I know I can't be the only one who watched the trailer for Alan Ritchson and Arnold Schwarzenegger's upcoming Christmas movie The Man with the Bag and had the instant urge to revisit a certain '90s holiday comedy, which also happened to star the Terminator actor. If you have a hankering for Jingle All the Way, or are just looking for a way to kill some time between now and when The Man with the Bag debuts (for everyone with a Prime Video subscription), you can catch the 1996 Arnold Schwarzenegger movie streaming for free right now.

Jingle All the Way (1996)

A truly fun Christmas movie, Jingle all the Way stars Schwarzenegger as a workaholic dad who's desperately trying to secure the most coveted toy of the holiday season for his son. His efforts to get a Turbo Man action figure for little Jamie in time for Christmas lead to a series of holiday-madness shenanigans. In addition to Schwarzenegger, the cast also includes Sinbad, Phil Hartman, Rita Wilson and Jim Belushi.

Stream Jingle all the Way for free on Pluto TV.

The Man With The Bag (Coming Soon to Prime Video)

Adam Shankman's upcoming comedy has Schwarzenegger playing Santa Claus this time around, with Alan Ritchson's character, a thief, along for the sleigh ride when he's enlisted to help Santa with a heist to steal back his Christmas bag. It sounds... well, ridiculous, but in the exact kind of way I want a Christmas movie starring these two actors to be. If you haven't watched the trailer yet, check it out below.

Stream The Man with the Bag on Prime Video starting December 2.

I’ve always thought about The Terminal List, Reacher and Jack Ryan in very similar ways. They’re all book-to-screen adaptations of very popular novels, they all star very big and fit men as the leads, and they’re all very, very, very action-packed. Well, now Chris Pratt has called the similarities out too with a Spider-Man meme. Of course, in reaction to it, Reacher himself, Alan Ritchson, had an A+ comment.

In a year where Reacher and Terminal List both dropped new seasons on the 2026 TV schedule, and Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War premiered on the 2026 movie schedule, we’ve gotten to see Alan Ritchson, Chris Pratt and John Krasinski back in action in very big ways. The Parks and Recreation actor gave a nod to that too, as he posted this funny meme to his Instagram:

Ritchson, Pratt and Krasinski really do kind of feel like the Peter 1, Peter 2 and Peter 3 of the Amazon Prime action universe. I mean, not only are they all big action thriller series centered around former military men, but as the Guardians of the Galaxy star hilariously pointed out, all their characters' initials are JR – Jack Ryan, Jack Reacher and James Reece.

Jokes aside, Pratt praised Reacher and Jack Ryan in his post, telling his followers that he “HIGHLY” recommends watching both projects with an Amazon Prime subscription. However, to bring the jokes back into the mix, Alan Ritchson pointed right back at his action bros of Prime Video by commenting:

I have to say, for the most part, in this post, Ritchson does look like himself. And I am laughing at the fact that, in a way, he is kind of a mix between John Cena and Matt Damon. Seriously, you can always count on the Reacher star to have something funny and unexpected to say on social media.

It’s also lovely to see him hyping up Jack Ryan and Terminal List, just like Pratt showed love for Krasinski’s project and Reacher. All three adaptations have really had a big year, so it’s fun to see these guys applaud each other for the work they’ve done.

In terms of Pratt’s series, The Terminal List finally returned for Season 2 after nearly four years of waiting. While its spinoff, Dark Wolf, did come out between the two seasons, it was great to see James Reece back at the center of the story.

As for Jack Ryan, John Krasinski returned to the role in a movie this year, three years after the release of Season 4.

Meanwhile, Season 4 of Reacher came out a few months ago, and so did its first spinoff series, Neagley. It’s also worth noting that Season 5 of Reacher is in production, and it's already been renewed for Season 6. So, Alan Ritchson is well on his way to living out his dream of playing the character for at least ten seasons.

All around, it’s been a big year for “THE JRS,” as Chris Pratt lovingly named this ragtag team of action shows, and hopefully there’s more to come. While we wait for that, though, I’ll be thinking about this Spider-Man meme, Ritchson’s comment, and the possibility of one day seeing all these actors in one big project together.

I love action movies with a Christmas theme. There aren’t many, but we’re adding one to the list this year: The Man with the Bag. Prime has finally dropped the first trailer, and we get to see the magic between the two stars, Alan Ritchson and Arnold Schwarzenegger. The movie will be available with a Prime subscription on December 2nd, and I’m already getting in a holiday mood.

The Trailer Looks So Fun!

A couple of years ago, Amazon MGM produced Red One as a Christmas action movie with Dwayne Johnson, and, well, it bombed. I actually secretly loved it, though. I even watched it again last Christmas. This one feels very much in the same vein, which may turn people off, but surely people are excited to see Schwarzenegger pass the torch of the biggest action star in the world (literally and figuratively) to Ritchson in this upcoming Christmas movie? Ritchson is a natural inheritor of action roles Schwarzenegger took on at the peak of his career. Everyone wants to see Ritchson play the Terminator! I sure do.

The Man with the Bag, at least from the trailer, does feel like a handoff. Schwarzenegger plays Santa, and he’s looking for a traitorous elf played by Akwafina who’s stolen his bag of presents. He enlists a thief (Ritchson) to help him recover the bag and save Christmas. It’s not exactly the most complicated plot, but Christmas shouldn’t be complicated. It’s family-friendly and fun. That’s what makes for Christmas movies that you want to watch year after year. Jingle All the Way, also starring Schwarzenegger, is certainly one of those movies. This looks like it could be too.

Alan Ritchson has serious screen presence, which is especially evident in the various action projects he works on. Of course, part of what makes the star so distinctive is his physique, which makes him quite imposing. The rippling muscles – including the rock-hard abs – are the results of Ritchson’s efforts in the gym. While I’ve certainly long been aware of just how strong Ritchson is, I still wasn’t expecting a wild clip I just stumbled upon. The video in question shows Ritchson snapping a zip tie with just his strength.

Yes, you read that correctly. Ritchson apparently proved his strength while promoting Reacher (which is available to stream with a Prime Video subscription) on The Talk in 2022. Ritchson took part in a segment involving co-host Akbar Gbajabiamila, who restrained the actor’s hands with a securely fastened zip tie to see if he could break loose. Initially, Ritchson dropped a few jokes while his hands were being tied up, but the energy in the room changed quickly after he got free. Take a look at the video:

If someone still doesn’t find themselves being impressed with the War Machine alum after seeing that clip, then I just don’t know what to tell you. Seriously, he snapped that zip tie like it was a twig. He did, of course, cut himself just a tad, but even that was just a small wound. Also, the amazing feat was further put into perspective when Gbajabiamila’s hands were also zip tied, and he didn’t even come close to freeing himself. To put it simply, Ritchson is just built differently (both figuratively and literally).

The Fast X alum has never exactly been one to hide his body, as he’s shared more than a few shirtless photos on social media. Aside from that, though, he’s also shared insight into his workout regimen, which can include four sets at 25 reps of a specific exercise. The notion of doing 100 Reps of one piece of training is downright wild to me, but it definitely seems to work for Ritchson. After all, this is a guy who manages to keep himself at under 10% body fat. Talk about commitment.

Of course, much of the hard work Alan Ritchson puts in these days is due to his continuing gig as the eponymous character on Reacher. A few years ago, the star got real about having put on 30 pounds to play the Lee Childs’ famous action hero, though he also couldn’t say for sure exactly how much of that was lean muscle. Nevertheless, that's impressive, and that’s only the work he puts in ahead of principal photography. Filming also gets rough, and Ritchson even recalled breaking his shoulder amid Season 1 and not being able to get surgery until the season was done.

Ritchson has been staying quite busy as of late, as he’s seemingly been landing gigs left and right. As far as the 2026 movie schedule goes, he has three films on it, including an upcoming holiday movie, The Man with the Bag. Of course, Ritchson has also been filming the fifth season of Reacher and has posted quite a bit about it on social media. His “proof of life” videos from the set have been particularly entertaining.

As wild as Alan Ritchson’s on-screen heroics might be, though, I’m not sure I’ll ever forget the sight of him breaking that zip tie with such ease. The man is honestly making me want to get back to the gym and start exercising regularly again. Of course, if I want to get to where Ritchson is, I’ll have to pump iron for some time.

The Reacher franchise on Prime Video just can’t seem to slow down on the 2026 TV schedule. Both Season 4 of the action drama and the first season of its new spinoff, Neagley, have been taking over the streamer. Now, as both shows work on new seasons, I've been wondering if the franchise could expand even more. Well, Jack Reacher author Lee Child has an idea for another spinoff, and I’m totally on board.

Child’s Jack Reacher series has 30 books and counting, meaning there are plenty of stories and characters to adapt. That's an overwhelming task, but it isn’t stopping the author from pitching his ideas, especially given the fact that Reacher's first spinoff series launched recently and it was renewed for Season 2. So, on the heels of the critically acclaimed Neagley and the release of Child's latest book, Chain Reaction, he spoke to Collider about potentially expanding the TV franchise through the role of U.S. Army Commanding Officer Major Susan Turner:

Major Susan Turner is first introduced in 2010’s 61 Hours and is brought back for 2013’s Never Go Back. She is portrayed on-screen by Cobie Smulders in the 2016 Jack Reacher sequel film, which is an adaptation of Never Go Back. Now, 13 years after her last book appearance, Susan is making a comeback in Chain Reaction, which was released on Tuesday. Child’s brother, Andrew, has taken over as lead on the novels, and it sounds like he couldn’t be happier about the decision to bring Susan back.

While Susan has yet to find herself in the Reacher show, it’s not too late. The Prime Video hit was recently renewed for Season 6, and Season 5 is in production, so there is plenty of time to get her on board. Plus, it wouldn’t be terrible if Amazon were to just give a Susan spinoff a straight-to-series order, since she’s already established in the books. I would love another Reacher series regardless, but it would be fun to introduce a new character and a new series at the same time.

As for who could play Susan, the possibilities are certainly endless. Given how separate the movies are from the show, I would assume that Smulders would not be in contention to return, but you never know. All I know is that whoever plays her would need to be someone who can hold their own with Alan Ritchson and Maria Sten.

It’s unknown what plans Amazon has for Reacher beyond the next two seasons of the Alan Ritchson-led drama and the second season of Neagley. However, there are plenty of ideas to go around. For now, fans will just have to get their Major Susan Turner fix with the latest Jack Reacher novel, Chain Reaction. Meanwhile, all four seasons of Reacher and the first season of Neagley are streaming now with an Amazon Prime subscription.

While there doesn’t seem to be an end close by for Reacher, which was just renewed for Season 5, there could be one for the book series. The 31st book (you read that right) in the series, Chain Reaction, is out October 20 and is reportedly not the last in the series. There will most likely be a 32nd book. However, Reacher’s author knows how he wants to end the series (but I can’t help being distracted by the insane amount of coffee he drinks).

Author Lee Child has given some thought into Jack Reacher’s final moments and a dog could be involved. It’s important to note that while the British author has ideas for the ending, the book series is a collaboration between him and his brother Andrew Child, who took over the series around 2020. While one Child was celebrating the new season’s success on the 2026 TV schedule, the other was prepping Reacher for a new adventure in a small town. The British author shared his thoughts to USA Today, and yes, revealed just how much coffee he drinks.

Child Has Thoughts For Reacher's End

The newest book is taking a more modern focus. According to the premise, “Reacher finds himself in a tiny, remote town with more data centers than people. Artificial intelligence plays a major role.” Child credits his brother for the incorporation of technology into the series which began in the ‘90s. The way the author talks, this is far from the last adventure for Reacher, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have thoughts for an ending. Actually he has three.

One of these finds our favorite hero stopping at a random place and deciding to make himself at home. Child explains how Reacher could potentially choose a civilian route as a his last hooray:

The other ideas are on varying ends of drama. The first one stems from a scrapped final project entitled “Die Lonely,” and finds Reacher forced to choose between saving himself or someone else. Naturally, he takes the option where he’s “bleeding to death on a filthy floor in a motel bathroom.” The second is a more peaceful open-ended conclusion with Reacher on a bus and you never learn where he ends up. He just rides off into the sunset and it’s goodbye.

Child Drinks How Much Coffee?

To write now over 30 books in a series (or at least collaborate) and EP a series, surely the author has a trick up his sleeves, right? Turns out, Child gears up for a night of writing by drinking an average of 20 cups a day. That is not an exaggeration according to the writer. One note by USA Today reads that his record is 36. Of course, these are interspersed with gum or cigarettes or something to eat. Is this healthy? I’m not really sure how to answer that. I certainly couldn’t survive on that much coffee every day, but it seems to work for the author who has sold over 100 million copies.

Not only is the book series a success, but the Prime series just had a successful Season 4 with high-praise from critics, which isn’t always easy to get. Alan Ritchson has been teasing fans with "proof of life" videos while filming Season 5 and it’s making the wait impossible. Reportedly, the season will be adapted Book 20, Make Me. According to the synopsis: “Reacher steps off a train in a remote Oklahoma town called Mother's Rest out of sheer curiosity about its name, and soon gets pulled into a missing-person investigation.” Plus, fans are already loving the spin-off, Neagley, which stars Maria Sten and was renewed for a Season 2. You can watch both shows with an Amazon Prime subscription.

Hopefully, since Child hasn’t settled on a true end for Reacher this means there are many more towns to visit and many more bad guys to take down, right? In the meantime, check out the newest book…. Maybe over a cup of coffee (or 20).

These days, Alan Ritchson is synonymous with Jack Reacher. He’s been playing the character in Prime Video’s book-to-screen adaptation for four seasons, and he’ll continue to do so for at least two more, as Season 5 is in production and the series got an early renewal for Season 6. However, before he was cast, Joe Manganiello was up for the part, and he is alleging that he might not have gotten it because of Tom Cruise and their mutual connection to Sofía Vergara.

Manganiello claimed he was a frontrunner to play Jack Reacher in Reacher in his memoir Bloodlines (via Page Six). Apparently, he met with Don Granger, a Skydance Media exec, in 2020 about the part. They spoke about the role, including Tom Cruise not fitting the physical description of Jack Reacher. Along with this, the exec reportedly told the Magic Mike actor that he was “the closest thing to Jack Reacher that I’ve ever met in my entire life.” However, ultimately, he didn’t get the part. Why?

Well, Manganiello thinks Cruise might have had something to do with it, as he wrote his team had hedged at the time Cruise may have been involved, though the actor wasn't listed specifically.

It’s worth noting that Tom Cruise is not listed as an executive producer on the show Reacher, per IMDb. He did produce his own Jack Reacher movies; however, he has no credited involvement with the Amazon series that features Alan Ritchson as the titular character.

However, Cruise reportedly dated Vergara for a short time in 2005. Then, the Modern Family actress was with Manganiello for nearly a decade. The pair got married in 2015, and then their divorce was announced in 2023. So, at the time of Reacher’s development, he was still with Vergara.

Again, it’s not known what exactly played into the final choice; Manganiello stated what he and his team thought happened in his book. However, he also noted in his memoir that Jennifer Salke, who was the head of Amazon MGM Studios from 2018 to 2025, was not happy about potentially casting him as Reacher.

