Reacher Showrunner Reveals His Favorite Scene of Season 2
Nick Santora explains why a key Reacher season 2 moment is so cathartic, despite finding it “very challenging from a production standpoint.”
For Nick Santora, the best part of Reacher season 2 was giving antagonist Shane Langston his airborne comeuppance.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the Reacher showrunner discussed some behind-the-scene moments of the hit Prime Video series and the challenges and rewards of having Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) play off a larger supporting cast.
He also praised the finale’s climactic helicopter showdown between Reacher and Langston (Robert Patrick), the New Age Head of Security who orchestrated the murder of Reacher’s ex-Special Investigations Unit colleagues, calling it “very challenging from a production standpoint, but we have such an incredible production team, and our stunt team is so phenomenal.
The writers, producers can just sleep easy knowing that at the end of the day, it’s going to look great. I really enjoyed the moment Langston got what was coming to him on the helicopter. It’s nice to see the bad guys get their due.”
Production on Reacher season 3 is already underway, with Ritchson confirming via Instagram that the season will be an adaptation of author Lee Child’s novel Persuader.
According to Santara, Reacher’s next adventure will feature plenty of what fans love about the character, teasing, “I can tell you Reacher is going to kick the crap out of people; he’s going to be incredibly smart and deductive in figuring things out; he’s going to be a hero and he is going to help save the day!
He’s going to be Jack Reacher.” As for prioritizing a solo Reacher adventure over a team-based one in season 3 — despite Maria Sten returning as Frances Neagley — Santara explained, “The DNA of Reacher is that he moves about on his own and teams up with good people when there’s bad lurking about, and then he says goodbye to those people and goes on his way. And that’s what we’re always trying to stay true to.”
Reacher continues to be a ratings hit for Prime Video, with Neilsen streaming reports confirming that it earned 1.69 billion minutes of watch time following the release of season 2’s first three episodes.
Likewise, Amazon Studios listed Reacher as the streaming platform’s most popular exclusive of 2023, with season 2 earning a Fresh 98% score on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of this article. There is currently no official release date for the third season, though one of Ritchson’s Instagram posts teased his titular character smeared in dirt and mud for unknown reasons.
Recent Prime Video shows include the animated Hazbin Hotel series and a new Zorro adaptation starring Miguel Bernardeau. Upcoming shows, meanwhile, include the Mr. & Mrs. Smith reboot starring Donald Glover and Maya Erskine and the back half of Invincible season 2, which recently confirmed its March 14 release date.
