'Cross' Season 2 Review: Matthew Lillard Joins Aldis Hodge in an Entertaining but Flawed Return for Prime Video's Thriller

Prime Video's monopoly on streaming shows about dudes with guns solving crimes is unmatched. These are the kinds of shows that your dad loves to watch, including Bosch, Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, The Terminal List, and, of course, Reacher — and fortunately, a lot of them are actually pretty good. Prime Video also put a lot of confidence in Cross, an adaptation of James Patterson's long-running novel series. In fact, the series was renewed for a second season that was filmed before its first episode even premiered on the streamer.

Cross Season 1 wasn't perfect by any means, but thanks to Aldis Hodge's irresistibly cool performance, it did provide a lot of entertainment. It also found ways to tap into hot-button issues without ever being preachy, with certain topics carefully woven into the narrative. One of the factors working against the series' return is that showrunner Ben Watkins didn't get a chance to see viewer feedback beforehand, and while Cross Season 2 is mostly entertaining, it's missing some of the key aspects that made Season 1 work so well.

What Is 'Cross' Season 2 About?

Subtitled "Forbidden Fruit," Season 2 of Cross sees the title character (Hodge) receiving further decoration and praise for his work in catching the Fanboy Killer, but he still has an enormous amount of guilt over what transpired behind the scenes. It's strained his relationship with Elle (Samantha Walkes), and he's become even more protective of his children. Season 2 also introduces viewers to Luz (Jeanine Mason), a vigilante leading an underground team of rebels targeting and killing American billionaires.

Cross is thrust into a new case by his colleague, FBI Agent Kayla Craig (Alona Tal), who has been recruited to protect the extremely wealthy Lance Durand (Matthew Lillard), who believes someone is out to kill him after receiving an alarming death threat. The investigation leads Craig and Cross outside Washington, DC, as they uncover a shocking conspiracy that reveals Durand isn't as innocent as he seems. Meanwhile, Cross's best friend and fellow MPDC detective, John Sampson (Isaiah Mustafa), is pulled into a separate case where he discovers a disturbing secret that has long been kept from him.

'Cross' Season 2 Juggles Too Many Plots at Once

Similar to Season 1's headfirst dive into real-world issues, Cross Season 2 largely revolves around a plot involving immigration and human trafficking, which, unless you live under a rock, have been incredibly prevalent news stories in recent months. Obviously, the new season was written and filmed before those events, but it's still eerily similar to what's happening in the U.S. at present. It adds an extra sense of urgency to the central case, but it also makes Season 2's mysteries even more predictable. While many of Luz's tactics are reprehensible, you immediately recognize that it won't be long until Cross and Craig put the pieces together. Despite being foreseeable, it's an excellent story to have as the season's centerpiece. The show doesn't dial it back when tackling current events; it doubles down.

Unfortunately, there's almost too much Cross Season 2 wants to cover, and it comes at the cost of time spent between Cross and Sampson, whose dynamic was the biggest highlight of Season 1. Instead, Sampson is largely sidelined in his own subplot for most of Season 2, and while it does give the character an interesting backstory, it also never fully connects to everything else going on. Hodge and Walkes' dynamic is also underutilized, and it seems like the creative team didn't fully know what to do with Elle's character until a specific moment towards the end of the season.

Aldis Hodge Is Still Pitch-Perfect as Alex Cross

On the heels of Morgan Freeman and Tyler Perry as the skilled MPDC detective, Aldis Hodge proved himself the definitive on-screen version of Alex Cross in Season 1. After spending years as a reliable face in television series like Leverage and Underground, Cross gave Hodge his action star moment. In Season 2, he is still undeniably perfect in the role, showing off his unmatched charisma, vulnerabilities, and, of course, kick-ass stunt abilities. For all of Cross's imperfections in Season 2, Hodge's performance will keep you watching.

Matthew Lillard is a natural addition to the new season, portraying an Elon Musk-type figure that you can't help but hate. He never overshadows anyone else and gets the perfect amount of screentime, so you're not spending too much time with his deeply unlikable character. It's a credit to Lillard's skills at playing a villain, and seeing him in roles like this is never a bad thing. The other most notable newbie is Jeanine Mason's Luz, whose subplot takes up a big chunk of the overarching story early on. Mason does well enough in the role, and is never too intimidating.

Cross Season 2 also fixes some of its predecessor's hiccups; the lighting is noticeably better this time around, and it's never too difficult to tell what's happening onscreen. For everything it does right, however, it also makes some questionable choices, including sidelining characters who made Season 1 so memorable. Season 2 is entertainingly paced, but outside its lead, nothing about it allows it to stand out from Prime Video's similar offerings. Despite the show's return not living up to its full potential, I still want more Cross in the future, even if it's largely more of Hodge's Alex Cross.

Cross Season 2 premieres February 11 with its first three episodes on Prime Video.