The actor wrote that showrunner Nick Santora, Skydance owner David Ellison and Lee Child, the author of the Jack Reacher books, were supposedly wanting to hire him, but she was allegedly upset because she was not a big part of the decision-making process. The actor wrote:

So that could have come into play when Ritchson got signed on, as well. Regardless, it's definitely some very juicy behind-the-scenes info either way.

Ultimately, it was Alan Ritchson who earned the role of Reacher. During a conversation with Empire, he said that the audition process was “very competitive and took over a year," so it doesn't sound like it was a cake walk for him or Joe Manganiello.

In fact, the first time he tried out for the part, “they passed on [him] and everybody else that auditioned.” Eight months later, the Fast X actor got called in again to audition in front of a new casting director with a new script, and then he was officially offered the part.

At the end of the day, Alan Ritchson is Jack Reacher now. So, if you’d like to see him in Reacher, you can stream it with an Amazon Prime subscription. If you want to see what Joe Manganiello is up to, you can stream Season 2 of One Piece with a Netflix subscription and read his new book, Bloodlines, now.

Alan Ritchson is in between Reacher premieres right now, but we know Season 5 is already in the works. The very much renewed Amazon Prime series is expected to film into December of this year, and its star is trying to stay fit for the long haul. Yet, he says he’s trying to do this without major “strain,” a practice he learned after a harrowing injury during his first season starring in the popular action series.

In fact, it sounds as if the actor still vividly remembers the day he broke his shoulder while filming, and the ramifications it had for him for the rest of Season 1. He was under contract, they had a show to make, and unfortunately, there was no time to get surgery in the middle of filming a slew of complex fight scenes that — you guessed it – often required him to use his shoulder.

If you’re a Ritchson fan, the injury itself may be common knowledge for you. He’s mentioned in passing he had surgery after Season 1 of Reacher before, but I guess I just didn’t realize the timeline of when that injury happened or what it actually meant for him and his workouts when it came to prepping for and filming the show. I know he's a tough cookie. He's mentioned getting bruised and battered on set before, but filming through a broken shoulder is something else entirely.

In a long-ranging interview with TDL podcast, he explained what was going with his shoulder during actual filming in a way that makes me want to go back and rewatch to see if I can spot it.

Ritchson has run fans through his workouts before. He does a lot of recovery work that helps him remain jacked without tearing his body up. He's smart about his fitness choices. Sometimes he’s doing up to a 100 reps of certain exercises but at a lower weight in order to get his pump in, a fact I as an 8-10 rep gym girlie, find fascinating.

The actor has said he thinks Reacher is just getting started, and it could go on for a long time. But the caveat to that is his body must hold up. It sounds like he’s doing the things to make sure an experience like he had in Season 1 isn’t repeated.

Now excuse me while I go back and rewatch Season 1 of Reacher with my Amazon Prime subscription and see if I can spot him fighting through that injury.

I think anyone with an Amazon Prime Video subscription probably understands that Alan Ritchson is jacked, whether or not they watched Reacher Season 4. The man is splashed all over the home screen on the streamer between his various movies and his very popular TV show. He’s a big, fit guy, and as a gym girlie myself, I know this takes dedication and diligence. I just didn’t realize the “high high volume” of reps he was putting in.

Ritchson recently sat down with Thomas DeLauer Podcast, and explain his strategy for staying swole. Some of this involves eating right and throwing in a lot of HIIT cardio with sprints and the Stairmaster, the latter of which does not always go over so well. Some of this is because he literally likes to do four sets at 25 reps of a given exercise.

Gym newbies are often taught to do three sets of eight for each exercise, and maybe push to nine or 10 before going up a plate or free weight. People who are more intermediate or advanced often throw in extra sets or increase reps at a lower weight to keep things interesting, so it’s not like a giant surprise Alan Ritchson might do longer rep sets. BUT 100 reps for one exercise is a lot.

He said for years he didn’t “have a gym membership” so he’d go to parks where he’d do pushups, pull-ups, dips and sit-ups at high volume, and that ethic has stuck with him as he’s gotten more successful in life and at the gym.

Yes, Alan Ritchson probably isn’t going the heaviest he can go when he’s doing these 100 reps. This video shows him curling what looks to be two 25 lb plates (don’t quote me) on a small bar. So, it’s more weight than I can probably curl, but for a big guy, going longer is probably important here.

It gets wilder. When he’s doing his core warmup, he’s apparently aiming for 250 reps of things like leg lifts, crunches and more in sets of 25, which he calls a “warm up.” Of course these are all body-weighted exercises, and not with barbells or free weights, but it’s still an incredible amount of reps. No wonder the man is eating around 5,000 calories a day, a number similar to what David Corenswet was also eating for Superman.

He then works into the cardio (sprints) and, finally, the weights.

So, How Much Does Alan Ritchson Bench?

The actor says he is absolutely not trying to go as heavy as possible with lifting. He’s known too many people who go too hard and end up with joint replacements, which is for him where this “volume” strategy comes in. Still, umm, I’d say he benches quite a lot more than the average person, as he noted after mentioning people ask him all the time how much he benches.

It’s no wonder Amazon is fine shamelessly promoting Reacher with a slew of shirtless pics. The work paid off.

There Is A Caveat To All This.

Alan Ritchson did state he aims for four sets of 25. That doesn’t mean he always completes four sets of 25. I think it’s an important distinction, because not every lift is the same, and your body isn’t always up to the same thing it was a week or two before.

Still, forget that measly three sets of eight routine. If he can go lighter but harder, he’s getting the pump that allowed him to put on a whopping 30 pounds to play Jack Reacher. If volume is also what you are going for, it’s not a bad strategy at all. Now, excuse me, a mere mortal, while I try to get to 10 reps.

The fourth season of Reacher delivered one of the most unabashedly brutal fight sequences of anything on the 2026 TV schedule. While it may not have leaned into abject realism throughout, what with Amisha Hoth walking away from that multi-story fall, the series does largely adhere to the "reality" set up by bestselling author Lee Child throughout his various novels. To the point where star Alan Ritchson will occasionally step in and respond when critical fans try to base their complaints on the books.

Case in point: Reacher's multiple knock-down, drag-out fights in the finale did not sit quite so swimmingly with one viewer who dropped his comments on Threads saying, "if you read the books, you know Reacher never loses a fight," and cites the Reacher Rules to say that the character doesn't even come close to losing any brawls. By that logic, the fan (who did compliment Ritchson in the same breath) said they thought it was a bad idea to make the outcome of any Reacher fight even potentially questionable.

That's when Alan Ritchson entered the chat to "politely" make some clarifications. In his words:

If only all disagreements in this world could be like this, where the "aggressor" is just floating thoughts out there, and the "defender" shares a correction and nobody gets immediately insulting or butthurt.

Sure, everyone gets to have an opinion, but it's wild that anyone would want to watch a show or read a novel series fronted by a completely unstoppable hero (or villain) who has zero chances of losing in a confrontation. I mean, I wish I WAS that kind of character who always comes out on top, but suffice to say, that ain't me. And it's not Reacher, either.

As it often goes when Alan Ritchson chimes in personally anywhere on social media, fans were quick to applaud his "Well, actually..." rebuttal while also sharing love for the show in general. Props to the fan who pointed out that Kryptonite exists specifically to give Superman a vulnerability, since having a hero who's entirely invincible is kinda boring. Here's a smattering of other responses:

• "There's wrong. There's very wrong, and then there's being corrected by Reacher about Reacher. I would fade away into dust if this happened."
• "He was summoned and he Reachered the reply."
• "The most articulate Hollywood mic drop in a minute"
• "Coincidentally I just finished reading Tripwire a few hours ago so I can confirm the nail paradigm and that Reacher is close to loosing battles eg The Enemy. Greetings from Greece."
• "I don’t have a photographic memory, but after reading every book, I’m left with a strong impression that there is usually one fight where Reacher sustains significant damage but ultimately prevails because he only moves forward. He’s not indestructible, he just always finds a way."
• "Swear to god, Reacher better say Cray Cray in the next season or I’m done with this show!"

[Record scratch.] Okay wait, I don't think anyone actually needs to hear Alan Ritchson say "cray cray" in Season 5. Even though some of the stuntwork he's posted about via "proof of life" videos does sound crazy in that sense, I will not be able to handle it if he utters such slang. I also may vomit in my mouth if Reacher ever uses any slang terminology coined post 2022. Unless it appears in a novel. (So let's hope 2027 doesn't bring Lee Child's The Vibe-Mogging Chud to shelves.)

We do already know that Reacher Season 5 will be based on the character's 12th novel, Make Me, and that it's currently filming. New co-star Jay Baruchel has had nothing but good things to say about it, and it seems like showrunner Nick Santora & Co. will successfully be able to stick to the yearly releases that so many other streaming series fail at these days.

As we wait for more updates, Reacher's first four seasons are available to stream in full via Amazon Prime subscription.

Reacher’s fourth season wrapped up with a particularly brutal finale for the hulking hero, and it sounds like Season 5 is already going even harder (at least according to incoming star Jay Baruchel). The character has certainly come a long way since the vaguely more limited scope of Season 1, and the circumference of his biceps has grown just a tad. But I personally hadn’t paid much attention to how Reacher’s running skills have evolved over the years, at least a fan’s comment sparked some sassy insight from Alan Ritchson.

Over on Threads, writer Matt Johnson pointed out that it was clear in the second season that “Reacher couldn’t run,” but then used the words “brilliant” and “remarkable” to describe the character’s running in Season 4. (An amusing observation to make at a point when Ritchson’s latest crowd-pleasing movie is actually called Runner.) He surmised that “something changed,” and that’s when Ritchson entered the chat with an amusingly candid (and presumably legitimate) reason.

Somebody get the fire extinguisher, because Alan Ritchson hilariously just pushed the burn off of himself and onto his stunt team. And the comment section was filled with fans who were amused that he made the effort to even respond. (Beyond all the thirsty folks who were just overenthused to learn that he's on Threads in the first place.)

One of the top comments comes from someone who claims to have been the actor's stunt double in Season 2, saying he "can confirm" that's the case. (He also says Reacher rips his character's face off by the beard in Season 5, so that's something to possibly look forward to if indeed true.)

Check out a handful of other replies:

• "Look, it's really hard for them to run when it's two guys in a Alan sized bodysuit. 😂"
• "Stunt doubles out here catching strays. 🤣 'I don’t suck at running, THEY do' 😜"
• "I figured Reacher just got sick of Neagly calling him slow"
• "Can they run for me instead? I don’t wanna… 🤣"
• "I always thought you were just staying true to the book Reacher who couldn't run for shit and hated it. It's mentioned pretty much every time he has to break into a run 😂 I'm yet to catch up to Gone Tomorrow to see if Reacher miraculously starts running."

That this is even an issue is quite amusing for two reasons. One, it's pointed out above that in Lee Childs' novels, running is one of the last ways Reacher will try to get from one place to another. So it should really be a moot point on the TV show, and I can definitely picture Ritchson having all kinds of attitude anytime he's forced to hoof it anywhere.

Two, Ritchson being cast for Reacher was in part to counteract the films using Tom Cruise, despite the actor's height not matching up with the source material. Meanwhile, Cruise is also known for being one of the best runners in all of cinema, and has poked fun at himself for it over the years. I'm not saying that's specifically why Ritchson felt the need to take over for his stunt doubles for those sequences, but it'd be wild if that was the case.

It sounds like Ritchson had some influence on occasional co-star Maria Sten, who performed a lot of her own stunts in the Neagley spinoff. But I'm not sure what people are saying online about her running abilities, and I'm keen to keep it that way.

While both Reacher and Neagley have wrapped their runs on the 2026 TV schedule, fans can still catch all episodes streaming via Amazon Prime subscription while waiting for more updates on the next batch of episodes. If Ritchson lands any sponsorship deals with a shoe company to promote a line of runners…well, you know what the deal is.

In both Reacher and Neagley, Alan Ritchson and Maria Sten are known for being ready and able to do a lot of their own stunts. However, there are some action sequences they can’t do, and Sten told us about one featured in the first season of Neagley (which you can stream with an Amazon Prime subscription) that wasn’t “insurable.”

When CinemaBlend’s Sarah ElMahmoud interviewed Maria Sten at San Diego Comic-Con ahead of Season 1’s premiere on the 2026 TV schedule, she asked about the scene in Episode 4 when Neagley jumps out of a window and into a tree. Sten replied by calling it a “wild sequence,” and then explained that it was filmed on a stage and outside on location and then stitched together. She also revealed this was a stunt she wasn’t allowed to do:

That is a bummer, but it also makes sense. In the scene in question, Neagley is escaping a house from the top floor, and to get out she has to jump out of a window, onto a roof and into a tree. She then drops to the ground and runs away. It’s a quick but epic moment. And apparently it was high stakes enough that Sten couldn’t be insured to do it. So, her stunt double did it, as the actress recalled:

Overall, I do get why this was the case. Even if the actors are perfectly capable of doing stunts and do most of them themselves, sometimes you need a double to step in. So, in this moment during the Reacher spinoff, Sten’s stunt double had to do the jump.

Plus, it’s well documented that Alan Ritchson has been thrown through walls, injured and needed surgery because of the action in Reacher. There is risk in filming shows like this, so precautions need to be taken. And in Neagley’s case, that meant Maria Sten wasn’t insured on this tree stunt.

I am curious if this happened with other action sequences throughout the well-reviewed first season of Neagley. I’d also love to know about some of the stunts Sten was able to do herself. I know she’s a remarkable action star, and as she said, she loves to do her own stunts when she can. So, next time I watch Neagley, you better believe I’ll be paying close attention to her action-packed moments.

If you’d like to do the same, or if you haven’t watched the first season of Neagley yet, you can do so right now with an Amazon Prime subscription. Trust me, it’s worth it for all the action, including this “wild” stunt that Maria Sten wasn’t insured for.

Alan Ritchson is known for hyping up what’s to come on Reacher. In fact, as Season 4 was airing on the 2026 TV schedule, he was already starting to get us excited about Season 5. However, he’s not the only one doing that; his new co-star, Jay Baruchel, was teasing what’s to come recently, as he took a page out of Ritchson’s hype book and dropped an f-bomb in the process.

We found out Jay Baruchel was joining the cast of Reacher Season 5 earlier this summer, which was thrilling considering he was supposed to be in Season 4 but had to drop out. Now, he’s being asked about filming this upcoming book-to-screen adaptation, and while he can’t say much, he did say this to Collider:

What a statement! Somehow, every season of Reacher seems to go harder than the last. I mean, in Season 3, we got the Paulie vs. Reacher fight, which, according to Ritchson’s co-star Olivier Richters, was “the most physically demanding thing” either of them have ever had to do.

Then, for Season 4, Alan Ritchson was throwing bowling balls and saying that this season included “the best fight ever.” While I don’t know which one he’s referring to, I know that the finale battle of the season was certainly my favorite.

So, for Baruchel to say that Season 5 will be the “fucking heaviest” and it’ll go “very hard” is saying a lot, because the bar is already very high. However, based on Ritchson’s BTS posts and these comments, it certainly sounds like we’re in for a wild ride. Plus, when Baruchel was asked if he’d be in the action, he was willing to confirm that he would be, saying:

Well, get ready folks, cause it sounds like we’re in for a wild ride.

