Reacher star Alan Ritchson defends the character against one big complaint. Based on the novels by author Lee Child, Ritchson debuted as Jack Reacher in Prime Video’s hit series in 2022. The actor recently returned to play the former military police officer in season 2, with the sophomore outing once again being met with positive reviews from critics.
With the wait now on for Reacher season 3, Ritchson defends the character against complaints that he hasn’t experienced any meaningful change or growth over the course of seasons 1 and 2 during a recent interview with Stream Wars.
The actor pushes back against the notion that characters need arcs, citing a character played by one of Hollywood’s most beloved movie stars as an example. Check out Ritchson’s full comment below:
“You know, people want to know how he’s grown or changed… How addicted are we to character arcs? Why can’t we have more Tom Hanks’s, you know? Like that dude’s never had a character arc in the world. He’s not changing just because he’s off the island with the volleyball now, like, he’s the same dude. He’s still trying to deliver packages on time. That’s Reacher.
“And maybe we should just enjoy the fact that he hasn’t grown at all. Maybe he hasn’t grown. He doesn’t have any new responsibilities or a contract that he has to uphold and honor, he has a toothbrush. Maybe he brushes his teeth more, maybe he’s got better hygiene.”
Reacher’s Lack Of Character Development Explained
Jack Reacher Doesn’t Need To Change
In Child’s book series, the character of Jack Reacher remains a constant. This is actually a big reason why the book series became so popular, with Reacher traveling to new places to solve new problems with new supporting characters. Reacher is really the only thing in the books that doesn’t change, and he solves each new problem with the same brand of wit, humor, and brawn that he always does before setting back out onto the road.
While characters having arcs is certainly part of what makes countless movies and TV shows compelling and emotionally resonant, Reacher’s consistency as a character is part of why the series could have a great deal of longevity. There are now 28 Jack Reacher novels and Child is still pumping them out, and this speaks to just how “plug and play” the character is. Reacher is only really as interesting as the scenarios he’s put into, and the scenarios are consistently entertaining and give him plenty of opportunity to shine.
Reacher is also far from the only character to remain mostly unchanged. Reacher takes after the likes of James Bond, Indiana Jones, Jon Snow, and even Superman as a character with a flat arc. Following the Reacher season 2 finale, the character is once again poised to embark on a new adventure, and Ritchson’s latest comment affirms that audiences should expect the same old Reacher when the series returns.
Reacher
Produced by Amazon Prime Video, Reacher adapts Lee Child’s Jack Reacher book series to live-action. The series follows veteran Military Police Officer Jack Reacher as he unravels a dangerous conspiracy in the fictional town of Margrave, Georgia. Played by the towering Alan Ritchson, the titular hero collaborates with officer Roscoe Conklin (Willa Fitzgerald) and Chief Detective Oscar Finlay (Malcolm Goodwin) to clean his name and save Margrave from crime and corruption.
- Release Date
- February 4, 2022
- Cast
- Malcolm Goodwin , Maria Sten , Willa Fitzgerald , Bruce McGill , Chris Webster , Alan Ritchson
- Seasons
- 2
- Story By
- nick santora
- Writers
- Nick Santora
- Network
- amazon prime video
- Streaming Service(s)
- Amazon Prime Video
- Franchise(s)
- Jack Reacher
- Directors
- Nick Santora
- Showrunner
- Nick Santora
