Why Reacher Season 5 Can't Follow The Book It's Based On

Published Sep 20, 2026, 3:00 PM EDT Craig began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016 and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. After previously writing for various outlets, Craig's focus turned to TV and film, where a steady upbringing of science fiction and comic books finally became useful. Craig has previously been published by sites such as Den of Geek. Craig is an approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-elvy-5b31a3381/ Caution: spoilers ahead for Reacher season 4 and Neagley. Not many shows reach five seasons in the streaming era, but Reacher has proven such a hit for Prime Video, it would have been a surprise if Alan Ritchson's all-action extravaganza hadn't been brought back for another round. One reason behind Reacher's success is the tried-and-tested formula that underpins every season. Each batch of episodes brings a new supporting cast, its own mystery to untangle, and a love interest for the protagonist. There will be gags about Reacher's lack of social etiquette, people will be killed in all manner of inventive ways, and comments about Jack Reacher's size will be scattered liberally. Despite Reacher's ever-present elements giving it a sense of structure and reliability, all four seasons thus far have put a unique spin on the formula. Reacher season 1 saw Ritchson's character investigating the death of his brother, Joe, in a deeply personal case. In season 2, the enemy was actively coming after Reacher and his Special Investigators. Reacher season 3 sent the main character undercover in a revenge story. And the recently concluded season 4 found Reacher in the wrong place at the wrong time, unable to let an injustice go unpunished. For the first time, Reacher season 5 may be lacking that unique spin. Reacher Season 5's Story Isn't Completely Unlike Season 4's In fairness to the Prime Video series, most of Lee Child's Jack Reacher books follow the format of Reacher being in the wrong place at the wrong time and becoming invested in solving an injustice, and it's only by carefully picking which books to adapt that Amazon's series avoided such an approach until its fourth season. Unfortunately, it appears that Reacher's ability to offer a fresh direction each season has reached its limit. Season 5 will be based on the Lee Child book Make Me, which isn't too much of a deviation from season 4's source material, Gone Tomorrow. The big difference between Reacher seasons 4 and 5 will be location, with Make Me taking place in a more remote, rural town not completely dissimilar to Margrave from season 1. That's a far cry from the hustle and bustle of Philly, but other aspects of the book feel much more familiar. Make Me is another of Reacher's 'found trouble; must fix' stories, so it'll be the first time Prime Video is adapting that style of narrative back-to-back. Also, the chief victim of Make Me is a close friend of Reacher's newest ally, very similar to Jacob Merrick's family being the victims of season 4. Another parallel between Gone Tomorrow and Make Me is that both books keep their central conspiracies covered until near the end, which was perhaps one of Reacher season 4's most notable frustrations. Diving further down the rabbit hole, Make Me prominently features a journalist who had been looking into conspiracy theories and stumbles across a genuine criminal operation. That, of course, is very close to Reacher season 4's Plum. Indeed, Make Me's central trio of Reacher, ex-FBI agent Michelle Chang, and journalist Westwood is perhaps too close for comfort to season's 4 team of Reacher, Tamara, Jacob, and Plum. Even the dark conspiracy at the heart of Make Me involves video footage of violent killings, which was a beat covered in season 4 when the Hoths made videos of their victims being tortured. Neagley's Spinoff Only Compounds The Issue Prime Video (via MovieStillsDb) It's not just season 4 that Reacher's future needs to worry about. The Neagley spinoff released alongside season 4's final episode, and while it's not based on any specific Lee Child novel, Maria Sten's solo show covers bases that are broadly close to Make Me. Both have bad guys that take advantage of troubled young adults by deceiving them for profit, and both end with the heroes storming a well-defended farm that's hiding a secret criminal operation. Neagley also hits the 'rural town where everyone's in on the secret' beat when the title character visits the burned down house of an investigative journalist (another one). Prime Video's Reacher has previously shown a willingness to chop and change the books, including in season 4 with the villains' origin story, Sampson's fate, and Tamara's entire character. Between Reacher season 4 and Neagley, Reacher season 5 will need to be similarly loose with its novel if it hopes to avoid having too many similarities. Release Date February 3, 2022 Network Prime Video Showrunner Nick Santora Cast Maria Sten Frances Neagley Directors Omar Madha, Carol Banker, Julian Holmes, Lin Oeding, M.J. Bassett, Norberto Barba, Stephen Surjik, Thomas Vincent Writers Cait Duffy Franchise(s) Jack Reacher Creator(s) Nick Santora