That ride will be based on Lee Child’s book Make Me, which is the 20th book in his Jack Reacher series. In it, Reacher winds up in a small town in the Midwest where he finds himself working with a PI to find her missing colleague. They end up uncovering a much bigger issue that takes them to LA, Chicago, Phoenix and San Francisco, per the book’s description. However, everything ties back to this small town.

In Season 5, Baruchel will play Chief Buck Bauer, and it sounds like he’ll be heavily involved in the action. So, you better believe I’ll be tuned in to see what exactly that action is and how it proves to be the “heaviest” season of Reacher yet.

However, while we wait for that, you can stream the first four seasons of Reacher with an Amazon Prime subscription.

There’s no denying that Alan Ritchson is ripped, and Reacher plays into that fact. It makes sense too; canonically, Reacher is a big, buff guy. I love how Prime Video is playing into this fact, though, because as Season 4 came to an end on the 2026 TV schedule, the streamer posted some shirtless pictures of the show’s star, and fans can’t get enough.

If you watch Episode 6 of Reacher’s fourth season with an Amazon Prime subscription, you can see Alan Ritchson shirtless for a full scene. During this moment, Reacher and Tamara are cleaning themselves up and changing so when they go back out, they don’t look like they’ve just been in a fight. And for a few seconds, Ritchson’s abs are on full display, as you can see in this Instagram post:

Hilariously, in the sequence this post highlights, Tamara notes that Reacher won’t exactly blend in as he’s taking off his shirt to put a clean one on. She also called out Reacher for sleeping with the enemy, and all around the whole sequence was very self-aware and entertaining.

It also showed off Ritchson’s physique, which fans 100% appreciate, as they wrote comments like:

• Great marketing. Thank you! 🙏🧎‍♂️-nickfpauley
• One of the best plots 🙄🙄😜😜🤩🤩🤩🤩 -imma2605
• Amazon out here doing the Lords work! 😍 -corissam
• When she says she’s watching Reacher for “the plot” 😂 -pixiewillowmoon
• My goodness!🙃 -mssealover
• Well I mean… come on 🔥🔥🔥-fincher_kristy

Listen, Reacher knows what it is, it’s marketing team knows how to crack a joke, and clearly the fans appreciate it. Plus, Alan Ritchson leans into it all as well, as he posts shirtless photos on his own Instagram occasionally and is very honest about what it takes to stay in shape so he can keep playing Reacher.

From eating 5,000 to 6,000 calories per day to posting videos of his workouts, the guy is committed to staying in great shape. He’s also committed to Reacher’s look and action. Ritchson hasn’t held back about the toll filming stunts takes on him, and he’s clear about how hard he’s willing to work to pull them off. A byproduct of all that hard work is funny posts like this about him being shirtless in the show.

Now, I’ll be curious to see if we get more content like this in the near future. While Reacher’s Season 4 finale just dropped, Season 5 is currently in production. Considering how many on-set updates we’ve already gotten from Ritchson about filming big action and the shenanigans they get into behind the scenes, I’d assume more entertaining content that highlights his work and abs is on its way. In the meantime, you can stream Reacher (and the scene Amazon posted about) over on Prime Video.

Spoilers for Season 1 of Neagley are ahead! You can stream the series with an Amazon Prime subscription.

We knew Jack Reacher would appear in Neagley, Reacher’s spinoff on the 2026 TV schedule. However, what we didn’t know was that he’d be involved in a monumental moment for Maria Sten’s titular character. So, obviously, we had to ask the actress about this sequence, Reacher’s cameo, and why this had to happen with Alan Ritchson’s character.

The scene I’m referring to comes in the finale, when Reacher shows up to support Neagley at her dad’s funeral. Afterward, as they’re walking away, Sten’s character shakes Ritchson’s character’s hand. Due to her haphephobia, she does not touch people, so her admitting she wants to change and offering her hand to Reacher was a very big deal. According to the lead actress, this is the only way a moment like this could have happened.

Maria Sten Told Us Why Neagley Shook Reacher’s Hand

Since Neagley and Reacher have known each other for so long, and accept each other for exactly who they are, it makes sense that she’d choose to shake his hand first. Her first significant and intentional moment of touch is a big deal, and it feels obvious that it should be with Reacher. To that point, Maria Sten told us at San Diego Comic-Con that this whole interaction felt natural:

Along with that, Sten explained that this interaction “speaks volumes about their relationship.” We’ve seen Neagley and Reacher work together since Season 1 of Reacher, and according to the actress, that history is referenced in a lovely way through this interaction in Neagley’s finale:

This handshake does solidify how much Neagley and Reacher mean to each other, and as Sten told us, it “lands the whole plane” as it shows their “closeness.” Overall, she thought the gesture was “profound,” and it helped Neagley show that she’s ready and willing to work on herself, as Sten said:

I couldn’t agree more with her. Season 1 of Neagley is deeper than Reacher, as it dives into her past and reveals why she won’t touch people. It’s illuminating for both us as the audience and her personally. So, to have it end with her shaking hands with the one character she has a rich history with meant the world.

How Maria Sten And Alan Ritchson Reacted To This Moment Behind The Scenes

Speaking of Reacher and Neagley’s history, Alan Ritchson and Maria Sten have quite a history too. They’ve worked together for five years, so to have that all culminate in this handshake felt very full circle. To that point, I asked Sten what it was like behind the scenes for her and Ritchson as they filmed this monumental moment. She said it was very easy and natural:

Sten also noted that her favorite part of the whole scene was “Neagley’s little sass,” which was my favorite bit too. While this was a heartfelt and meaningful scene for her and Reacher, she still had to sass him a bit.

While things were smooth and easy on set, like it was any other day at work, Sten did note that at one point it hit her how big a deal this handshake was:

While it was a big scene, it also felt very natural, and I think that’s why it works so well. Neagley trusts Reacher, and her reaching out her hand really hammered that idea, alongside her desire to change and heal, home.

Now, hopefully this scene can serve as a jumping-off point for Neagley’s growth if her show gets a second season. So far, Neagley has gotten pretty good reviews, and it comes right on the heels of Reacher’s Season 4 finale. Therefore, I have hope for the future, and it’s clear Neagley does too, considering she had the courage to shake her longtime friend’s hand.

Spoilers for the fourth season of Reacher are ahead! You can stream the series in full with an Amazon Prime subscription.

Reacher’s whole thing is that the only character who comes back is Alan Ritchson’s Reacher (and sometimes Maria Sten, who plays Neagley). Each season he goes to a new place and runs into a new set of characters. However, after watching the critically acclaimed fourth season of Reacher as it aired on the 2026 TV schedule, there are two characters from this season who I really want to come back.

I Know, I Know: Characters Don’t Really Come Back On Reacher

Trust me when I say I understand and appreciate the concept of Reacher. In this book-to-screen adaptation, he goes to a new town, trouble shows up there too, and it impacts a whole new cast of characters (and sometimes Reacher’s pal Neagley – who has appeared in multiple seasons and has her own show now). So, I'm stoked to see where Alan Ritchson’s character goes in Season 5, which is being filmed now.

It’s fun to see how new people are impacted by him every season, and it’s always wild to see how Reacher deals with them. So, I don’t want that to change. However, every season, I find myself in love with the side characters, and I want to see more of them in the following episodes. That was especially the case with Christopher Rodriguez-Marquette's Jacob and Sydelle Noel's Tamara from Season 4 of Reacher.

I Think We Should Make An Exception For Tamara And Jacob

First and foremost, while Reacher sleeps with the enemy, there are some more-than-friends feelings between Tamara and Jacob, and I want to see where that goes. Early in the season, there was 100% a vibe between them during that coffee scene in Episode 4; there was also the moment where Tamara took Jacob's hand to comfort him. Plus, in the finale, when Jacob dumps the ashes into the ocean, he and Tamara walk away hand in hand. Personally, I thought their relationship was very cute and has a whole lot of potential. However, we’ll never get to see it past its infancy.

I’d love to see where their relationship goes, though. This whole situation clearly bonded them. Personally, I’d like to know what happens next between them, and that’s a big reason why I’d like them to come back. Do they stay close? How do they recover from this traumatic experience? Are they OK? Where exactly does their relationship stand? These are the kinds of questions I’d like answered in Season 5.

Plus, I think they both have great rapport with Reacher. I’d like to see them all team up again to solve a case. Tamara could really hold her own with Alan Ritchson’s character, and Jacob proved himself too. They made for a great ragtag team, and it feels like there’s potential for more there.

So, yeah, I’d like Reacher to break its steadfast rule this one time and let Tamara and Jacob be in Season 5.

Alan Ritchson’s Reacher has been such a hit for Amazon’s Prime Video that it makes sense the show would inspire a spinoff. Neagley is set to premiere on the 2026 TV calendar on September 16, and naturally fans are wondering if it can stand up to its predecessor — against a slate of fall TV premieres, no less. Reviews are here for the series that stars Maria Sten as its titular private investigator, so let’s see what critics think.

Fans of Reacher are familiar with Frances Neagley, but the spinoff supposedly differs in tone, diving deeper into Neagley’s world, which includes a more permanent cast of characters around her than nomadic pal. CinemaBlend’s Riley Utley screened the entire eight-episode first season ahead of its release, and says Neagley has all the energy of Reacher while feeling completely fresh. She says:

David Caballaro of Collider agrees, rating the new series 7 out of 10. Maria Sten is comfortable in this role, the critic says, and makes the most of the chance to explore the character’s haphephobia. Neagley doesn’t do enough to distinguish itself from Reacher, except in the fight scenes. Neagley can’t punch her way through any situation like Alan Ritchson’s character, making her fights feel dirty and desperate. Caballero continues:

Jasmine Valentine of our sister site TechRadar has nothing but praise for Maria Sten, and in fact, she credits the actress with everything positive about Neagley. Overall, though, the critic wishes the series had ventured further away from its predecessor, because it feels a bit “same-y.” Valentine gives the show 3 out of 5 stars and writes:

Brian Tallerico of AV Club grades Neagley a B, saying it adds emotional stakes in a way that Reacher often doesn’t, and Maria Sten is boosted by a supporting cast that doesn’t steal her focus. His Neagley review reads:

While most of the reviews I’ve read have been positive, there are, of course, a couple of critics who will not be converted. Alison Herman of Variety says Neagley is a “collection of hard-surface, soft-heart tropes” that is never able to independently gain the level of momentum that Alan Ritchson injects into Reacher. Herman says:

While Alan Ritchson will appear in Neagley, it is in a limited capacity, so yes, anyone tuning in to see more of him following the finale of Reacher Season 4 may be disappointed. However, according to these assessments, fans who want to go on Frances Neagley’s journey should get some emotional payoff in addition to the things they like so much about Reacher.

All eight episodes of Neagley’s first season can be streamed with an Amazon Prime Video subscription at 3:01 a.m. ET Wednesday, September 16.

Alan and Catherine Ritchson have announced that they are no longer together. The pair had been married for 20 years. In a joint post, they shared an emotional statement about deciding to split up and how they plan to move forward.

The former couple took to Instagram this weekend to upload a multi-slide post that announced their breakup and explained their plan for their family. It began with them acknowledging their marriage that lasted two decades:

This announcement comes in the midst of Reacher’s critically acclaimed fourth season airing on the 2026 TV schedule and Alan Ritchson filming Season 5 of Reacher. Typically, the actor uses his social media to post lighthearted and funny BTS content from the show and other projects. Today, it’s been used for a post to announce this sad news.

Continuing with their emotional statement, Alan and Catherine explained that they’ve built their family together, and they plan to keep their kids at the heart of their relationship:

Alan and Catherine share three boys, Calem, Edan and Amory, who were born in 2012, 2013 and 2015, respectively. In the past, the actor has been candid about how hard his career can make things for his family, specifically noting that after traveling as a family for a long time due to his work, which he’d been doing for two and a half years straight, they “started craving normalcy.” That led to him living away from them.

In their statement, Alan and Catherine made it clear that they plan to co-parent together and support each other as they work through this:

Alan Ritchson is the star of Reacher, and his posts garner quite a lot of attention. Plus, the show, which can be streamed with an Amazon Prime subscription, is incredibly popular and the actor has been consistently releasing other projects over the last few years alongside the action series. In their statement, the actor and his now-ex-wife asked for privacy as they work through this tough chapter:

Alan and Catherine met when they were teenagers, and they got married in 2006. So, they’ve been together throughout the actor’s major rise to fame. As it was mentioned earlier, they have three boys who are around 13, 12 and 10. Now, as they move into this new chapter of their lives, their kids will continue to be a priority as they work to co-parent.

Now, as we learn more about Alan and Catherine Ritchson’s split, we’ll keep you updated.

Alan Ritchson’s popularity on Reacher has led to tons of other offers for the actor, which may be why we’re seeing his name pop up so often on the 2026 movie calendar. After his military sci-fi drama War Machine earlier this year — and with his Christmas action flick with Arnold Schwarzenegger still to come — Ritchson is now hitting theaters in Runner, an action/buddy comedy with Owen Wilson. Reviews are in, and critics agree these two make a pretty good odd-couple pairing.

Runner (not to be confused with Gal Gadot’s The Runner, which premiered last week) sees Alan Ritchson’s Hank tasked with delivering a liver (and its escort — Owen Wilson’s Ben) to a hospital for a young girl to receive a transplant. They’re intercepted by mercenaries who want to steal the liver for their own benefit. Peter Sobczynski of RogerEbert rates the movie 3 out of 4 stars, praising the leads’ “undeniably winning chemistry” in an otherwise meat-and-potatoes action flick. The critic says:

Helen O’Hara of Empire’s review of Runner notes that Alan Ritchson has shown considerably more range than he’s allowed to here. However, what the movie lacks in originality, it makes up for in pace and “perfectly serviceable action baloney.” O’Hara gives it 3 out of 5 stars, writing:

Todd Gilchrist of Variety says Alan Ritchson and Owen Wilson are “enjoyably mismatched,” with the former bringing a thoughtful, drily funny performance and Wilson providing enough charm to keep his character from being obnoxious. Runner is simplistic and silly, the critic says, but the laughs are intentional, and the action is exciting. He continues:

Scott Collura of IGN rates the new action movie an “Okay” 6 out of 10, saying he could have used more carnage and fewer flashes away from Alan Ritchson and Owen Wilson to the hospital. In Collura’s words:

Alex Harrison of ScreenRant also rates Runner 6 out of 10, saying that while the chemistry isn’t quite there between Owen Wilson and Alan Ritchson, there’s “an impressive degree of well-choreographed carnage” and it has a tendency to resonate in some unexpected ways that make it worth seeking out. Harrison explains:

The critics seem to agree that while Runner doesn’t color too far outside the lines for a buddy action movie, there’s something about Alan Ritchson and Owen Wilson’s duo that makes this one worth checking out. The movie premiered to a Rotten Tomatoes score of 70%, so if you want to check out the latest of the Reacher star’s projects, you can do so now.

Spoilers for Season 4, Episode 7 of Reacher are ahead! You can stream it with an Amazon Prime subscription.

