Prime Video's 'Anti-Reacher' Crime Thriller Breaks The Genre's First Rule

While Prime Video’s next major action thriller could not be less like Reacher, this could be a good thing for the exciting series. Prime Video’s Michael Connelly adaptation Bosch has a lot to answer for. If it weren’t for the streaming service’s seven-season hit, viewers would never have gotten the subsequent sequel series Bosch: Legacy, the spinoff Ballard, or the upcoming prequel Bosch: Start of Watch.

As if this wasn’t enough, Bosch’s success also contributed to Netflix’s Connelly adaptation The Lincoln Lawyer, which is now set to receive a spinoff of its own. More broadly, the successful formula of turning a bestselling thriller book series into a word-of-mouth streaming hit fueled everything from the James Patterson series Cross, to Scarpetta, to ABC’s Karin Slaughter show Will Trent, to, of course, Prime Video’s own Reacher.

Based on the book series of the same name by author Lee Child, Reacher follows Alan Ritchson’s titular hulking military veteran turned drifter as he travels across America, stopping corruption and crime whenever he goes. Reacher’s TV-MA rating means that the bone-breaking, neck-snapping violence of the source novels remains intact onscreen, and Reacher’s villains are odious enough for viewers to cheer when they are brutally dispatched. However, Prime Video’s upcoming thriller Bishop is set to reverse this typical genre trend with a genuinely sympathetic villain.

Bishop's Villain Is The Exact Opposite Of Crime Thriller Shows Like Reacher

Bishop stars Joel Kinnaman as the titular Detective Bishop Graves, a troubled cop hunting a serial killer who is targeting the wealthy elite of San Francisco. Understandably enough, considering how many people are indirectly killed by these wealthy elites every day, the killer gradually garners public support, and is likely to gain more than a little support from some audience members, too.

This marks a stark contrast with Prime Video’s Reacher franchise, where part of the fun of the consistent action thriller show and its spinoff Neagley is how straightforwardly evil and sadistic its villains are. Like the antagonists of a classic ‘80s action movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Charles Bronson, or Chuck Norris, these are comically, cartoonish-ly awful people with no redeeming qualities, which makes it guilt-free fun to see Reacher shoot, stab, and punch them to death.

Bishop is throwing a massive proverbial spanner in the works of this winning formula with a villain who is not only not fuelled by sheer pointless cruelty, but actually wins over the public thanks to their crusade. Knowing the reactionary tendencies of most cop shows, it won’t be a major surprise if the show’s supposed twist reveals that this killer is, inevitably, some form of hypocrite.

However, until that happens, the starry Bishop is seemingly set to subvert the approach of Reacher and most of its imitators. Bishop’s astounding A-list ensemble cast means its unusual premise won’t be the only thing drawing viewers to the upcoming release, as John Malkovich stars as Bishop’s father, Jennifer Jason Leigh plays his mother, and Fast & Furious franchise star Jordana Brewster plays a supporting role.

Bishop's Star-Studded Ensemble Cast Makes It More Like A Movie

Bishop’s cast also includes Jennifer Beals, Bronson Pinchot, Harry Treadaway, Rob Yang, and John Larroquette, making the upcoming psychological thriller one of Prime Video’s starriest recent efforts. Of course, an impressive cast isn’t always enough to bolster a psychological thriller show, as evidenced by the humdrum reaction to the streaming service’s misguided Patricia Cornwell adaptation Scarpetta earlier this year.

Despite bringing together a stacked cast that included Nicole Kidman, Jamie Lee Curtis, Bobby Cannavale, Ariana DeBose, Simon Baker, Andson Mount, Sosie Bacon, and Rosy McEwen, Scarpetta was met with critical scorn thanks to its absurd twists and wildly inconsistent tone. Hopefully, Bishop’s daring departure from the usual Reacher rulebook won’t see the upcoming Prime Video thriller suffer the same fate.