As exciting as the Neagley spinoff may seem, it is hard not to see how it will change Prime Video’s Reacher forever.
It has been a while since we got a new Reacher installment. However, soon, that is about to change as both Reacher season 4 and the upcoming Neagley spin-off show have wrapped filming. The Neagley-centric show is particularly interesting because it begins a new chapter for the franchise where it does not directly adapt a Lee Child book.
At the same time, the Neagley spin-off also has the potential to change the overarching Reacher franchise in one irreversible way. Whether this change will benefit or harm the franchise is worth discussing.
The Reacher Franchise Is Finally Shedding Its Most Appealing Trope In The Neagley Spinoff
Reacher‘s biggest appeal has always been its extreme depiction of the “mysterious stranger” trope. Its main character emerges in a new town in every new installment and leaves a trail of blood behind him. Yet, viewers barely get to know anything about him except that he has a strong sense of justice. This sense of intrigue is what makes one look up to Reacher as an almost mythic figure who can only exist in fiction.
It is this sense of mystique and intrigue that makes Reacher stand out among other action crime thrillers.
Interestingly, though, Neagley is not the same. Even though she, too, is reserved and stoic like Reacher, she does not lurk from one town to another with only a toothbrush in hand.
Unlike Reacher, she also operates within the system, relying on procedure, teamwork, and long-term investigations rather than brute force and transient violence. The institutional realism in her narrative will lack the mysteriousness that drives Reacher.
Alan Ritchson’s Jack Reacher will also appear in the Neagley spin-off, which could further diminish his sense of mystique and larger-than-life aura. By placing him next to Neagley as her sidekick, the Prime Video series risks changing how audiences perceive him permanently.
The Neagley Spinoff Might Slightly Harm Reacher, But It’s Necessary For The Franchise
Lee Child’s Jack Reacher books played it safe by repeating the same formula over and over and not branching out into spin-offs like the show. The show, however, is taking a major risk by focusing on Neagley in a whole new series when the parent show is far from over. This approach could significantly harm the Alan Ritchson series.
If the spin-off is done well, though, it could add more depth to the overarching franchise’s lore and even make Reacher seem more human in a good way.
Neagley primarily serves as a vessel for Reacher to vocalize his thoughts in seasons 1, 2, and 3. By allowing viewers to see the world of crime through her eyes, the series could finally expand her beyond that functional role. This, in turn, would make her future appearances in the main show more impactful.
Since Neagley’s story always felt incomplete and undone in the original books, Prime Video’s Reacher also has the perfect opportunity to make her a more fleshed-out character through the spin-off. Hopefully, the upcoming Neagley spin-off will not disappoint.