Don’t get me wrong, I agree with Reacher’s spectacular Season 4 reviews. I’ve been very entertained. However, I’ve expected the plot twists. Namely, I knew the reveal that Lila and Amisha were the true antagonists was coming. What I didn’t see coming was the death at the end of Episode 7, and we need to talk about it.

In this episode that just aired on the 2026 TV schedule, Reacher learns that Congressman Sampson was the one who killed Putra, and Amisha saw it happen. It’s during that phone call with Sampson that they realize Lila and Amisha are going to attack the charity event the congressman is at.

Sampson and Reacher talk through who they should be looking for, and once the congressman realizes who the bomber is, he hangs up the call. He then…and I’m not exaggerating…tackles the bomber into the water, they both explode, and the episode ends with Reacher staring at what just happened.

I can say with 100% certainty, I didn’t see this coming at all.

While I figured Sampson would play into this story in a big way, dying in such a grand fashion was not on my bingo card. I assumed he’d help Reacher somehow, and his past with Lila and Amisha was clearly important. However, all this being revealed and then him tackling a bomber into the water to save everyone was remarkably unexpected.

It was a very heroic way for Sampson to go out, which I did think was epic. However, it shocked me that he just dove at the guy and didn’t push him or try to think of another way to get rid of the bomb that also didn’t end with his own death.

I was also surprised that Reacher didn’t get there in time. I’m used to Jack Reacher saving the day or being the one caught up in the action. Instead, he just barely missed it. It was a cool twist on my own expectations, and it let someone else save the day.

Now, going into the finale, I’m even more scared of Lila and Amisha. How they’ll come back after this is a frightening prospect, because we know they won’t back down. That, mixed with Reacher witnessing Sampson’s death, feels like a lethal combination that will lead us to one epic final battle.

Plus, now someone who had valuable information is dead, and he can’t be of use to Reacher anymore. So, I am curious to see how Alan Ritchson’s character gets through this situation. And I really hope his other allies don’t die in the process. While I know Reacher’s cast turns over every season, I’ve become attached to this bunch, and I want to see them survive this.

However, the death of Sampson proves that no one is safe in a big way. While he died a hero, it was shocking and tragic. What makes it even wilder is there’s still one episode left, which means we’ll get to see the impact his death has on Reacher and the crew as they hunt down the Hoths.

So, to see how this journey ends, and to see what happens in the wake of Sampson’s death, you can stream the finale for the season of Reacher that Alan Ritchson calls “by far the best” one “yet” on Wednesday, September 16.

If you’ve been watching Reacher since it began streaming in 2022, now in the middle of its fourth season on the 2026 TV schedule, you know Alan Ritchson's title character is a man of few words and even fewer personal belongings. As a matter of fact, as the morally pure hero travels, he carries nothing but a toothbrush, and we now know why thanks to the author behind the popular franchise. ​

In a recent interview with Men’s Journal, Lee Child, the author of the Jack Reacher book series, was asked what is so appealing about a hero unburdened by modernity and the societal expectations placed on men. According to the author:

There you have it. Jack doesn’t care about the next big tech gadget or fancy cars or the coolest new shoes. However, the man takes dental hygiene very seriously; hence, he travels with nothing but his trusty toothbrush.

The stripped-down life the character leads almost feels like a philosophy, which is why Child thought the books would be received as a sort of male fantasy. Living with no attachments and moving from town to town like you’re David Banner of the 1970s Hulk Television series, helping those in need, has a sort of appeal. But it's a bit more difficult than it sounds. The author added:

I tried moving back to a flip phone for a while, until I realized it was nearly impossible to live without a smartphone. How else does someone track their finances these days without the internet at their fingertips? Drive to the nearest bank like some Luddite? I think not. Reacher may be able to travel with nothing but a toothbrush, but I need at least a carry-on.

The first Reacher novel, Killing Floor, was released in 1997, sparking a beloved series that has run for more than 30 entries. Two page-to-screen adaptations starring Tom Cruise, if you ask any fan of the franchise, weren’t very accurate to the books. Still, after a few years to cool off, Amazon stepped in and produced the highly rated streaming series starring Alan Ritchson.

Production on the fifth season is already underway, and the lead star has been sharing BTS content while filming, showing off the bruises and bloodbath he’s endured throughout production. He's even resorted to hilariously sharing proof-of-life videos on social media.

You can catch the beloved hero, roaming town to town with the best of teeth and lending a helping hand when he can, by streaming new episodes of Reacher every Wednesday with an Amazon Prime subscription.

WARNING! There are very cute spoilers ahead for Reacher Season 4! If you want to get caught up, it's easy to do with a Prime subscription.

I love Reacher. The action sequences are thrilling, the mysteries are intriguing, and I can’t imagine anyone more perfectly cast as the ex-military wall of muscle known as Jack Reacher than Alan Ritchson. But what I don’t understand is how everyone else watching the show, which hit the 2026 TV schedule last month, isn’t as obsessed with the white fluffy kitten that’s guest starring in Season 4 as I am.

It all started in Episode 2, when a chance encounter with a distraught stranger on a subway at the start of the season led Reacher and his latest support team to a murder victim. After they found the bloody body of a woman in her home, he couldn’t resist the meows, and the little cutie ended up in the safety of Ritchson’s hands in the car ride away from the crime scene.

Yes, we know that Jack Reacher can stop the biggest of the big and worst of the worst when it comes to bad guys. So, there’s something completely adorable about such a big guy carrying something so tiny around, unable to stop himself from helping the most in need, human or feline. Case in point, via TheFilmsiest on Instagram:

Pancake The Kitten Goes On A Full Journey In Season 4 Of Reacher

Obviously, Reacher can’t keep the kitten himself. He’s a nomad with no real address and he’s constantly fighting off really bad guys who are trying to kill him. That’s clearly not the safest environment for an adorable little kitten just looking for some pets. So, the kitten is first passed off to investigative journalist Russell Plum (Kevin Weisman), but as the stakes ramp up, that’s not exactly the best choice either.

By Episode 3, the kitten, now named Pancake, ends up getting left behind with a chop shop connection of Detective Tamara Green (Sydelle Noel). But thankfully, that’s not the last we hear or see of that kitten, as we learn in Episode 5 that it tore up a lounge chair in its new home, teaching us that there’s more to it than just its fluffy cuteness.

One Tiny Little Kitten Made A Very Big Impression On Jack Reacher

One of the things I appreciate most about the kitten showing up in Reacher Season 4, is the fact that it gets a full story arc and appears in more than one episode. In fact, the feline scene-stealer even gets a standout moment in the finale, getting rehomed and renamed, sure to live out his best life. With all the love for Krypto the Superdog in Superman and Supergirl, how are more people not posting on social media about Reacher’s kitten? After all, Jack Reacher can stop the bad guys, save the world, and find the best home possible for an orphaned pet, all in one season. That has to deserve more internet buzz!

Kudos to whoever’s idea it was to introduce a kitten that looks like it’s made of a fluffy cloud to a show heavy on violence. The real MVP of the season. Who knows if we’ll ever see the kitten again (I’m guessing probably not), or if we’ll get any other animal guest stars in the future, but I’m grateful for this truly peak storyline.

With Season 4 of Reacher coming to a close, you can still catch a cameo appearance by Alan Ritchson in Neagley, the new spinoff series starring Maria Sten, when that series becomes available to binge on September 16^th.

Season 4 of Reacher may be in the middle of its run on the 2026 TV schedule, but Season 5 is already coming in hot. Production on the fifth season of the book-to-screen adaptation has begun, and it’s already seeming like it’s a tough one. Alan Ritchson shared a humorously honest take on filming in the snow during the summer, and even smashed a cake in a crew member’s face. As if that wasn’t enough, the Reacher star has been sharing “proof of life” videos, and I’m obsessed.

Ritchson is known for sharing BTS content while filming Reacher and showing off the bruises and bloodbath he’s had to endure throughout production. However, that’s not all he posts from set. Every once in a while, he uploads a video proving that he’s still alive amid the incredibly tough production. His recent update on Instagram might be my favorite one because not only does it look like Jack Reacher is getting beat up quite a lot in the upcoming season, but he claims not one person came to check to see if he’s still alive after he “made it down the gosh dang rapids” and ended up in “God knows where.”

The fact that it really looks like Ritchson is all by himself in the middle of nowhere really completes the whole video. I also love how funny he is, considering Reacher is a pretty serious show.

Now, even though we don't know what to expect in Season 5, this one stunt that Ritchson is doing that’s left him in the middle of nowhere was confirmed. He previously posted a clip of himself and crew members in a wooded area near a river, creek, or stream. Assuming the two videos are related, it seems like Reacher is going to have a roller coaster of a season if he’s going down some rapids. And it’s not going to be fun for him, but it will be a blast for us.

Of course, it’s nothing Ritchson can’t handle. He’s been beaten and bruised so many times while filming Reacher. So, I have a feeling that going down some rapids is nothing, but from the looks of things, it seems like Reacher could be in some trouble. He’s never not in trouble, but this all makes me wonder what kind of predicament he’s going to find himself in during Season 5.

Since Season 4 of Reacher is still airing, it might be a while until we get any news on when to expect Season 5. The wait will surely be worth it, especially if Alan Ritchson continues posting proof-of-life videos. For now, new episodes of Reacher drop on Wednesdays for those with an Amazon Prime subscription.

TV’s streaming era has been plagued in part by rise in the number of series that go multiple years between new seasons, such as personal faves Severance and Pluribus, with Netflix customers feeling particularly peeved by the lack of consistency. That norm-change from TV’s linear era hasn’t been prevalent everywhere, however, with Alan Ritchson’s Reacher leading the charge at Prime Video for yearly season drops. As proof, the actor is already teasing a Season 5 stunt as audiences are only midway through the critically lauded fourth season.

Over the weekend, Ritchson was busy filming the next episodic adaptation of a Lee Child novel, and took an impromptu video while out on location to give his followers a sequence to get hyped about one day watching (long after the 2026 TV schedule has gone kaput). Check out the post below!

As seen in the clip, Alan Ritchson and Reacher crew members were out in a wooded area near what appears to be a river, stream or creek. One fan claimed they’re filming at Canada’s Minden Whitewater Preserve on the Gull River. And while some of us here in the U.S. may currently be sweating our skin off with temperatures over 100°, the actor has already talked about waking up to summer snow. Given that, it’s probably safe to assume that the rapids aren’t exactly steaming up like jacuzzi water.

Case in point, one fan dropped this observational comment that makes whatever stunt sequence Ritchson is filming sound absolutely miserable.

For whatever reason, when I'm watching movies or TV shows where characters are stuck in some kind of water-bound situation, my brain is usually detached enough that I'm not actively thinking about what the water feels like. (Titanic being an exception, natch.) I wasn't even thinking about it in Reacher's fourth episode when the Hoth women jumped off of that bridge and into the water to avoid being arrested.

But now that it's come up in this context, with another commenter noting that Ritchson appears to be wearing a thermal suit in the pic, I can't wait until this sequence plays out during Season 5, so that I can make sure to pay very close attention to the actor's face whenever he hits the water, where he'll hopefully be delivering a truly priceless reaction.

Of course, the director and others will presumably set the scene up so that Ritchson's face isn't shown right when Ritchson goes into the river, specifically so that viewers can't see any over-the-top facial reactions and/or audible discomfort. But in my idealized mindscape, there will be several blooper-esque moments filmed during the sequence that will be released to fans later on. I just hope I still remember all this more than a year from now.

Before Season 5 gets here with all of its super-cold rapids, we still have half of Season 4 to get through. This is a season where Reacher has used a bowling ball as a harmful weapon, where Ritchson has used a birthday cake as a celebratory weapon, and where the titular character unwittingly had sex with the enemy for the first time. What other action-packed chaos is coming next?

Find out when the next episodes drops on Prime Video every Wednesday at 3:01 a.m. ET.

Minor spoilers for Reacher Season 4 are ahead. You can stream the show with an Amazon Prime subscription.

Thanks to Reacher (and other projects), Alan Ritchson has firmly established himself as an action star. The action sequences in the book-to-screen adaptation of Lee Child’s novels are next level, and that’s in great part thanks to the lead actor’s performance. To that point, the stars of Reacher Season 4 told me about the moment they realized they were really in the action with Ritchson, and…it involves a bowling ball.

In Season 3, we got the iconic Paulie vs. Reacher fight, and learning that it was “the most physically demanding thing” Olivier Richters and Ritchson did made me really realize just how intense the action in this series is. For the show’s new star, Anggun, who plays Amisha Hoth, she had that realization while filming a sequence for Season 4 that involved the show’s star hurling a bowling ball:

This moment involving a bowling ball comes in Episode 3 of Season 4, when Lila and Amisha go to a bowling alley to meet with Reacher. They’re attacked by a group of guys (this happened before we knew Lila and Amisha were the villains), and yes, it did involve the titular character absolutely hurling a bowling ball at a man’s head while “Boogie Shoes” played. He also hit guys with a bowling pin and a trophy, FYI.

Anggun then emphasized that “to this day” watching Ritchson perform action is “impressive.” I have to say, I totally agree. However, there’s no doubt that seeing him chuck a bowling ball at someone (whether it was a real bowling ball or a prop bowling ball) is epic and a great way to realize the action star he is.

Speaking more generally about Ritchson’s skills as an action star, Agnez Mo, who plays Lila, told me:

Anggun also chimed in to say that Ritchson does “a lot of running” too. So, all around, he’s an action star who kind of does it all. I just think it’s amazing that it was a scene involving a bowling ball that served as one of the first moments this realization really sank in.

The action didn’t stop there for any of them; it was just the beginning. Now, to see how Reacher takes on the Hoths in the critically acclaimed fourth season of Reacher, you can catch new episodes on Amazon Prime as they drop every Wednesday on the 2026 TV schedule.

If you’re watching Reacher with an Amazon Prime subscription, you can see Alan Ritchson as Jack Reacher fighting bad guys and running into trouble on a weekly basis. Meanwhile, while Season 4 is airing on the 2026 TV schedule, Season 5 is being filmed. We’re actually getting to see a lot from that production too, thanks to Ritchson’s BTS content, which recently included a video of him smashing a cake in a crew member’s face.

As I mentioned, as Reacher Season 4 started dropping its episodes, Ritchson and co. went into production on Season 5. So, as twists about Lila are being revealed on-screen, the lead actor is filming what we’ll see next. However, it’s not all serious business on set; they celebrate birthdays too. And in this one case, they celebrated with a cake smash to the face. Take a look:

As you can see in the video, Ritchson explained that a PA named Brett requested a cake smash from the Reacher lead, it was not the actor’s idea. In fact, the PA actually made this request at 4:52 a.m. – which makes it funnier for some reason – with a text that read:

Ritchson then grabbed the cake, which featured lovely light blue cursive text, sang “Happy Birthday” and proceeded to smash the cake in Brett’s face. Honestly, it looks like the PA’s life was made by this too; his reaction was so wholesome. Talk about a way to celebrate your 38th birthday.

The other detail I’d like to point out is the T-shirt Ritchson is wearing. It says “I’m a big deal in New Mexico,” and I feel like it has to be a Reacher costume. Maybe he destroyed his normal shirt, and the only new one he could find was this. Anyway, that detail also got me laughing, and it made the cake smash even better.

