes this both the perfect jumping-on point for new fans and a return to the classics for old ones. Each episode runs about an hour-long according to early reviews, so expect more Reacher in more ways than one. The first eight episodes are as follows:

• "Welcome to Margrave"
• "First Dance"
• "Spoonful"
• "In a Tree"
• "No Apologies"
• "Papier"
• "Reacher Said Nothing"
• "Pie"

Directors on the series include Norberto Barba, M.J. Bassett, Sam Hill, Omar Madha, Christine Moore, Lin Oeding, Stephen Surjik, and Thomas Vincent. Lee Child has a writing credit on the series, as does the show's creator Nick Santora. Other writers include Cait Duffy, Aadrita Mukerji, and Scott Sullivan.

The first season is officially described as:

When retired Military Police Officer Jack Reacher is arrested for a murder he did not commit, he finds himself in the middle of a deadly conspiracy full of dirty cops, shady businessmen, and scheming politicians. With nothing but his wits, he must figure out what is happening in Margrave, Georgia.

Do You Need to Watch the Jack Reacher Movies to Understand Reacher?

Image via Paramount

No, you do not! Reacher is basically a reboot of the franchise and completely unconnected from the Tom Cruise movies. You could still check them out, just to see what they're like, but they are not required watching to understand Reacher. The first Jack Reacher movie is currently available for streaming on Hulu and you can rent both Jack Reacher and Jack Reacher: Never Go Back on all the major online video stores.

Critical Reception

Image via Amazon

Early reviews of Reacher (including our own) have been more or less positive, and it's been described as a faithful-if-flawed adaptation of Lee Child’s knight errant. Ritchson is as intimidating as he is wryly comedic as Reacher, and the supporting cast, including Malcolm Goodwin (American Gangster), Willa Fitzgerald (Little Women), and Hugh Thompson (Sea of Love) bring depth and warmth to the series. The show currently averages 82% on the Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes.

Reacher was developed for TV by Nick Santora, a writer, director, and producer known for his work on the shows Prison Break and Scorpion. As one of the writers behind 2008’s Punisher: War Zone, Santora is no stranger to darkly comedic tales of fury and justice. Santora is joined as an executive producer by Reacher creator Lee Child and the director of the first Jack Reacher film, Christopher McQuarrie, among many others.

For more Jack Reacher, check out the two Tom Cruise outings, and check out our list of Reacher’s best books. And don’t miss Reacher streaming starting February 4, 2022, on Amazon Prime Video.