Why Reacher Spinoff Finally Broke 5-Year Rule With Alan Ritchson Cameo Explained By Star

Image courtesy of MovieStillsDb Published Sep 17, 2026, 6:56 PM EDT My career in journalism got kicked off after eight years as an active duty Naval Aviator, starting with covering college sports for Inside Lacrosse and SB Nation. After joining the staff at USA Today's For The Win, I started dabbling in pop culture coverage and fell in love with it. I'm happy to talk movies and television any time, and I'm usually listening to music (or an audiobook) in my free time. Sign in to your ScreenRant account The main character of the new Reacher spin-off took a big step in the season finale, even if it seems like not a big deal at first glance. Neagley was released in full on Amazon Prime on Wednesday, September 16. The show follows the journey of Frances Neagley, a private investigator who is trying to get to the bottom of the death of her friend. Maria Sten reprises her role from Reacher in the new series, continuing to build on the lore and background of the friend of the mysterious Jack Reacher. While Alan Ritchson's Reacher isn't a center point of Neagley, it was expected that the bigger-than-life character would make an appearance in the new series. Fans may have had to wait a little longer than they thought, but he showed up in the series finale. With Neagley processing the death of her father, Reacher made an appearance to show his support for his friend. But the duo also shared an unexpected moment. Neagley's character is known to suffer from Haphephobia, or an aversion to human touch. She long thought it was just a condition she dealt with since childhood, but learns more about her past and her relationship with her father as the course of the series goes on. As Neagley dives deeper and deeper into the recesses of her memory, she eventually remembers the traumatic childhood experience that created her phobia. But after her father's funeral, Neagley did something previously out of character: she offered Reacher her hand for a handshake. The gesture is small in the grand scheme of things, but says a lot about her growth and her relationship with her fellow veteran. "If it was ever going to happen, that's the guy," Sten explained in a recent interview with Cinemablend. "The way he shows up that day and the way that she didn't know, but then when she sees him, she's like, 'Of course you're here.' And then the handshake, like, it could only happen with Reacher." The spin-off started off a little shaky in terms of reviews, setting a new Reacher universe record on Rotten Tomatoes with a score of 83% when it debuted. Since then, however, it has climbed north of 90% to 92%. This ties the show with the first season of Reacher, which is a solid start for a new series. Neagley also stars Greyston Holt, Adeline Rudolph, Jasper Jones, Matthew Del Negro, and Damon Herriman. Unlike Reacher, which follows a story from one of Lee Child's novels, Neagley has a more open-ended storyline that could continue on if the series is renewed. All eight episodes of Neagley are available to stream on Amazon Prime, as are four seasons of Reacher.