Along with this being a fun stand-alone BTS moment from the set of Reacher, it also fits in nicely with the other posts Ritchson has uploaded. From his humourously honest take on filming in the snow during the summer to greeting fans who were waiting by the set to doing curls with his set chairs, it’s clear they’re having a great time filming Season 5.

Now, I’m very excited to see what they’re working on. However, first, we have to get through Season 4. That’s right, we’re only a few episodes into it, and you can catch new ones every Wednesday on Prime Video. Then, hopefully not long after that, we’ll get to see Reacher Season 5 and what they’ve been filming between these hilarious behind-the-scenes moments.

2026 has been a solid year for movies. Whether it's Spider-Man: Brand New Day's record-breaking performance or the insane success of Obsession and Back Rooms, there's been something for every type of cinephile. There are plenty more upcoming movies to look forward to, and I was recently shocked to learn that there are two films coming out with basically identical titles. What's more, they're being released within a week of each other. How did no one notice this?

Those people out there with an Amazon Prime subscription will soon be treated to Kevin Macdonald's The Runner, which stars Gal Gadot. In it, the former Wonder Woman actress plays an attorney who is forced to run through London after her son is abducted by a mysterious kidnapper. But while googling this movie, another 2026 project came up.

Namely Scott Waugh's Runner, which stars Reacher actor Alan Ritchson and Owen Wilson. That movie will focus on a delivery man (Ritchson) who must avoid mercenaries while trying to bring a new liver to a sick girl. They're very different stories, but it's crazy that just one "the" separates these two titles. What's more, they're being released within just a few days of each other.

The Runner will arrive on Amazon September 2nd, and assume it'll end up being a popular streaming choice with Gal Gadot at the center. Then, a week later, Alan Ricthson's Runner will arrive in theaters on September 11th. So not only are these two movies coming out with basically the same title, but they're also being released at the same time. And I just can't believe that neither studio clocked this ahead of time.

Technically speaking, these two movies won't actually compete with each other. The Runner is going straight to streaming on Amazon Prime Video, while Runner will have a full theatrical run. If they were both trying to perform at the box office within a week of each other, I'd assume there would be some cannibalization of their financial takes. Luckily, they're being released in two very different places.

Still, I have to assume that these (nearly) identical movie titles are going to confuse moviegoers other than myself. Perhaps people will go to the theater thinking they're going to see a new Gal Gadot movie, only for Alan Ritchson to show up and kick ass. I have to assume that employees at movie theater box offices aren't going to be aware of these two movies arriving at the same time, so it's not like they'll be able to double-check with folks who are buying tickets. Seriously, this whole situation is blowing my mind!

The Runner hits Amazon on September 2nd as part of the 2026 movie release list, and Runner will arrive in theaters on September 11th. We'll have to wait and see if there are any notable mix-ups between these two new movies.

Spoilers for Reacher Season 4 are ahead. You can stream the series with an Amazon Prime subscription and catch new episodes every Wednesday.

We were told Reacher sleeps with the enemy in the season currently airing on the 2026 TV schedule, and that’s exactly what happened in Episode 3. The titular character hooked up with Lila (who he didn’t know was the villain at the time). So, I had to ask AGNEZ MO, who plays Lila, what it was like to film a sexy, intimate scene with Alan Ritchson.

As I mentioned, one episode before it’s revealed that Lila is Reacher’s true villain, she and Reacher hook up after an incident. During a steamy scene where she helps him wash his wounds, they discuss what happened, and she makes it seem like she was initially lying and was actually a reporter. It ends with them making out, and when the show cuts back to them later on, Lila is sitting in her bed without clothes on while Reacher gets dressed so he can leave. When I asked AGNEZ MO what it was like to film this sex scene with Ritchson, she said:

This is standard protocol when it comes to filming intimate scenes. Casts of other Prime Video hits, like Maxton Hall and Off Campus, have opened up about intimacy coordinators and how they go about filming these moments in a way that ensures everyone involved feels safe and comfortable. Reacher made sure to do all that too.

Along with that, AGNEZ MO told me that Alan Ritchson was a great scene partner, and he was checking in with her to make sure she was doing well. Explaining the conversations she had with Reacher’s star surrounding Lilia and Reacher having sex, the actress said:

AGNEZ MO went on to tell me that along with Ritchson being caring and the intimacy coordinator helping them plan the sequence, the set was closed. So, there weren’t a ton of people watching the scene happen in-person.

Overall, the Lila actress said the scene where Reacher sleeps with the enemy was “very technical.” However, it also “did what it was supposed to do,” which was to give us a steamy scene that makes Reacher’s conflict this season way more complicated.

That is wonderful to hear, and I love that they were able to have a good time while filming this intimate moment. It’s important too, because the scene is vital to Season 4. It kind of starts to hint at Lila’s true self, as she gets caught in a lie, and it helps strengthen her relationship with Reacher, which is terrible for him, but great for us as viewers.

To see how this moment impacts the rest of Reacher’s critically acclaimed fourth season, you can stream the series on Amazon Prime.

These days, Alan Ritchson is undoubtedly best known as Jack Reacher. The Prime Video series Reacher has helped propel him into stardom, and he’s become a staple action star, especially on TV. Now, as the critically acclaimed fourth season of Reacher airs on the 2026 TV schedule, I’ve been thinking about the projects from the pre-Reacher years of Ritchson’s career. That’s because, while I already know about his American Idol audition, I didn’t realize he also played a part in a Hunger Games movie until very recently.

We Talk A Lot About Alan Ritchson’s American Idol Audition

At this point, it’s well-known lore that Alan Ritchson auditioned for American Idol during Season 3 in 2004. While he didn’t make it too far, he made a good impression, and Paula Abdul called him “totally hot.” He was 20 years old at the time, and now it’s been over 20 years since it happened. However, it still cracks me up that Ritchson’s fans are discovering this and reacting in big ways.

Not long after that, he got his first on-screen gig, playing Aquaman in Smallville, and from there, the actor picked up parts here and there. He was in 39 episodes of Blue Mountain State, and he popped up in shows like CSI: Miami, Hawaii Five-0, and 90210. However, my favorite random credit from the earlier days of Alan Ritchson’s career has to be The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

Did You Know Alan Ritchson Was In The Hunger Games: Catching Fire?

About eight years into Ritchson’s on-screen acting career, he booked a part in the second Hunger Games movie. I, being a child of the 2000s, was obsessed with those books and did see the films as they came out in theaters. However, I did not clock the Reacher star until my most recent rewatch.

In Catching Fire, Ritchson plays Gloss, one half of a brother-sister pair of tributes from District 1. Since this game is made up of all victor tributes, it’s clarified that Gloss and his sister Cashmere won back-to-back games. That alone implies how lethal they are, however, Haymitch also explicitly says that when he’s making a game plan with Peeta and Katniss. And I just have to mention that if you’ve seen Reacher, you know Alan Ritchson can play lethal very well.

During training, you can see him throwing some daggers. Then, during the interviews, he’s the one to explain that they’re not going into the games by choice, while saying the Capitol is their family and they’ve been loved well by them.

Then, once we’re in the games, Ritchson gets a pretty big moment by the cornucopia when he kills Wiress. Katniss is quick to shoot him with her bow and arrow, and that’s the end of his story.

I’m dead serious, I gasped when I realized I was seeing Alan Ritchson in this film, and much like people discovering his Idol audition, I couldn’t quite believe what I was seeing. However, he did a good job, and, like Jack Quaid, he’s one of the actors who played a small role in The Hunger Games movies before he became a household name.

So, unlike Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson, who became household names because of these, or Philip Seymour Hoffman and Woody Harrelson, who were established A-listers when they joined the cast, Alan Ritchson fits in a different category. He became a household name years after doing this small part in Catching Fire, and it’s so cool to look back and think about all the roles that got him to where he is today.

Now, to see Alan Ritchson in Catching Fire, you can stream the movie (and all the Hunger Games movies, for that matter) with a Netflix subscription. And to see what he’s up to these days, you can stream new episodes of Reacher every Wednesday with an Amazon Prime subscription.

Reacher, one of the best Amazon Prime original TV shows, is currently in its fourth season on the 2026 TV schedule, and its star, Alan Ritchson, loves to get in on the online conversation about it through his own posts about production and by commenting on others' uploads. Now, a couple of social media posts caught the attention of Jack Reacher himself as they pointed out a silly coincidence that's hard to unsee.

So, here's what happened. A Threads post from melonhead118 pointed out that Reacher has done a twirl across the seasons. When you line the posters up numerically by season in a horizontal row, you can see the wall of muscle do a little spin in his character’s T-shirt and jeans uniform. The insightful post was then reposted on Instagram by noconculture, where it caught the attention of Alan Ritchson, who, of course, had to weigh in. Here’s the visual aid to get you up to speed:

I have no idea whether showing Ritchson from every angle across the show’s posters was an intentional choice or whether someone in marketing was playing the long game. However, once you see it laid out, you really can’t unsee it. It could all be a funny coincidence, and we’ll likely never know if that’s the case. But the stance and expression do represent the character well, as the stoic former military man who takes out the bad guys isn’t known for his jokes.

One thing that’s become clear about the Fast X star is that if he has something to say, he’s going to say it, and if he has an opinion about something, he’s going to share it. So, I was delighted to see that Ritchson has shared his own thoughts on his TV show’s poster choices. He commented on that Instagram repost by saying:

Reacher has already been renewed for Season 5, which means before too long, we’ll get to see a new show poster. Do you think it will fit in with the others, or do you think they’ll take an entirely different approach? It’s probably safe to say that the War Machine star won’t actually be doing a cartwheel, but what will he do? Where do they go from here? Will we be back to the Season 1 pose, and have gone in a full circle? Or do they have another angle up their sleeves?

While we wait to find out, you can keep watching new episodes of Reacher Season 4 with your Prime Video subscription when the episodes drop on Wednesdays through September 16^th. And then, the upcoming Reacher spinoff series Neagley will drop its first season on that same date. Now, I’m curious to see if Frances Neagley will come up with her own poster throughline for however many seasons they get to do.

Spoilers below for the fourth episode of Reacher Season 4 for anyone who hasn’t yet streamed it via Amazon Prime subscription, so be warned!

One of TV’s most popular shows is back to its brutal habits over on Prime Video, with Alan Ritchson’s critically lauded fourth season of Reacher taking the derooted ex-soldier to Philadelphia to investigate a suicide that he inadvertently set in motion. The case teamed him with Sydelle Noel’s Det. Tamara Green, Christopher Marquette’s Off. Jacob Merrick, and Kevin Wiseman’s unfairly disgraced journalist, with each adding a different layer of personality to the group. I was mostly convinced Anna Merrick’s death would be fueling the entire fourth season.

But then along came Episode 4, "Karambits and Pieces," which blew that assumption out of the water, while also answering arguably the biggest question of the season thus far: who’s the actual bad guy (so to speak)? The ep’s twisty ending revealed that Agnez Mo’s Lila and Anggun’s Amisha are the season’s big villains responsible for everything Reacher's crew has been investigating. It was a shocking move, and I think it'd be a huge red flag if just about any other TV show tried the same move. Let me explain...

It's Usually A Bad Sign When A Show Wraps Up 90% Of Its Ongoing Narrative Midway Through A Season

The Streaming Era has set up certain expectations when a TV season only lasts 6-10 episodes, and Reacher has more or less adhered to those loose rules, specifically that seasons generally follow one overarching investigation, regardless of how many side quests come up along the way. It's a narrative anchor for viewers to latch onto from week to week, and it gives the main character(s) a clear and unmistakable goal to guide their actions.

So anytime a series' creative team makes the decision to open the Clue envelope at the halfway point or earlier, it not only disrupts the story's flow, but often also deflates the pacing, since characters' catharsis and acceptance usually require a proper amount of focus to make the reveals land emotionally. As well, there's the unspoken notion that if a show is concluding a mystery at the halfway point, it wasn't strong enough to support the rest of the season.

The clearest applicable example to bring up here is Twin Peaks, which could have easily kept its Laura Palmer mystery going for years on end, but David Lynch and Mark Frost were forced by ABC to cap off that storyline, setting in stone one of the biggest quality and interest drop-offs in TV history. (Even David Lynch said it "sucks.")

All that said, Reacher manages to avoid sparking the same kind of downtrodden expectations after seemingly concluding the mystery of Anna and Ben's deaths. In part because this series is already as close to a seasonal anthology as a show can be without getting that distinction, and in part due to it being based on bestselling source material. As well, Reacher helped its case out by making the mid-point twist the launch point for the rest of the season.

Revealing Lila And Amisha As The Antagonists Makes Me More Confident About The Rest Of Season 4

Considering Lila and Amisha entered the story blatantly lying to Reacher, it's probably no huge surprise that the duo were also potentially lying about everything else, and were apparently responsible for Ben's death, and indirectly responsible for Anna's, as well as plenty of other nameless enforcer types. Had neither of them been in the story much thus far, I might be more bothered by this ep's final moments, but these women are fully enmeshed in Reacher's life and have gained his trust and other interests.

So instead of Reacher looking like it's pulling a complete stop-and-go with its Season 4 mystery by wrapping up Anna and Ben's chapter, I think it comes across as a successful transition point for this arc, and makes the season feel like a proper two-parter. At least at this point. Maybe the next four episodes will go in completely different places that make everything I've said moot.

But I have a pretty good feeling Reacher being arrested and framed in Episode 5 will not go well for anyone attempting to arrest and frame him. If any prediction I make in 2026 comes true, it's gonna be that one.

So now the challenge is out there for other shows to try and best Reacher at pulling the rug out from a plotline in the middle of a season. As new episodes continue to pepper the 2026 TV schedule every Wednesday on Prime Video, Alan Ritchson is busy filming Season 5, huzzah!

Spoilers for Reacher Season 4, Episode 4 are ahead! You can stream the show with an Amazon Prime subscription and catch new episodes every Wednesday.

For the first three episodes of Reacher’s critically acclaimed fourth season, Jack Reacher had no real clue who he was up against. However, that was revealed by the end of the fourth episode. Now, we know that Lila and Amisha Hoth are the villains of the season currently airing on the 2026 TV schedule. While I totally saw this coming, I’m thrilled other fans didn’t, because their reactions are fantastic.

Whether you are aware of this book-to-screen adaptation’s source material (Lee Child’s novel Gone Tomorrow) or you heard Alan Ritchson talk about Reacher “sleeping with the enemy” this season, it was out there that the Hoths were Season 4’s antagonists. However, now it’s officially been revealed on screen, as we saw Lila and Amisha pick up their knives and put up a fight in Episode 4.

Admittedly, even though I knew this plot twist was coming, the way it was done did surprise me. I loved that we found out when the two women pulled out their knives and took down a group of guys who had come to kill them. It was intense and an epic way to reveal that they weren't the innocent people they had been playing for the first few episodes.

Plus, it put Reacher in a tough spot because he was the one caught in the room with the victims of the Hoths. So, it seems he’s facing the consequences of their actions, which puts him in a sticky situation going into Episode 5.

