I might as well be describing myself.
In some ways this series reminds me of JUSTIFIED, one of my all-time favorite shows. Colorful characters (a nice way of saying backwater rednecks), and a larger-than-life leading man (the parallels to me are so obvious) who kicks serious ass. May season two please be that he goes to Russia.
Like JUSTIFIED, REACHER is from a series of crime novels. Lee Child is the author. The adaptation was developed for TV by Nick Santora, whose background includes creating SCORPION, and writing on LAW & ORDER and THE SOPRANOS. I’ve never met Nick, but obviously he’s been following me around taking notes.
The show stars my doppelgänger, Alan Ritchson. From what I understand it’s Amazon Prime Video’s most watched series. I'm not surprised. A second season has already been ordered.
When you read that description of Reacher, as laid out by Lee Child, one person you definitely can’t picture is Tom Cruise. A mountain of a man? Tom Cruise? I don’t think so. The 2012 movie was loudly criticized by fans of the novels since Cruise was so unlike the description of the character. Welcome to Hollywood where they’ll happily trash any project just to get “stars.” Marvel fans better hope Tom Cruise doesn’t want to play the Black Panther.
REACHER streams on Amazon Prime Video. Full disclosure: You may not love it as much as me, but then again when you watch the show it’s not like you’re looking into a mirror.
46 comments :
If I wanna see someone like me on TV, I'll tune in to Teletubbies.
:) :) :)
I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed Reacher.
I've seen some complaints that the central mystery wasn't very satisfying but I don't think this first season was particularly about that.
One odd thing: Alan Ritchson walks in a, to me, weird stiff way and every so often I would notice and then that's all I'd notice.
Loved the books but am struggling with the show. Surprised at how cheaply it’s being done… Ontario location that looks nothing like Georgia… no actors I’ve ever heard of… accents that come and go (hey, this ain’t House of Gucci!)… and some cringeworthy lines.
Two shows in and not sure if I want to stick with it.
(And how does reacher keep those abs without access to a gym?)
Are you trying to boost your gay readership?
I really enjoyed the show too. And the movies (along with Ken's blog posts about casting) really helped me appreciate the power of casting. Because I know Tom Cruise is a good actor, and when rewatching the movies I couldn't find much fault with his interpretation of the character. But he just didn't look right.
In contrast, I was quite impressed with Alan Ritchson. Reacher from the books could be a tricky character to nail down: obviously tough as nails and ready to be brutal, but whipsmart--usually the smartest guy in the room. Ritchson conveyed that while being likable too.
When I watch Disney Goofy cartoons, it is like looking in the mirror. So I understand your excitement seeing yourself on the screen.
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Oh God I love this show. I thought I was the only one.
Never read the book(s). Saw the movie knowing nothing about the character. Think actor Tom Cruise is one of Hollywood's Biggest Aholes. Still enjoyed the movie. YMMV.
"I might as well be describing myself."
HaHa, Ken! Thanks for making me laugh out loud.
My former husband said to me, "Watch Reacher if you want some eye candy."
So my present husband and I did so. However, your doppelganger is not eye candy for me -- I don't like overly muscled hulks to look at, and actually in person they scare me a little -- but I did like (till the violence began to bore me) that he was virtually indestructible and could beat the living daylights out of 5o men at a time. Wish I could! Not that I would, but it would be good to know I could, should the need ever arise.
-Kate
Yeah. Sure, Ken. . . .
Overly-muscled guys are like rich douchebags with big yachts, always overcompensating for something. And the hilarious part is that they think the rest of us worship them, or are just envious. I want equitable distribution of wealth and democracy, not your stupid narcissism.
I really enjoyed Reacher but it also just made me want to go re-watch Banshee. It was on Cinemax so no one watched it but it's on HBO Max now and it's great.
It's the way I've always pictured you. I knew those pix you post occasionally were just you in your Clark Kent mode, masking your massive masculinity.
Tom Cruise trying to play a badass will never not be hilarious.
Watched "The Andy Warhol Diaries" on Netflix. And as a gay man, it kind of resulted in a dislike of the man. Very revealing. A sad life. Hell, I lived through that era. Interesting.
Hi Ken,
I was curious if you were a fan of the books before the series? I like the new guy over Tom Cruise, but TC's movies were fine if you renamed the character.
For Reacher, I liked the actor as Arthur Currie / Aquaman on Smallville and as Hawkman on Titans. But here they made him all bright and shiny and well-lit, Titans' makeup and lighting might have seemed closer, as Reacher is usually portrayed as a bit grittier and in grittier circumstances than bright Southern towns. The EPs were shot near where I grew up in Ontario, and I can tell you, they certainly enhanced the light and cleaned the streets. :) The books are also less special-ops and less Holmes...he's more of a street fighter than a guerilla, more methodical than Holmes...when he figures stuff out, it's slow over the book, more methodical with some nice but explainable leaps in logic. Rarely does he have to explain it to others -- but on the screen, of course he does, and then it doesn't ring true to the books because it comes all in a rush, looking like Holmes? Not sure how you avoid that, or even if they should. They don't need to be a slave to the books, but I felt he was a little over the top on the Holmes front too.
