Prime Video’s Best Crime Thriller Abandons the Formula of James Patterson’s Books

3 weeks ago 16

Aldis Hodge as Alex Cross in a poster for Cross Season 2.

Published Aug 1, 2026, 2:27 PM EDT

Jen Vestuto is a TV Features Writer for Collider. A born and raised New Yorker, she started her career on set as a production assistant for shows like Law & Order: SVU and Person of Interest. In LA, she worked in the writers' rooms for The Vampire Diaries and Nancy Drew. Along with her writing partner, she joined the writing staff of Nancy Drew in Season 2 and stayed on the run of the show, which ended in 2022 with Season 4.

Jen grew up on Long Island in a loud Italian family. She's been writing creatively since she was in elementary school and would often make her younger sister act out scenes from her favorite movies with her. Jen is also a massive sports fan and was an athlete herself growing up.

Writing features for Collider gives her the opportunity to share her passion for great storytelling and compelling characters.

Prime Video has become the top spot for iconic book-to-TV adaptations featuring iconic characters. After the success of shows like Bosch, Jack Ryan, and Reacher, it makes perfect sense that their latest adaption is Cross, an 8-episode series featuring the classic James Patterson character, Alex Cross, played by Aldis Hodge. The brilliant detective first appeared back in 1993 with the novel Along Came a Spider. That book, along with Patterson's 1995 bestseller Kiss the Girls, were adapted into movies with Morgan Freeman starring in the role of Alex Cross. While those films were directly adapted from the books, the new Prime Video series is actually not based on any of Patterson’s books.

Why Does 'Cross' Introduce an Original Mystery?

In an interview with Collider, Cross creator Ben Watkins said that he was "enchanted" by Patterson's series and was excited to expand on the existing elements that he was drawn to, especially its clever mysteries, strong villains, and exploration of its lead characters' Washington DC hometown and supporting cast. Watkins does stay true to the core of Alex's origin story and the people around him. Like the books, Alex's life is tragically upended after the loss of his wife, Maria (Chaunteé Schuler Irving). Alex works for the DC Metro Police alongside childhood best friend John Sampson (Isaiah Mustafa) and is father to two small kids, Janelle (Melody Hurd) and Damon (Caleb Elijah).

Ultimately, though, with Patterson's blessing, Watkins decided to create an original mystery, saying, "I felt like that would give me the best chance to make something current and timely, and tap into what is actually happening right now in society." Watkins does this in an authentic way, having the characters in the show discuss and argue the nuanced issues of race, socioeconomic differences, and policing. On the day that Cross is filling out paperwork to take a leave of absence from the force, he's pulled into a new case when Emir Godspeed (Donovan Brown), a Black Lives Matter activist, is found dead in his car.

Alex's boss, Chief Anderson (Jennifer Wigmore), wants to believe it was either a suicide or an accidental overdose, but Emir's family and community, and eventually Cross, don't buy it. It turns out his instincts are right when it's revealed that Emir was the victim of a serial killer who is obsessed with infamous real-life serial killers, and he's not the only one. This mystery unravels through the course of the first season, alongside Alex's desperate attempt to find the person responsible for Maria's death, which is obviously affecting his work and personal life dramatically.

Aldis Hodge Brings a Fresh Take to the Iconic Character in 'Cross'

In both the books and film adaptations, Alex Cross is a brilliant and charismatic detective and psychologist. Watkins definitely leans into that for Hodge's character, but he also does something really refreshing. It's not always common for tough, kickass characters to show their emotions and be vulnerable, but thankfully, Cross does just that. The role allows Hodge to showcase all his talents, making him a really well-rounded character. There's a great moment in the first episode when he explains to the woman he's currently dating, Elle (Samantha Walkes), about his hero's complex, which speaks to who Alex is at his core. He is unable to live with the fact that he wasn't able to protect his wife and wants to do everything he can to save everybody around him, even perhaps to his own detriment.

The powers that be at Prime Video seem very pleased with Cross, considering that the show was renewed for a second season before it even premiered. While there have been plenty of successful shows adapted from books, it is difficult to include any twists or surprises that readers of the book won’t already see coming. It was a good instinct on Watkins’ part to center the series around an original mystery that fans of the books or brand-new fans will both be able to enjoy.