Fans had big reactions to all this, understandably. For example, this fan posted on X:

They really do seem innocent at first. However, they are actually very much the bad girls of this season. And that’s left fans all fed up (in a good way), as they wrote on X:

• Holy shittt Is Lila the real villain this season???? -Myke
• I had my doubts about Lila, but damn, I didn’t see that coming 😲 Reacher really met his match this time. She’s a real baddie and a straight up menace. 💀 And poor Merrick. -Krish
• Holy shit. That twist! Lila and that old woman are the main villains?! 😱 😱 😱 #REACHER -JS

Overall, this whole situation was epic, and viewers loved it, as some commented on Reacher's Instagram post about the reveal:

• Hoth is definitely too hot to handle! 🔥 The plot twists kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. what a performance -lathonugraha
• REACHER S4 really got a whole baddie in Lila Hoth. We WON 🔥 -agnezmovortex
• NO ONE DOES INDO BADDIE ENERGY LIKE AGNEZ MO & ANGGUN. 🔥🔥 -wid_issi

Now, the question becomes: How will Jack Reacher defeat Lila and Amisha Hoth? They seem like formidable opponents, and they’re very different from the antagonists of seasons past.

So, to see how they try to take down Reacher and to see how he works to outsmart and fight them, you can catch new episodes of Reacher every Wednesday.

Alan Ritchson wants to do Reacher for a long time, and Lee Child has written enough novels about Jack Reacher to keep the book-to-screen adaptation going for 30 seasons if they really wanted to. Meanwhile, Neagley, the new Reacher spinoff, is in a different situation. It’s a very new section of this world with very little source material to work with. Now Ritchson has opened up about the “luxury” and “burden” of introducing this spinoff.

At the moment, Season 4 of Reacher is airing on the 2026 TV schedule, Season 5 is in production, and Prime Video is getting ready to premiere its spinoff, Neagley, in September. So, while speaking with the AP about his own show continuing while a new series debuts, Alan Ritchson said:

I totally see what he’s saying here. Reacher has the luxury of being based on Lee Child’s bestselling books. However, it can also be a burden to be beholden to said source material. Meanwhile, Neagley’s story is not explored in nearly as much detail in the books, so the new show has the luxury of building something essentially from scratch. However, that’s also a big challenge, and, in its own way, a burden. So, both these shows are holding their own unique double-edged swords.

Then, when you put the shows together, you get a new wonderful challenge. That’s because Reacher and Neagley are connected. Maria Sten’s Frances Neagley was introduced on Alan Ritchson’s show, and we know the Jack Reacher actor will appear in the spinoff. So, the projects have to find a balance between standing on their own and acknowledging each other.

Personally, I’m interested to see how they do that in the long-run, because Neagley and Reacher are quite different. Of course, the source material is one reason why, seeing as Sten’s show can go in new directions, while Ritchson’s is based on books. However, they’re also different in the sense that Reacher tells a new story with new characters every single season, whereas Neagley will stay in the same world with the same people season after season (pending renewal).

So, overall, I get why Ritchson described Neagley as both a “luxury” and a “burden.” On the one hand, it’s amazing to expand the world in a new way. On the other, it’s a challenge to do just that in a way that is both fresh and loyal to the universe that’s already built.

Now, to see if they do this successfully, you can stream new episodes of Reacher every Wednesday with an Amazon Prime subscription. Then, on September 16, you’ll be able to enter the world of Neagley when Season 1 drops.

Alan Ritchson and Reacher wasted no time getting back to work. While Season 4 is actively airing on the 2026 TV schedule, Season 5 is being filmed. Of course, as production kicks into high gear, the show’s lead is sharing updates about how it’s going, with his most recent video being all about what it’s like to work in the snow in the middle of the summer.

While Reacher is always on the move, with this current season of the book-to-screen adaptation taking place in Philadelphia, for the most part, the series is filmed in Canada. Ritchson did not confirm exactly where he was; however, in an Instagram video, he did humorously note that it’s surprisingly cold considering the season we’re currently in:

I know I’d certainly be surprised if I walked out of my trailer one morning in the middle of August and saw snow, frost or really anything remotely frozen. At this time of year, that typaically dosen’t happen. However, sometimes Mother Nature works in weird ways.

Anyway, to finish off his point, Ritchson noted that despite the parka, all is well on Reacher Season 5, and he’s happy to be shooting it as Season 4 is airing:

I know Alan Ritchson has been through it while filming Reacher. He’s been injured, bumped and bruised on numerous occasions. However, I guess a new challenge for him is the weather. Can Reacher take the cold? I would assume so, and thankfully, Ritchson has a parka to keep him warm as they film the next season of the Prime Video show.

Speaking of what they’re filming, we know Season 5 of Reacher will follow the book Make Me. It sees Reacher in a mysterious town as he works with a PI to find someone, but ends up uncovering a criminal conspiracy. Along with Ritchson, this season will feature Jay Baruchel, Kevin Durand, Ciara Bravo and Amanda Ip.

Now, I’ll be curious to see if we can tell it's cold out whenever we get to watch Season 5 of Reacher. Prime Video is moving right along with the next season of the show; however, we’ll still have to wait a while for it. In the meantime, though, you can stream Season 4 of Reacher with an Amazon Prime subscription, as new episodes drop every Wednesday.

Alan Ritchson has spent months telling anyone who will listen that Reacher Season 4 might be the show’s best season yet. And early reviews for Reacher were willing to back him up. Before the new episodes even hit streaming for folks with an Amazon Prime subscription, the action series debuted with a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes score, and naturally, its extremely online leading man had something to say about it.

Ritchson celebrated the early reviews on Instagram the day before Season 4 premiered, sharing the perfect Tomatometer score with the caption, “One hundo P! Okayyyy!” before reminding everyone that new Reacher was arriving the following day. At that point in the post, which you can see below, every review counted by Rotten Tomatoes was positive.

Obviously, a Rotten Tomatoes score based on early reviews is going to change once more critics get their hands on the season, and that is exactly what happened here. As of this writing, Season 4 sits at 91% from critics based on 23 reviews, while audiences are actually liking it even more, giving the season a 92% Popcornmeter score. So Ritchson cannot technically brag about the “one hundo P” anymore, but I doubt anyone at Prime Video is losing sleep over numbers like those.

The funny thing is that the current 91% actually puts Season 4 below the previous two seasons on the Tomatometer. Season 1 earned 92%, while both Seasons 2 and 3 currently sit at 98%. Audience scores tell a different story, though. Season 4’s current 93% is considerably higher than Season 2’s 77% and Season 3’s 73%. That is quite a run for a show primarily built around watching an enormous man figure out a mystery and then punch the people responsible for it.

Season 4 is a book-to-screen adaptation of Lee Child’s Gone Tomorrow and drops Jack Reacher into a more complicated conspiracy after a disturbing encounter on a subway. Rotten Tomatoes’ roundup of the first reviews describes the season as darker and more complex, with critics particularly praising its hand-to-hand action. Several reviews also noted that the mystery gets busier than usual, and not everyone thinks all those moving pieces work.

That tracks with something Ritchson was already teasing before the premiere. The Fast X actor called Season 4 “by far the best season” the show has made and said production filmed more fight scenes than ever before. Considering Reacher has never exactly been stingy with broken bones, that is saying something.

The first three episodes of the eight-episode season arrived August 12, with new installments dropping weekly through September 16. Prime Video has already renewed the series for Season 5, so Jack Reacher will continue wandering into towns where everyone would be much better off if they simply left the gigantic stranger alone.

A perfect 100% may have lasted only through the first wave of reviews, but 91% from critics and 92% from viewers four seasons into an action series is hardly a consolation prize. So, Ritchson can probably keep the “one hundo P” post up.

Spoilers for the first three episodes of Reacher Season 4 (and what could come based on the book, Gone Tomorrow, and Alan Ritchson’s comments) are ahead! You can stream the show with an Amazon Prime subscription and catch new episodes on Wednesdays.

I’m used to Jack Reacher fighting off hulking men and dealing with his issues through brute force and his intelligence. However, in the critically acclaimed fourth season of Reacher, it would seem brute force won’t get him the win this time, because the villain (at least for now) is seemingly someone he does not expect. And because of that, I’m actually terrified to see what happens next in the season of Reacher that just premiered on the 2026 TV schedule.

Lila Hoth Seems Harmless

When we meet Lila (Agnez Mo) in the premiere, she introduces herself and her mother to Reacher, and they talk about a jump drive. Lila tells Reacher she has leukemia, and her mother has a kidney disease. So, when she was calling around trying to find information about her estranged father who could help her with said medical issues, she met Anna Merrick, the woman who shot herself at the start of Season 4. Lila claims her father could be Congressman John Sampson, and she’s trying to get in contact with him to get a DNA test.

Then, in Episode 3, we learn that Lila is claiming to be a journalist, and she shows up after a violent incident to give Reacher new clothes. It’s during this scene that she apologizes for lying to him and talks about her drive to get to the truth and the story that made her lie. It’s also where she says that she’s the reporter who put Anna on that subway.

However, based on Ritchson’s comments about Lila from San Diego Comic-Con and the basic knowledge I have of Gone Tomorrow, which is what this book-to-screen adaptation is based on, I’m pretty sure Reacher still does not know the truth about Lila. And it’s the fact that he hasn’t clocked her that makes me nervous.

Alan Ritchson Warned Us That Reacher Sleeps With The Enemy

Now, if you’ve read Gone Tomorrow, or if you heard Alan Ritchson at Comic-Con this year, you know that Reacher sleeps with Lila. At SDCC, the actor specifically said that “in the book” Reacher gets “a little romantic with Lila Hoth.” He then went on to say that this is great for the show, because it really differentiates this story from previous seasons of Reacher.

So, going forward, Jack Reacher has “a different kind of relationship with the villain in this story,” according to Ritchson, and that makes it all the more enticing to watch. It also makes it a lot scarier. That’s because it seems like Reacher is unaware of the fact that Lila might be bad…

I’m So Scared To See How Lila Challenges Reacher

During the scene in the hotel, Reacher notes that he’s a 250-pound former soldier and Lila is a 110-pound reporter with average security. He implores her to go home, but she refuses, and that’s scary. She’s clearly not afraid of a challenge; she’s not going to run, and she’s certainly not afraid of Jack Reacher.

Plus, so far, we’ve seen a man fall from a roof and some brutal kills. So, it’s obvious that the villain of this season is ruthless. Now, I don’t know exactly what Lila will do next, and that unpredictability makes me anxious. However, I do know from these three episodes that Reacher seemingly doesn’t suspect her, but probably should.

She easily lied to him, and it seems like she’s very capable of manipulating him. So, while Paulie was Reacher’s biggest physical challenge last season, I have a feeling Lila will prove to be an even scarier adversary who forces Alan Ritchson’s character to work in a way he never has before.

Alan Ritchson is in high demand these days, but even as he pops up in 2026 movie releases like War Machine and the dialogue-free Motor City, fans of the hit Prime Video series Reacher don’t have to worry. Jack Reacher’s adventures will continue for at least two more seasons, with the first of the new episodes premiering August 12. Reviews have dropped for Reacher Season 4, and I’m happy to report that Ritchson seems to have followed through on the big promise he made.

Alan Ritchson had said he wasn’t sure showrunner Nick Santora could top Season 3, but after seeing how different and unexpected the new story is — with Reacher uncovering a political conspiracy and getting, ahem, involved with the enemy — the actor called Season 4 “the best season we’ve ever made by a long shot.” Luckily for us, the critics seem to agree! Sherin Nicole of RogerEbert’s review reads:

Alan Ritchson Batman rumors aside, Reacher Season 4 may not just be the best but also the bloodiest season, according to Raphael Motamayor of The Wrap. It’s also the funniest yet, with a timely political story that Motamayor says results in possibly the series' best twist to date. The critic writes:

David Caballero of Collider rates it a 9 out of 10, writing that the most recent installment stays true to itself while delivering a product that’s “more muscular and unforgiving than ever.” Viewers will be cheering through gritted teeth, Caballero says in his Reacher Season 4 review:

Ryan Britt of Men’s Journal says this is Jack Reacher’s most James Bond-like season yet, with its old-school, emotionally charged action and a story where the romance is so closely connected to the character’s motivation and possibly even his downfall. Britt continues:

Craig Elvy of ScreenRant gives Reacher Season 4 an 8 out of 10, noting that the action this season shifts into a higher gear than before. The critic lists “artful driving stunts, nail-biting aerial work, and a greater focus on blades,” as the series offers set pieces that audiences haven’t seen anywhere else (which is saying quite a lot). Elvy writes:

It’s hard to argue with the above reviews, and few critics are. Reacher Season 4 started with a 100% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes from 11 reviews but has since dropped to 87% as more opinions are gathered. Either way, if you’re even remotely invested in Reacher, you’ll definitely want to check out what Alan Ritchson called “the best season.”

The first three episodes of Reacher Season 4 drop Wednesday, August 12, on the 2026 TV schedule and can be streamed with a Prime Video subscription. New episodes drop weekly on Wednesdays thereafter.

The current King of Action TV, Reacher’s Alan Ritchson, teamed up with the king of action movies, Arnold Schwarzenegger, for an upcoming holiday movie that sounds like it could be a Christmas delight for fans. As it turns out, Ritchson also came away from the project with a personal gift of his own, as he got a lesson in appreciating fame and perspectives from the Hollywood icon.

In the upcoming 2026 release The Man with the Bag, Schwarzenegger’s take on Santa Claus has to seek out the help of a small-time crook, Ritchson’s character Vince, to aid in his mission to retrieve a stolen sack of presents. And when it drops in December, it’ll be his fourth starring role in a 2026 feature (after War Machine, Runner and Motor City), and it’ll arrive after both the fourth season of Reacher and the first season of Neagley, which he guest-stars in. Needless to say, he’s everywhere.

As it turns out, working with a mega-celebrity like Arnold Schwarzenegger helped Ritchson gain a more rounded point-of-view about his own popularity, which he addressed during his appearance on the podcast Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard (via YouTube). He addressed his increasing discomfort with being famous, saying:

Ritchson the pointed out how his family has also become more disdainful about how familiar he now is to the population at large, and how it causes constant disruptions when they go out to dinner or anywhere else. The struggle for him is balancing that time, as his wife would prefer him to shut off the fan-behooving part of his personality during family togetherness, but he understands that fans naturally don't get how stressful and constant the interruptions can be.

But while those situations can be stressful for Ritchson, who says it's a constant struggle to worry about who he might disappoint on any given day, he pointed to Schwarzenegger being at a point where he just eats it up and gives in to the public's desires more often than not. The actor gave a specific example, saying:

Alan Ritchson pointed out that he understands he may never be at the level of fame that Schwarzenegger has amassed over the years, and the Terminator star can still take the time to be so openly accepting to all of his fans. That had an inspiring effect on Ritchson, who said he pointed out his perspective shift to his wife, and how his co-star inspired a new kind of appreciation.

The next few years may very well push Ritchson's fame beyond the threshold for mega-stardom. For one, he's got an overall deal with Amazon MGM to produce and star in new TV projects, and two, he recently signed a feature production deal with Netflix. Not to mention he admitted he’s in talks with James Gunn for a DCU role, though apparently not Batman. So even as famous as he currently is, the sky is still the limit as far as where he's going next.

