Reacher is considered to be one of Prime Video’s top TV shows, thanks to the brutal fight scenes that protagonist Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) finds himself embroiled in & the simple yet compelling idea of Reacher wandering the United States while delivering his own brutal brand of justice. The results speak for themselves: not only does Reacher top Prime Video’s streaming charts with each new season, but it’s slated to receive a spinoff focused on one of Reacher’s allies, Frances Neagley (Maria Sten). There’s another TV series that beat Reacher to the punch in terms of action and influence: Tom Clancy‘s Jack Ryan, based on Tom Clancy‘s novels featuring the titular CIA analyst (John Krasinski) being embroiled in a series of violent encounters.
‘Jack Ryan’ Set The Stage for ‘Reacher’, ‘The Terminal List’ and Other Prime Video Series
Jack Ryan follows a formula that Reacher would adapt to great effect: each season features a different conflict for Ryan to overcome with his “particular set of skills“. In Season 1, he’s taken from his cushy desk job and thrown into conflict with a terrorist; then he has to fight off a plot to resurrect the Soviet Union (yes, really) and eventually learning that there’s a corrupt operator within the CIA. Each of these conflicts usually involves Ryan tracking down, then either killing the antagonist of each season or working to bring them down with his analytical skills. The action sequences feel intense thanks to the different directors that board each season; Phil Abraham, who directed multiple episodes of Daredevil, brings a grittier, down-to-earth approach, while Morten Tyldum delivers the same sense of tension to the pilot that he did with The Imitation Game. As a result, Jack Ryan feels like a different novel from season to season.
The biggest influence Jack Ryan had on Prime Video was convincing the streamer to lean more into television series based on military fiction. Reacher is based on Lee Child‘s novel of the same name, and doesn’t shy away from the fact that Jack Reacher was a former military officer. Likewise, The Terminal List and its spinoff The Terminal List: Dark Wolf draws influence from The Terminal List novels by Jack Carr. Jack Ryan also gave birth to the era of “Dad TV”, which most of these shows fit into. Their meat-and-potatoes storytelling, rugged lead protagonist, and generous use of violence made them huge hits, which led Prime to continue mining the same well. Even Prime’s latest series, Butterfly, fits into this mold: it’s based on the BOOM! Studios comic book that follows a secretive spy organization, and it literally puts the “Dad” in “Dad TV” since Daniel Dae Kim‘s character is attempting to reconnect with his daughter.
‘Jack Ryan’ Might Be Over, But There’s Plans For It to Continue
Jack Ryan managed to last for four seasons, scoring a 78% rating on Rotten Tomatoes during its run. While praise was given to Krasinski’s performance and the action performances, some of the story beats drew controversy. Season 2 drew fire for a plot where Ryan attempts to stop a cache of nuclear weapons from being shipped out of Venezuela; the Venezuelan government criticized this as “crass war propaganda.” Despite the controversy, Jack Ryan is slated to receive a movie picking up after the events of the series, with Krasinski returning in the lead role. It will also feature more of the action that fans have come to love, with Krasinski hyping up the movie’s approach in an interview with Collider’s Tania Hussain. “We were so excited to do a movie. As much as the longform storytelling was a whole different ballgame to play in, it’s really fun to reduce it down and condense the timeline and therefore the tension. So, we’re getting to do all the big fun action movie stuff that we didn’t get to do in a television show,” he said.
Jack Ryan‘s return comes at the perfect time, as it helped to pave the way for Reacher and other hit series on Prime Video. If you love propulsive narratives, intense actions, and the type of hero who can get stuff done on his lonesome, then Jack Ryan is the show for you.
