For those of you might not have marked their TV calendar – and yes, that is a thing, I will have you know – it’s time once again for everyone’s favourite former military hobo, as Reacher debuted the first three episodes of its highly anticipated fourth season just last week, and it is quick to remind us why we missed it so much after a return to form in the third season.
Right off the bat, I can unequivocally say that this latest season has produced the best paced opening three episodes of the show so far, as Reacher and his newfound allies quickly find themselves embroiled in a mystery involving the CIA, mercenaries, and a congressman gunning for the the White House, all of which is tied to a woman who inexplicably committed suicide on the Philadelphia subway right in front of Reacher. All involved are seeking a thumb drive she was allegedly carrying, for which some parties involved are even willing to torture and kill.
While we have yet to see beyond the three episodes released, the narrative at its center is proving to be the strongest that the series has seen so far. This doesn’t just come down to the expertly handled pacing and interesting characters at play here, but also the way in which the central mystery is handled, as it has never really been a strong point of Reacher in seasons past. The lingering questions driving a respective season’s plot often come to bear abundantly obvious, or at least uninspired answers that could hardly be called revelatory. By far the most egregious example of this is in season 2, when the show and its writers did their damndest to convince us that Tony Swan was a villain in the background, when it was painfully obvious that this was not the case.
However, season 4 has sunk its hooks into me, dishing out regular developments that significantly contribute to the sharp pacing, but even more significantly, I am genuinely uncertain of what is truly going on three episodes in, and I am eager to learn more on August 19th when the fourth episode drops.
One minor gripe I do have, though, is that the dialogue can occasionally veer into frustratingly uninspired dialogue that is pure “show and tell” antics, which runs against the fabled screenwriting mantra of “show, don’t tell.” This results in stilted and unnecessary lines, like when someone clearly has their nose broken, only to consequently muse, “I think my nose is broken,” or when another character’s safe house is being raided and the lights go out, after which he laments, “Oh shit. They cut the power.” Look, this is hardly a new problem for the show, and I have been watching Reacher long enough to know not to expect anything akin to a David Simon show exploring prevalent social issues and sharply tuned dialectic dialogue, but there are very occasional lines in Reacher that come off as contrived and can momentarily remove you from an experience that has otherwise been thrilling.
Despite the mild lapses in dialogue, the supporting cast are excellent, with Christopher Marquette as Officer Jacob Merrick being a particular standout, yet he was not the first actor cast in the role. Ontario’s own Jay Baruchel was originally meant to play Jacob, but he had to attend to an undisclosed personal matter and was forced to pull out of the production. Though, evidently, both the show’s producers and Baruchel were still eager to work with one another, as a little over two weeks ago he was cast in season 5 as another police officer, Chief Buck Bauer. Baruchel is arguably the most high-profile actor in Reacher’s constant rotation of supporting casts, with the other being former Brat Pack member Anthony Michael Hall from season 3, though Baruchel certainly carries more name recognition nowadays, and has proven himself more of a leading man in TV and movies than Hall, so his eagerness to star in the show says a lot.
Baruchel will also be joined in season 5 by Kevin Durand, Amanda Ip, and Ciara Bravo, and the story will be adapted from 20th entry in the book series, Make Me, which is certainly a line from Reacher if I ever heard it. No timeline for its release date has been set as of yet, and it is difficult to guess when the release dates for each season of Reacher have varied so wildly. That being said, we have season 4 to enjoy in the meantime, so best focus on that and worry about season 5 when it (likely) releases some time in the second half 2027.