Reacher Season 2’s Finale Sadly Ended A 12-Year Lee Child Streak
Reacher’s season 2 finale wrapped up the story in a satisfyingly brutal way, but it unfortunately broke a running record by author Lee Child.
Warning: Major spoilers for Reacher season 2 below!
SUMMARY
Lee Child did not make a cameo appearance in Reacher season 2, breaking a running streak from previous films and seasons where he had appeared in small roles.
Child not appearing in season 2 appears to be due to scheduling conflicts.
Reacher’s second season broke a Lee Child running streak that began with the 2012 movie. Child became an author after being fired from his previous job, with Jack Reacher being his attempt to create a unique character within the crowded thriller market.
Over 20 years later, Child’s Jack Reacher books are still being published and have spawned several live-action adaptations. It’s fair to say Child succeeded in his goals since the popularity of Jack Reacher only seems to grow with each passing year.
It’s been said that there’s a lot of Child in the character of Reacher. There’s his towering height, his love of coffee, his hatred of bullies and so forth. He also pushed for many years to make a Jack Reacher movie, but when a suitably muscle-bound leading man couldn’t be found, he and the producers opted to cast Tom Cruise instead.
The author now feels this was a mistake since his readers hated how little Cruise resembled the Reacher found in the books. Hence, the role was recast with Alan Ritchson for Amazon’s television adaptation.
Reacher’s Creator Lee Child Didn’t Cameo In Season 2
For instance, he played a “Desk Sergeant” in the 2012 film and a “Diner Patreon” in Reacher season 1’s finale. These were real blink-and-you-‘ll-miss-’em moments, but for devotees, the Child appearances were a nice bonus. Reacher season 2 has broken this streak as Child doesn’t cameo at all, even during the season finale.
Both seasons of Reacher are streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime.
According to an interview with Reacher showrunner Nick Santora at THR, Child’s busy schedule prevented him making a season 2 appearance.
Santora doesn’t reveal if a Child cameo was ever planned, since Reacher encounters a nice old man on a bus in the finale, which is a role that felt custom-built for the author. Alas, it didn’t come to pass in the second season, though the upcoming Reacher season 3 – which will adapt Child’s Persuader – could always revive this tradition.
Child Is Now Retired From The Jack Reacher Novels
In 2023, Lee Child retired from writing Jack Reacher novels and handed the series over to his brother Andrew. The two co-authored four Reacher novels together in recent years, with their last collaboration being The Secret, which officially marked Child’s final time penning a Reacher adventure. Andrew Child’s first solo Reacher novel, In Too Deep, will be published in 2024.
Child is still involved with Amazon’s Reacher as an executive producer, though he hasn’t written any of the episodes. It’s unknown if Child has retired from writing novels entirely, but it doesn’t feel out of the question he could return to pen another Jack Reacher tale if he so desired. This lack of a Reacher season 2 cameo suggests he’s stepping back from his creation slightly, but after 20-plus years of hard work, he’s more than earned a break.
