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Published Mar 20, 2026, 11:00 PM EDT
Michael John Petty is a Senior Author for Collider who spends his days writing, in fellowship with his local church, and enjoying each new day with his wife and daughters. At Collider, he writes features and reviews, and has interviewed the cast and crew of Dark Winds. In addition to writing about stories, Michael has told a few of his own. His first work of self-published fiction – The Beast of Bear-tooth Mountain – became a #1 Best Seller in "Religious Fiction Short Stories" on Amazon in 2023. His Western short story, The Devil's Left Hand, received the Spur Award for "Best Western Short Fiction" from the Western Writers of America in 2025. Michael currently resides in North Idaho with his growing family.
Before the Prime Video political thriller returns for Season 2, there's no better time than the present to revisit The Terminal List. In just eight fast-paced episodes, Chris Pratt proved that he can do far more than superhero action comedies. In fact, he's arguably at his best here as former Navy SEAL James Reece, a man who will stop at nothing to get justice for his family and teammates when tragedy strikes with a sudden precision that can't be coincidental. Once you get sucked back in, it'll only take a weekend for you to follow Reece to the depths of hell and back.
What Is 'The Terminal List' About?
Based on the hit thriller novel of the same name by former SEAL Jack Carr, The Terminal List introduces us to James Reece just before his entire world falls apart. After he returns home from active duty, having barely survived his last battle, he discovers a terminal brain tumor growing in his head just as his wife and daughter are murdered in his home. Framed and on the run, Reece tracks down the criminal elements involved in this conspiracy in a drama that exposes political and corporate corruption with loads of stylish gunplay and hand-to-hand combat sequences. As journalist Katie Buranek (Constance Wu) seeks the truth about Reece and his world — and his former teammate and CIA operative Ben Edwards (Taylor Kitsch) helps unravel the conspiracy — our hero finds himself crossing lines he never knew he could.
As Reece travels across the globe, the Prime Video series departs from the book in some respects but ultimately stays true to the task at hand. Full of political intrigue and interesting commentary about the way that the Armed Forces are exploited by the U.S. government, it's Pratt's commitment to the Reece character that really brings the whole thing together. After all, who doesn't love a good, old-fashioned action hero who aims to avenge those he loves the most? Everyone from John Rambo to Jack Ryan can fit that bill, and James Reece is the next "J.R." action hero to make such a powerful name for himself. Even as he tears through his opponents, there's a part of us that can't help but root for Reece, whether we can justify his actions or not.
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While some criticized Season 1 for not getting deep enough into the psyche of Reece as he takes his revenge, the truth is that he's not the type of man whose head you'd want to be in, given the state he's in. Instead, he falls into the trademark action hero role with ease, lulling us into the usual brand of action entertainment that exists in movies like Shooter or The Equalizer. Of course, The Terminal List has a slight leg up on those productions in that it's an eight-part series rather than a short-form feature film. The format is certainly to this book-to-screen adaptation's advantage. It's no wonder that Prime Video is the definitive streaming home of the action thriller.
Chris Pratt's James Reece Is a Force to Be Reckoned With in 'The Terminal List'
Chris Pratt stuns as James Reece in The Terminal List, so much so, to the point that viewers have become genuinely shocked by the lengths the character will go to. As Nate Richard wrote in his review of the Prime Video series for Collider, "He's not your typical action hero, and some of the lengths he undertakes in his revenge tour would likely even make John Wick blush." Anyone who's seen the show knows this. It's not exactly a secret that the infamous axe scene from the episode "Detachment" (which is Pratt's favorite moment on the show) was nearly cut from the series entirely due to its graphic content. Beyond that, the sixth episode, "Transience," is something of a mini-First Blood remake as Reece is hunted in the forest by FBI operatives on his tail, using his training to keep a safe distance as he obliterates his enemies. Forget his previous work on Parks and Recreation or Guardians of the Galaxy, The Terminal List is a different beast entirely, and James Reece is a genuine force to be reckoned with.
The good news for fans of The Terminal List is that if one weekend binge wasn't enough, there's already more to whet your appetite while we eagerly await Season 2, set to adapt Carr's novel True Believer. A prequel series set seven years before the events of the original, titled The Terminal List: Dark Wolf, follows Reece's buddy Ben Edwards as he's expelled from the SEAL teams and drafted into an international operation, one that may eventually lead directly to his involvement in the events of the original series. Like The Terminal List, Dark Wolf is meant to be a continuous series, though the first season feels generally self-contained. There's no better time than the present to revisit the extended world of James Reece.
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