Why Is Roscoe Not In Reacher Season 2?

Roscoe was a major character in Reacher season 1, but she is noticeably absent from season 2.

HIGHLIGHTS

 Season 2 of Reacher has notably excluded fan-favorite character Roscoe Conklin from the book it is based on.

 The exclusion of Roscoe in Season 2 doesn’t necessarily mean she won’t return in the future, as other characters not in the book have made appearances.
 There is a possibility of a Roscoe Conklin spin-off series if fans show interest in more adventures in her world.

Reacher Season 2 is coming to an end with only two episodes left to stream on Prime Video, with the finale due out on January 19. Alan Ritchson returned to play the eponymous hero, Jack Reacher in the sophomore run, but he is the only season 1 regular to return in every episode of season 2 thus far.

Frances Neagley appeared in a couple of episodes of season 1, and is now a regular in the current season, but there have been notable absences of former cast members, with Willa Fitzgerald not returning as fan favorite, Roscoe Conklin.

However, season 2 has been well received and Reacher is surrounded by a very good ensemble cast of characters from his former Special Investigations Unit, softening the blow of Roscoe’s absence.

Who is Roscoe in Reacher?

Roscoe Conklin is a police officer who works for the Margrave Police Department who develops a romantic relationship with Jack in Reacher season 1 as they investigate the murders in her local town.

They developed feelings for each other and when it came time for Reacher to leave town after the investigation was complete, he admitted she was the only person that could make him consider staying instead of wandering. She made him promise to call her if he ever found himself near Margrave again, writing her number on the back of a candy bar.

Why does Roscoe not appear in Season 2?

There’s a very straightforward reason why Roscoe didn’t appear in Reacher season 2, and that is because her character doesn’t feature in the book, Bad Luck and Trouble, that the sophomore season is based on. However, this isn’t necessarily a reason why she couldn’t appear, as season 1 favorite, Oscar Finlay returns in episode 4’s ‘A Night at the Symphony’ despite not appearing in the book.

Finlay’s return came about because Reacher and the 110th head to Boston, where Finlay is based, to track down Malcolm Lavoy’s legislative director, David Boyd, who was attending the Boston symphony. They want to find out the link between a program New Age is working on for the Department of Defence, called Little Wing.

Karla Dixon gets acquainted with Boyd, and they head to a car, where she offers him drugs as a trap. Oscar Finlay turns up to arrest Boyd for drug possession and lets Reacher and O’Donnell question him about Little Wing, pretending to be special agents. Reacher thanks Finlay for his help, and they part ways with the promise to help each other in the future and keep in touch.

If something in the story made sense for Roscoe to return, they would’ve almost definitely brought her back, like they have done with Oscar FInlay, but it wouldn’t make sense to bring her back merely as fan service, and that’s essentially why she hasn’t appeared in season 2.

However, there are two episodes left of the current season, so she could yet return to the fray to help Reacher and the 110th bring down Shane Langston.

Will Roscoe ever return in Reacher?

There is every chance Roscoe could return in a future season of Reacher, as she was very much a fan favorite in season 1. Oscar Finlay’s return in season 2 definitely suggests the creative team behind the Prime Video hit action series are definitely open to revisiting old characters as long as it makes sense to the story.

Alan Ritchson is definitely open to the idea of bringing back Roscoe Conklin in the future. When Ritchson was asked in an interview with Slash Film, if he would ever be open to a season that brings back Roscoe or Finlay, he said the following:

I would, for sure. I would be a huge fan of that. I think we should. I think we should at some point. They were just too good. We’re building a world here, and although this is an anthology, to be able to remind the audience that this is a real journey that he’s taken and there are some people that are still there, I think it could be a lot of fun. Yeah, I hope we can do that at some point.

Reacher’s lead star is definitely on board for Willa Fitzgerald to reprise her role as Roscoe Conklin in a future season of Reacher, but this doesn’t mean it’ll definitely happen. A big stumbling block to Roscoe returning is that she never re-appears in any other books in Lee Child’s series, making any significant return highly unlikely.

Roscoe was very much a supporting player in Lee Child’s Killing Floor novel, but the series turned her into a main character who very much became a favorite with fans of the show.

If she was to return, it would probably be similar to Oscar Finlay’s reappearance in season 2. The series is very much dedicated to following the source material, albeit with a willingness to deviate on occasions.

Another idea that would work very well is to create a spin-off series based on Roscoe Conklin further down the line. Bosch: Legacy is another Amazon series based on a series of books that is now branching out into spin-off series, not previously based on the source material. This could mean Reacher could follow suit if fans have an appetite for more adventures in Roscoe’s world.