Alan Ritchson’s ‘Reacher’ Could Break Its Biggest Formula Rule in Season 6

6 days ago 28

Published Oct 23, 2026, 1:29 PM EDT

Collier Jennings is an entertainment journalist with extensive experience. Collier, or "CJ" to his friends and family, is a dedicated fan of genre films - particularly science fiction, fantasy, and comic book adaptations, not to mention all forms of animation. This stems from a close bond with his father, who introduced him to these genres via copies of X-Men comics and reruns of the original Ultraman series. With his near-encyclopedic knowledge and bottomless love of genre, he's tackled a wide variety of articles.

Reacher's winning formula comes from its adherence to Lee Child's novels. Most of those novels follow former soldier Jack Reacher as he wanders from place to place, often getting embroiled in conflicts that call on his unique skills. Reacher embraces this storytelling style wholeheartedly, and it doesn't hurt that Alan Ritchson is more or less perfectly cast as Reacher. Reacher was recently greenlit for two more seasons, and with that greenlight comes new information that could radically shake up the series for the better.

Lee Child previously revealed to Collider that Reacher Season 5 will adapt Make Me, which sees Reacher traveling to the town of Mother's Rest and helping private investigator Michelle Chang on a missing persons case. The duo stumbles into a conspiracy so dark that Child is wondering whether Prime Video will dive into the "disturbing" depths of Make Me's story. Make Me is also a surprising choice for an adaptation because it gives Reacher Season 6 a chance to adapt the novel The Midnight Line. In the process, it would break the series' standalone format, but deliver a richer story as a trade-off.

'The Midnight Line' Is Unlike Any Jack Reacher Novel — And That Makes It Great

The Midnight Line picks up immediately after Make Me, as Reacher leaves Mother's Rest and heads to Wisconsin, where he stumbles upon a West Point ring while browsing a pawn shop. Reacher buys the ring and learns that its previous owner, Arthur Scorpio, runs a criminal empire. Naturally, Reacher starts dismantling Scorpio's operation with extreme prejudice, but what sets The Midnight Line apart from other Jack Reacher novels is the emotional undercurrent running through the story. When Reacher finally encounters the true owner of the West Point ring, he learns that she's a former veteran struggling with opioid use after a life-changing injury. He also stops a DEA agent from investigating her and even gives advice in true Reacher form.

"Deal with it," Reacher said. "It happened. It can’t un-happen. Most folks aren’t going to like it. Deep down humans haven’t been modern very long. But some won’t care. You’ll find them."

If Reacher adapts The Midnight Line, it won't just break its tradition of standalone stories; it'll give fans a Jack Reacher story that's very different from what they are used to. That's a massive gamble for such a popular series, but it wouldn't be the first time a Prime Video series changed its storytelling approach. If Invincible can shift from a subversive superhero story to a full-blown sci-fi saga, then Reacher definitely has the juice to deliver a story that hits just as hard emotionally as it does physically. If Reacher Season 5 leans into the nastier aspects of Make Me, Season 6 could provide a much-needed breather by adapting The Firing Line.

'Reacher' Season 6 Could Let Alan Ritchson Flex His Dramatic Chops

By adapting The Midnight Line, Reacher also has a chance to let Alan Ritchson display a wider range of emotions. Over four seasons, he's faced multiple dangers while keeping an unwavering poker face. The Midnight Line could shake that up by showing him connecting with another person, particularly a former soldier; since he rarely makes those kinds of connections in his adventures, it's a chance for the series to dig deeper into what drives him. Ritchson recently proved he can pull off dramatic material in Netflix's hit sci-fi thriller War Machine, so getting the chance to show off thosechops in his most iconic role would be a breath of fresh air for Reacher's structure.

Reacher has lasted as long as it has because of its meat-and-potatoes storytelling, but adapting The Midnight Line could be the shake-up the series needs. The novel has a depth that could fuel future seasons and set the series up to end on a high note, as Lee Child hints that Reacher's nomadic ways may be coming to an end.

Release Date February 3, 2022

Network Prime Video

Showrunner Nick Santora

Directors Sam Hill, Gary Fleder, Omar Madha, Carol Banker, Julian Holmes, Lin Oeding, M.J. Bassett, Norberto Barba, Stephen Surjik, Thomas Vincent

Writers Nick Santora, Cait Duffy, Michael J. Gutierrez, Lillian L Wang, Scott Sullivan, Nora Jobling