As far as his upcoming Schwarzenegger collab, The Man with the Bag is directed by Adam Shankman, from a script written by Allan Rice, and also stars Awkwafina, Kyle Mooney, Ken Jeong, Jane Krakowski, Liza Koshy and Michael Cyril Creighton. It’s set to make its streaming debut (via Amazon Prime subscription) on December 2, 2026.

There are mild spoilers for Reacher Season 4 and the book it's based on in this story. You’ll be able to stream the series with an Amazon Prime subscription on August 12.

When Alan Ritchson was asked to explain what the “high octane” fourth season of Reacher was about at San Diego Comic-Con, he did warn that he was going to “spoil [it] in five seconds.” However, he also rightfully noted that this is a show based on books. So, the following information was fair game to share, and honestly, it made me even more excited for this book-to-screen adaptation.

Season 4 of Reacher is based on Lee Child’s Gone Tomorrow, which will follow Jack Reacher as he dives into a major conspiracy after witnessing a woman shoot herself on the subway (which is implied in Season 4’s trailer). During this mission, he’ll get twisted with someone named Lila, and according to Ritchson, this relationship will get spicy:

Sleeping with the enemy usually does not turn out well…and according to Alan Ritchson, that’s what makes this season so fun. He also noted that this is a very different situation for Reacher to be in. Explaining why he’s excited for this storyline, the actor said:

Thankfully, the moderator followed up by asking if Reacher catches feelings this season. While Ritchson did confirm his character sleeps with the enemy, he wouldn’t give the most direct answer about Reacher’s true feelings, as he said:

Well, now I really can’t wait for Reacher to return on the 2026 TV schedule. Alan Ritchson had already said Season 4 was their best yet, and this twist in the plot makes me believe that statement even more.

I love a good villain, especially a female villain, and I love that she’ll challenge Reacher in a new way. Plus, we’ll get a pinch of romance too, which is always a welcome addition (even if it ends terribly for everyone).

Now, to see where things go from here, you can catch the Season 4 premiere of Reacher on August 12 on Amazon Prime.

Alan Ritchson is quickly becoming one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars on the big and small screen, and his widespread popularity will no doubt continue to grow as Reacher Season 4 drops (via Amazon Prime subscription) and Fast 11 gets closer to filming. He technically doesn’t even need to use words to win over critics and audiences, as evidenced by the acclaimed action thriller Motor City. So it’s perhaps no surprise that Netflix has secured the actor for a huge deal that likely paves the way for War Machine 2 and more.

Netflix Signed A First-Look Movie Deal With Alan Ritchson

On the heels of the massive success of the sci-fi action romp War Machine, Netflix is staking semi-permanent claims in Alan Ritchson as a viewership commodity. According to Deadline, the streaming giant and the actor's Dancing Skeletons production shingle have partnered for a first-look creative deal for a slate of movies that Ritchson will star in and produce.

I don't think it's too much of a stretch to think that the Titans vet is more or less becoming the platform's action hero equivalent of Adam Sandler, who has been an audience-amassing value add for Team Netflix since 2014, starring in 15 or so features, a stand-up special, and other projects. Not that they were all comedies, much as I'm sure not all of Ritchson's Netflix projects will be action-oriented. (Which makes this the time for Blue Mountain State to return anew, no?)

In any case, Ritchson obviously has a ways to go to catch up with the Sandman's streak, but the dude has an uncrushable work ethic that makes me think he could hit 15 Netflix movies in the next 5 years alone.

Considering War Machine recently broke into the bottom of Netflix's all-time Top 10 movies, with 139.9 million views racked up during the 91-day window post-release, a sequel seems imminent, but has yet to be announced. That said, we already know what to expect first from this new partnership.

Alan Ritchson's First Project Under Netflix Deal Is With Fast & Furious Franchise Writer

Before this new first-look agreement was finalized, Ritchson was already set to headline the hurricane-set military action movie Maelstrom for Jaume Collet-Serra (whose Carry-On was another huge hit for the platform). After that, he'll be teaming up with another superstar creative in screenwriter Chris Morgan, who has handled storytelling duties for the Fast and Furious franchise since Tokyo Drift. The project also boasts the production power of Jeff Kirschenbaum and Joe Roth of RK Films, with the former being a Universal exec who oversaw F&F development before taking on producer duties.

The project is a still-untitled heist thriller centering around MotoGP. The narrative follows a group of motorcycle thieves who take their crimes global, targeting priceless relics around the world. Naturally, the only person who can stop them is a former MotoGP would-be-superstar recruited by Interpol to track them down. The harder part comes when he realizes the group is possibly being led by a younger brother that he thought was dead. Cue the dramatic blasts.)

Sounds like a fun idea, and I can easily see why the project was pitched to Netflix by Ritchson, Morgan & Co. as "Fast & Furious with motorcycles," as well as why Netflix's Powers That Be were quick to agree to it.

Helping things along is that MotoGP will be fully on board as well. The road-racing brand has signed their own deal with Netflix to serve in a consultation capacity during the development process. It's not everyday a huge company agrees to lend its products to movies where crimes are commited using said products. But that's usually less of a concern when it comes to higher-priced tie-ins like vehicles and resorts.

It's unclear if this new first-look deal throws a wrench into the works regarding his talks to play a DCU character, and it's also unclear whether or not this will potentially hinder Reacher beyond the already renewed Season 5, or if it will have an effect on his still-fresh creative deal with Amazon MGM to produce new TV projects.

Whichever way it goes, I do believe both Alan Ritchson and Netflix both come out of this looking like winners, winners, chicken dinners. Now who's going to be the genius who writes the movie where Ritchson and Adam Sandler play brothers?

We know Jack Reacher will appear on Neagley when the spinoff premieres on the 2026 TV schedule. However, that got me wondering: Will we ever see Neagley’s characters on Reacher? Well, thankfully, we got to ask the cast of this new show that question.

When Neagley premieres, not only will we get to see Maria Sten’s titular character back in action, we’ll also get to see her with a whole new cast of characters. Notably, this show will be different than Reacher, because it will follow the same set of people if it gets to go on (which could make it a bit deeper than the flagship series). So, when CinemaBlend’s Sarah El-Mahmoud asked Greyston Holt about the potential for crossover during an interview at San Diego Comic-Con, he made a good point about how this new project stands on its own:

In Neagley, Holt plays Detective Hudson Riley. He’ll work closely with the titular character, and I’m really looking forward to seeing their dynamic. So, obviously, I’d also like to see how he fits into the greater world of Reacher.

Meanwhile, Jasper Jones will play Keno in Neagley. We don’t know much about his character yet. However, we do know he’d be down to crossover with Reacher, as he told us at Comic-Con:

I also think it would be fun to see the creative teams flex their muscles a bit to get a crossover going. While we’ve seen Neagley a lot on Reacher, and we know Alan Ritchson’s character will appear in the new spinoff, it’d be interesting to see how Neagley’s other stars interact with the different world of Jack Reacher. So, in the words of Jasper Jones:

I see Holt’s point about the two shows being different worlds, and I get that Reacher’s whole thing is that it bounces around and features a new cast with every book-to-screen adaptation of Lee Child’s novels.

However, I still think it’d be entertaining to see Hudson Riley or Keno pop up in the world Alan Ritchson’s character runs. If Neagley does go on for multiple seasons, and these two guys become vital characters in her world, obviously, I think it’d be awesome to see how they fare over on the show that started it all.

For now, however, they’ll be sticking to Neagley. But have no fear, you’ll still get some crossover because Alan Ritchson is set to appear in the spinoff. So, make sure you have your Amazon Prime subscription ready, because Reacher will begin airing Season 4 on August 12, and it will be followed by Neagley’s series premiere on September 16.

Alan Ritchson was born to be an action star, so it felt like a no-brainer to see him join the Fast & Furious franchise with Fast X (streaming with a Peacock subscription), alongside Vin Diesel. As Aimes, the actor got in on the stunts and fistfights and clearly had a great time being a part of it all. But it’s been three years since the film came out, and with no release date on the 2026 movie calendar, fans are wondering when the final installment of the franchise will finally hit theaters. And they’re not the only ones.

The Fast and Furious movies first revved onto the big screen 25 years ago and the scope and scale has only gotten bigger and wilder with each release. Over two decades of the action-adventure empire has been building toward this moment. But following Fast X's cliffhanger ending and the excruciatingly long Fast Forever delay, questions continue to arise about when we’ll finally get to learn how it all ends. The Reacher star recently appeared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast to promote his latest action flick, Motor City, and of course, the conversation turned to what he’s heard about the status of the Fast franchise. He said:

When it comes to putting seemingly impossible things out into the world and making them happen, there is no better manifester than Vin Diesel. Unwilling to give up on anything, it’s admirable to witness his unwavering grind, and I’m sure Alan Ritchson and the cast appreciate the push to get Fast Forever into production.

After defying the laws of physics countless times, even launching a car into space using a rocket in F9, it’s hard to scale things back down. And all of that comes with a hefty price tag. But Ritchson, who has described his franchise character as “disarmingly unflappable with a down home charm,” is right that there has to be a more efficient way to shoot and to pull things back while still honoring what the Fast and Furious world has become. And really, it comes down to family. Smallville’s Aquaman is optimistic that it will happen, and reassuringly said:

Fast and Furious has become one of the most popular action franchises of the 21^st century, encompassing not just movies, but an animated series, theme park attractions, video games and more. It has also embraced some of the biggest names in the genre, counting Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Jason Momoa, Charlize Theron, Helen Mirren and Gal Gadot among its cast ranks.

But honestly, as long as the character dynamics stay true and their bonds remain strong, I know I’d be down to see a conclusion that recalls where it all began. A final chapter that stays more grounded and pulls back from all of the over-the-top stunts bordering the absurd and takes things back to Los Angeles to honor the franchise’s roots would definitely get me into a theater to see the final film that’s currently slated for March 17, 2028.

At one point, Jay Baruchel was set to join Season 4 of Reacher, which ironically premieres on the 2026 TV schedule very soon. However, he had to drop out. Now, as Season 5 of the action series kicks into high gear, he’s joined the cast (again), and I’m thrilled about it.

Jay Baruchel Is Joining Reacher Season 5

As we get ready to watch Season 4 of Reacher with an Amazon Prime subscription, Alan Ritchson and co. are hard at work on Season 5. Production on the book-to-screen adaptation began about a week ago, and now more casting news has been released.

Specifically, Jay Baruchel is set to join the ensemble, and he will play Chief Buck Bauer in the next installment of the show. Alongside him, Kevin Durand, Amanda Ip and Ciara Bravo have also joined the cast, creating a very fun crew for Reacher’s next adventure.

That next adventure will be based on Lee Child’s book Make Me. This novel follows Reacher as he stops in a mysterious town and works with a private investigator to find someone. As they uncover information, they realize there’s quite the criminal conspiracy to deal with.

Outside of names, no further details were provided about the characters the new cast will be playing in the show. Based on the information about the book, though, I cannot wait to learn more about them and the roles they play in Reacher’s story.

However, this news also has me thinking about what could have been…

Reacher Season 4 Was Actually Supposed To Feature Jay Baruchel

Originally, Baruchel was supposed play small-town policeman Jacob Merrick in Season 4 of Reacher. Considering Alan Ritchson’s character tends to work closely with someone like this, I imagine he would have played a large part in the upcoming episodes.

However, the How to Train Your Dragon star was “forced” to exit the series, according to Deadline, over a personal matter. He was then replaced by Christopher Rodriguez-Marquette, and on August 12, we’ll get to see him sharing the screen with Ritchson in the fourth season of Reacher.

At the time, I was admittedly disappointed to hear Baruchel had to leave. While I get why and I’m looking forward to seeing Rodriguez-Marquette, I was stoked to potentially see the This Is the End actor in this show. I feel like he and Ritchson would have a very entertaining chemistry and would juxtapose each other nicely.

So, I’m over the moon that Jay Baruchel was able to return to Reacher, and hopefully he'll stick around this time.

Considering how Amazon is cranking out shows, and the fact that Season 5 of Reacher is already in production, hopefully we’ll get to see Jay Baruchel and Alan Ritchson sharing the screen sooner rather than later. However, thankfully, we have a set of episodes that Ritchson has called “the best season [they’ve] ever made by a long shot” to hold us over, as Season 4 of Reacher begins airing on August 12.

Alan Ritchson has been in seemingly just as many conversations about Batman as some of the actors that have played the DC vigilante, with fans rallying for James Gunn to cast him as the DCU’s Dark Knight. There’s a time when that maybe could have happened, but Ritchson’s latest comments poured water on the Bat-rumors, in light of a potentially different path forward with DC Studios.

While promoting the fourth season of Reacher at San Diego Comic-Con, Ritchson formally addressed his current DC situation before thousands of people, as seen in our post below.

For those unable to watch the video, here's how he clarified things (while still technically keeping the Batcave door open):

In the days ahead of SDCC, Ritchson confirmed that he and James Gunn have been talking, which is likely part of the reason why he took the time to address it on stage, but didn’t tip his cowl towards any of the other characters who might be up for contention, or even if he’d be more interesting in joining an upcoming DCU movie or something on the studio’s TV side. But that’s okay, because fans have puh-lenty of ideas for characters that the Motor City star should embody in live-action.

DC Characters That Fans Want To See Alan Ritchson Play

• Hawkman, Captain Atom, or Wildcat would all be great roles for Alan. - @brettofbakerstreet
• I’m hoping for the New God Orion😍 - @wondervaughn_1
• He’d be the best Shazam. Man on the outside, big kid on the inside! - @zxanajae
• Bane for sure - @klarcjwilson
• Booster Gold! Bet me! 🙌 - @firechkn00
• Aquaman please - @sincerelyyoursvic
• Green Arrow. - @levelupboxing
• The other character is…Bruce Wayne. - @lorcanaman
• Buff joker incoming??? - @ryzmechaa
• He would be a great “Azrael” - @kingfaouaz

I mean, hand to Detective Comics #27, I'd welcome Ritchson in literally any one of the roles mentioned above. Though Green Arrow would probably be my bottom choice, if only because Oliver Queen isn't always meant to be a brickhouse of a human being.

The most likely, perhaps, would be Wildcat, in that Ritchson would be able to spotlight his muscles and fisticuffs without an abundance of CGI and green-screenery. (I assume, anyway.) And the actor hasn't dismissed potentially playing Wildcat the way he has with other roles.

Personally, I'd love to see him in the role of Azrael, but that would require the DCU getting to a point where adding the religion-fueled behemoth to the narrative makes sense, and we're certainly not there yet without a Batman.

Booster Gold would be the best character for Ritchson to get to play up his comedic charms as one of the more ego-driven and oblivious DC superheroes. It'd also be great to see this completely modern looking dude zipping through time streams and showing up at different points in history.

To be sure, almost every one of the heroes and villains mentioned above was suggested by a variety of commenters. (Okay, maybe Buff Joker was just a one-off.) So there are more than enough people hoping for each potential outcome. But then of course there are those who still want the Reacher actor to play the Caped Crusader, even if it isn't the one we've all grown up with.

