New ‘Reacher’ spinoff show ‘Neagley’ is performing so well, audiences are scoring it higher than the original show itself on IMDb.
Amazon
I cannot say that I was convinced that a spinoff show about Neagley, Reacher’s friend and backup gun across several seasons of his show, was a good idea. I didn’t find her all that compelling, and it seemed like an odd choice, even though the goal was clear: make a series that can air in between Reacher gaps. But now it seems like I was wrong, and it was a very good idea after all.
Right now, Reacher and Neagley are the #1 and #2 shows on Amazon Prime Video, with Neagley releasing all eight of its episodes on the day of the Reacher season 4 finale. Now that fans have watched it and scored it, surprisingly enough, Neagley has surpassed Reacher’s seasonal audience review scores on IMDb. Not just for season 4, but every season minus the first. Here’s the list:
- Reacher season 1 – 8.2 average
- Neagley season 1 – 8.1 average
- Reacher season 3 – 8.0 average
- Reacher season 4 – 7.9 average
- Reacher season 2 – 7.9 average
Given how Reacher season 1 arrived with a bang, and I do think that was the best season, this is an excellent performance for Neagley. Between this and the show’s apparent viewership in the Amazon top 10 list, it seems possible, if not likely, that Neagley will see a second season, and this could become a regular thing.
As you may expect, Alan Ritchson’s Reacher does make an appearance in Neagley, though just as a short cameo rather than a guest-starring role as she has had in his seasons. That makes sense, as the point of the series is to allow her to stand on her own, as she can’t be the co-lead of her own series. Plus, I don’t think Ritchson can film Reacher universe series year-round with all the other movie roles he takes on as well. Here’s the synopsis of Neagley:
“Neagley, drawing from her experience with Jack Reacher and the 110 Special Investigators, embarks on a perilous mission to expose a sinister threat, risking her life to unravel the mystery.”
It’s a breakout part for Maria Sten, who likely did not imagine getting her own show like this when she first signed on. But Reacher was a huge hit, her character was important and well-liked enough to get this greenlit, and here we are. It really worked out great for her, and all indications are that there is probably more to come after this. I do wonder if they’re going to work her back into Reacher seasons as well on top of this.
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Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
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