• I think he’s the only man that can play Absolute Batman rn - @xiamcellx
• Ok not Batman… buuuut…. Maybe the voice of Absolute Batman👀 I can see it, he has the voice - @aye_itzjordan_
• He can definitely be Absolute Batman 🙏 - @raafiqirtaza
• Absolute Batman is the only thing that fits!!! - @datoneguyplayscards

At this point, the wildly popular Absolute Batman comic series is being adapted into an animated series, so the actor would only be able to lend his voice to the role in that capacity, rather than in live-action where his build could be utilized. But then, Bruce Wayne is still in his 20s in that timeline, which essentially rules Ritchson out, especially if there aren't even plans to make a live-action version anytime soon.

Though it's still too early to know if we'll see Alan Ritchson showing up in the DCU in any upcoming 2027 movies, I'm fairly confident James Gunn will figure out a way to get him on the big screen with the quickness. (And no, that's not a winking nod suggesting he should be The Flash, although it would be scary as all hell to see that dude running at you at full speed.)

While Alan Ritchson has been working as an actor for some time now, he’s truly reached (no pun intended) a new level of stardom in the past several years. Ritchson has been open about seeking to be authentic as his celebrity status grows, and that includes being honest about his political leanings. The highly sought-after Reacher star recently shared his brutally honest thoughts on politicians and the Epstein Files. The White House later called him out and, since then, Ritchson has also shed light on why he’s open about his politics.

How Did The White House Respond To Alan Ritchson's Initial Comments?

Ritchson recently spoke about politics during a podcast interview, noting that he’s not a “loose cannon” when it comes to sharing his political beliefs. The actor just referred to himself as an “exception to the rule” that sees celebrities being hesitant to talk about the government. Eventually, the Playdate alum mentioned the Epstein Files and questioned where they were. From there, he also suggested that the files were being protected by “pedophiles.”

During his address, Ritchson didn’t specifically name any politicians, but he did mention someone who had “has the keys to the nuclear [powers].” He also added that said person is“all up into 13-year-olds” and should “go to jail.” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson later released a statement that was shared with Entertainment Weekly and, in it, she said the following:

Ritchson has not formally responded to that particular statement from the White House, as of this writing. However, as mentioned, he did address his tendency to be open about politics in general.

Alan Ritchson Shares His Take On Being Honest About His Political Standing

More recently, Ritchson has been promoting a myriad of projects, with his latest being the well-reviewed action movie Motor City. The star also appeared at San Diego Comic-Con this weekend to promote the upcoming fourth season of Reacher (for which there’s a trailer). The Associated Press caught up with the actor and asked him about his tendency to be “loud and proud” about his convictions, leading Ritchson to say:

Over the years, a number of actors have spoken freely about their politics, while others opt not to share their views for varied reasons. It’s been alleged that, in some cases, stars choose not to speak up out of fear that their careers will be negatively affected. Whether that’s definitely true is something that can be debated. However, in Ritchson’s case, he doesn’t seem to be taking any professional hits as a result of his opinions.

Aside from his aforementioned 2026 movie release and the fourth season of his Tom Clancy show, Ritchson is also co-leading the upcoming action comedy flick Runner, which drops in September. Ritchson is also teaming up with Arnold Schwarzenegger in a forthcoming holiday film, The Man with the Bag. And, for a while, Ritchson’s also been linked to the role of the DCU’s Batman and, while he finally shut down that Dark Knight chatter this weekend, he also confirmed he’s in talks for a different role in that continuity.

It’s fair to assume that some may have varied thoughts on Alan Ritchson’s decision to speak out about politics as his star continues to rise. Regardless of that, though, it is fair to say that Ritchson has the freedom to share what he wants and is entitled to his personal opinions.

29 years ago, when Jack Reacher was first introduced in Killing Floor, I can’t imagine that anyone assumed at the time that author Lee Child and San Diego Comic-Con would be uttered in the same breath. But 2026 ain’t got time for such hypothetical assumptions, and the annual con is indeed where Reacher Season 4’s first trailer was viewed en masse, and it’s a banger. A head-banger to put it more specifically, as the final seconds of the preview lay out.

Season 4 — set to stream via Prime Video subscription on August 12, 2026 — will see Ritchson’s migratory grunt in a story adapted from the character’s 13th novel, Gone Tomorrow, in which Reacher has a terribly unlucky encounter with a stranger on a subway that pulls him into a “complex and deadly game that pits him against ruthless foes from the highest echelons of power.” Sounds like your average seasonal adventure for the former military behemoth (where “former” only applies to military and not to behemoth).

As it goes with Reacher, the fourth season brings in a largely new cast of characters, with GLOW and Black Panther vet Sydelle Noel stepping up to portray NYPD homicide investigator Tamara Green. She’ll not only be working on the case with him, but she’ll also be getting down and dirty with him in other ways.

As such, it makes sense that she’s the one who gets to be the fan surrogate poking fun at the character for his less-than-convincing attempts to “blend in” to a crowd of normies.

That's a big ol' nope from me, Det. Green! For all the excellent instincts and know-how that Reacher has at his mental disposal, he sure does tend to over-estimate just how much work a hat can do to distract others from seeing the rest of his hulking frame. For a lot of people, the hat is only seen after the biceps and the shoulders, and that's if Reacher is wearing a shirt. If he's not, forget about it. (Alan Ritchson keeps those abs going 24/7 for mor than just kicks.)

I guess it makes a LITTLE more sense with Season 4 taking place in New York City, where the population is more distinct than some of the more rural areas that he's been known to travel through.

As the trailer shows us, Det. Green isn't even Reacher's only romantic foil in Season 4, as he's seen shirtless and making out with Agnez Mo's Lila Hoth. (Seemingly with the same blood on his face.) She's also connected to the overall deadly game narrative, so it's possible, or even likely, that this hook-up is more for the benefit of someone gaining information as opposed to making a genuine connection. Or hell, maybe Green, Lila and Reacher will become a throuple by the middle of the season. Anything happens in 2026, baybeeee.

The trailer makes it look like at least half of the conversations Reacher gets into in Season 4 will lead him to start throwing fists and knees. Which is a pretty good average in my book. With Season 5 already going into production, the future looks quite nice. Although these rose-colored glasses I'm wearing could just be stained with somebody's blood.

Reacher Season 4 kicks into gear on August 12, 2026, with Maria Sten's spinoff Neagley premiering a month later on September 16, 2026.

There’s been a whole lot of chatter about Alan Ritchson and his potential to play Batman in the DCU, and he’s actively been a part of that conversation. However, now he’s put it to rest (for now). That’s because, at San Diego Comic-Con, he fully addressed the rumors, noting that while Bruce Wayne is probably out of the equation for now, his conversations with DC are by no means over.

This comes just days after Ritchson made suspicious comments about Batman and DC, saying that “the future is bright, and the horizons are broad.” However, during Reacher’s panel at Comic-Con, he was a lot clearer about the Caped Crusader specifically, saying:

Again, there’s been a ton of chatter about Ritchson and Batman, specifically. So, this statement from the actor is huge, because it essentially puts those rumors to rest, while also making it clear that a new kind of speculation can begin. To hammer that point home even further, he said:

Well, that answer sounds definitive, so it seems Bat-fans can finally lay down their speculation caps. Check out Ritchson's address during the panel:

This all came after Ritchson said he was booked until 2028, and the moderator made a comment about Batman. The Reacher star cleared the air once and (seemingly) for all. He’s not playing him. However, he is also still very much in conversation with DC.

He’s made it apparent that he and DC’s boss James Gunn have talked, and he’s excited to potentially work with him. They just have to find the right character first. Well, it seems like they have someone in mind…it’s just not the one we all thought it could be.

That’s exciting in its own right, though, because a door full of possibilities just opened. Like, maybe he could play Orion or Hawkman or even Captain Atom. So, while it seems like we won’t see Ritchson in a DC project for a while, and we very much will not see him as Batman, it feels like someday he will step into a superhero (or maybe villain) costume.

If you’d like to see Alan Ritchson actually in action while we wait for updates on the superhero front, you can watch him as an action hero in Reacher. That’s the show he was at Comic-Con for, and Season 4 is set to premiere on the 2026 TV schedule on August 12 for those with a Prime Video subscription. It’s also already in production on Season 5 (proving just how busy Ritchson is), so we’ll likely see more of him as Jack Reacher before we see a DC project from him.

However, if there’s anything you should take away from this story, it’s that Alan Ritchson’s future with DC is very much bright, and they have someone in mind for him to play (it’s just not Batman).

Alan Ritchson has openly stated he'd like to play Batman, and if his towering frame in Reacher is a resume to play the Caped Crusader, I'd say he's perfect for the job. It seems like James Gunn might agree, especially after a cagey response from the actor when he was asked whether he'd play the DC hero.

Ritchson was a guest on Happy Sad Confused with Josh Horowitz, in which the host brought up that Gunn is a big fan of the action star. Ritchson acknowledged the question and followed up with this:

Ok, then. For some reason, Alan Ritchson and James Gunn are speaking a lot. That feels like a big deal, especially since he's busy making Superman: Man of Tomorrow and overseeing other DC projects. Why exactly would he be making a good deal of time for Ritchson unless he was tied to that in some way?

It's a question Horowitz was understandably also curious about. He wanted to know if this was a confirmation that Ritchson is in conversations to play the DCU Batman, who is separate from Robert Pattinson's Batman. Or, he could be playing an entirely different character in the DC universe. All the actor could say was this:

If Alan Ritchson thought that was going to end the questions, he was wrong. Of course, people want any details about what he might be doing in the DCU, if anything.

Readers know by now that NDAs signed by actors and actresses associated with any upcoming superhero movie are pretty iron-clad. So there was no way this line of questioning was ever going to end with Ritchson detailing what these conversations were about and who he would be playing. What he did say, however, was this:

I think that's a smart response. The DCU, after all, is coming off a disappointing showing for Supergirl, but Superman was well-received. I think there's an understandable amount of caution being taken by Ritchson, and wanting to ensure he's not rushing too quickly into something that doesn't feel right.

Based on this final bit, however, it sounds like whatever is being discussed, the Reacher star feels good about it. Here's how he characterized the situation, and I would note the adjective he used for the future:

Ok, so, Alan Ritchson as Batman is confirmed? Of course, Josh Horowitz had to give one more try to get the actor to fess up. This final attempt sent me as, Ritchson continued to tease the host and audience with his responses:

• Josh: Do you have a character in mind that you're not going to tell me today?
• Alan: Yes.
• Josh: And it's not Batman?
• Alan: Look, the future is bright, and the horizons are broad, and anything is possible for any of us. You know?

I guess, in light of the recent news that The Batman: Part II was delayed yet again, this is something positive to look forward to. I do worry about how Warner Bros. Discovery may feel about having two cinematic Batmans operating in movies at the same time, as the company heads historically frowned on that and prevented certain characters from being used in The CW's Arrowverse when they were a part of the DCEU. I would love to see Ritchson as Batman, but not sure I want to see less of Pattinson's Batman as a trade-off.

Of course, we don't actually know what Ritchson could do in the DCU, and won't until he and James Gunn are ready to announce it. Here's hoping we get some news eventually, and this isn't a whole lot of teases and excitement over nothing.

Alan Ritchson has been highly sought after since blowing up on Reacher, but before a new, best-yet season of the hit Prime Video series hits the 2026 TV schedule next month, we’ll have the chance to see (but not hear) him on the big screen. Motor City is a new action flick, and if you’ve ever wished you could have all brutal fights with none of the cheesy, testosterone-fueled banter, this may be the pick for you.

Potsy Ponciroli’s Motor City is virtually free of dialogue, making for a pretty unique crime thriller set in 1970s Detroit. Alan Ritchson and his co-stars — Ben Foster, Shailene Woodley and more — may not have had a lot to say, but the critics won't shut up about the movie.

Steve Pond of The Wrap calls it a “hyper-adrenalized revenge thriller” that replaces conversation with a variety of noises and fun needle drops. Pond says:

Even without the dialogue, Owen Gleiberman of Variety says Motor City delivers love, violence and suspense. Audiences are tasked with interpreting the characters’ looks and gestures, making this movie a “true immersive cinematic experience.”

Anzhe Zhang of Slant also calls it immersive, particularly when the soundtrack matches the action on the screen. Not limited by the restraints of a traditional story, The 2026 movie release is “exhilaratingly alive throughout its set pieces.” Zhang rates it 2.5 stars out of 4 in his Motor City review, writing:

Other critics, however, grew tired of the dialogue-free gimmick, with David Rooney of THR calling the exercise “overstretched.” Alan Ritchson still brings gravitas to the project through his hulking physical presence alone, the critic says, but the supporting cast is lacking depth, and the flick is overall “rendered a bit silly by its silence.” Rooney continues:

Jesse Hassenger of AV Club gives it a C, agreeing that Alan Ritchson is well-suited for the “strong and silent” character of John Miller. While the intent was ambitious, Motor City was unable to shed its clichés. Hassenger’s review reads:

Critics are definitely intrigued by the choice to silence Motor City’s characters, but they’re iffy on the end result. The movie has a score of 69% on Rotten Tomatoes as of this writing, and I’ll be interested to talk about what moviegoers think of Alan Ritchson’s latest when it hits theaters on Friday, July 24.

After seeing Neagley pop up season after season in Reacher, her own spinoff is finally about to premiere on the 2026 TV schedule. While it will feel like it's in the same universe, and Alan Ritchson will even show up in Neagley, they’re also “fundamentally different” shows. To that point, one of the showrunners explained why this new series is “much deeper” than the flagship series.

With Season 4 of Reacher being released right before Season 1 of Neagley, I can’t stop thinking about the shows' differences and similarities. That feeling was amplified when the showrunners were asked about how their series differs from the Alan Ritchson-led book-to-screen adaptation. Getting specific about a structural difference, showrunner Nick Santora told EW:

One of Reacher’s signature elements is the fact that the cast changes every season, and he moves on to a new place. It’s one of the reasons why I love it so much, as each story stands on its own. It allows us to see Alan Ritchson’s character in a brand new situation every single season, and it's always fun to see how they shake things up. However, it also means we move on fast, and you can’t get deeply invested in anyone other than Reacher and Neagley.

Neagley will be different, because the characters will stick around. That provides an opportunity to get more invested in more than the titular character, as Santora explained:

This is one reason why Neagley is “much deeper” than Reacher. However, the other reason revolves around the fact that as Reacher moves from place to place, he’s motivated by the “gears and springs,” as Santora explained. Neagley, meanwhile, is more complex psychologically:

Now, I don’t think this is a knock on Reacher in the slightest. What makes that show fun is that this guy is constantly moving, and he’s always involved in high-octane action. Meanwhile, it sounds like Neagley will keep its cast of characters around and focus more on what’s going on internally.

Personally, I love that these two Reacher shows will be different, and I’m really excited to see how they complement each other.

So, to see if Neagley is indeed “much deeper” than Reacher, you can catch Season 4 of Reacher (which Alan Ritchson has called the “best season” yet) on August 12. Then after it finishes its run, you’ll be able to stream Season 1 of Neagley with an Amazon Prime subscription on September 16.