Don't get me wrong, I loved the series, and look forward to season 2. I just wish the actor looked in the scenes a little more John Wayne than Brad Pitt. The physical size was right though...as a guy who spends a lot of time hitchhiking, he suspiciously looms even more than the character in the books. :)
Also good to know what you look like...you must have been some-intimidating in the writers' rooms with your 1000-yard stare.
P.
Knew that character looked familiar, but just couldn’t figure out why,
I enjoyed REACHER a lot. Looking forward to the new BOSCH, coming in May.
I enjoyed the Reacher series too. More true to the character, although the Tom Cruise movie weren't bad. There are plenty of stories to choose some, but there are some I hope they don't do.
This helps explain why I am constantly mistaken for George Clooney.
So no one's gonna mention how hot Willa Fitzgerald is?
Another grown man who still acts like a fratboy and spouts wisecracks all day? Pass. It used to be that adults acted like adults on TV.
Willa Fitzgerald is indeed absurdly sexy, and the chemistry between her and Ritchson is potent. It's a shame that she more than likely won't be in series 2 of REACHER.
There's a terrific interview on Youtube from a couple years back where Lee Child and Stephen King chat for an hour, and it is Lee Child who tells the scariest anecdote, which was something he heard someone discussing while he was waiting to go on stage to do an interview.
@whynot Well in case you haven't heard Hollywood doesn't want grown, intelligent, mature men who still kicked ass and are over 30 or 40 anymore. They call that "toxic masculinity" now. I'm afraid male hero characters like Jack Lord's Steve McGarrett, Edward Woodward's Robert McCall aka The Equalizer, Robert Urich's Spenser and Avery Brooks' Hawk, Tom Selleck's Thomas Magnum, James Garner's Jim Rockford, Raymond Burr's Perry Mason etc. are just not what Hollywood wants to show anymore.
I always thought that Sam Malone was based on you?
I wonder how much longer Tom Cruise can keep doing action pictures. The guy's, what, 60 or so? He's older than my dad. Granted, Tom is in better shape than my dad has ever been in his life, but the point remains. The dude's getting too old to keep pulling off these action hero flicks. Maybe he can transition to the romantic leading man thing, like Cary Grant did before he retired. Okay, CGI can turn anybody into an action hero, but it always looks a little phony. Ask Harrison Ford about that.
Enjoyed it in a "Bosch for Rednecks" sort of way. And you can tell the target audience by the fact that the female lead shows her boobs by Episode 4.
But to your point about the character's faithfulness to the book, yeah, Cruise was a hard miss almost on par with Chevy Chase's Fletch who had zero in common with the Gregory Macdonald books.
"Another grown man who stills acts like a fratboy and spouts wisecracks all day. Pass. Used to be adults acted like adults on TV" Except for:
Sam Malone - 1982
Hawkeye Pearce / Trapper John - 1972
Bulldog character on Frasier - 1994
etc, etc, etc
I read somewhere that a 2020 biography of Lee Child suggests that Reacher is his "alter ego", so step aside, Ken.
("there can be only ONE")
Ritchman is young-looking enough, that they could adapt one of a few "prequels" - that is, stories about Reacher while still on active duty. None "in Russia", however.
Cruise would have to wear lifts in his shoes to play Bilbo Baggins.
Lee Child retired and the books are now being written by his brother, Andrew Grant. I don't care for them, but Child bought drinks for everyone at two different mystery conventions to thank his readers. I heard the bar bill in San Francisco was $30,000.
Also check out The Tourist. I enjoyed it as well. I'm not sure if it's on HBO Max or Hulu. Janice B.
Without even seeing it, I'm sure it's better than the truly awful fourth season of Mrs. Maisel.
The Tourist is on HBO Max. It didn't work for me, but Jamie Dornan and Danielle Macdonald also have a terrific chemistry. Danielle Macdonald is also wonderful in the charming "opera" film called FALLING FOR FIGARO, which is well worth a watch.
Sorry for the one too many uses of ALSO in my previous post.
Tom Cruise 5’7 Age 59 is no Ben Turpin —see video below
Hollywood on Parade #13 (1934) [Paramount] Jimmy Durante, Florence Desmond. Ted Healy and Three Stooges, Rudy Vallee, Chic Sale, Polly Moran. Mack Gordon singing "Did You Ever See a Dream Walking?” with Harry Revel at piano, and concludes with Ben Turpin (5’4” Age 65) stunt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRIZexI1PL0
Are you watching WINNING TIME - The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty?
Two episodes in and I'm hooked. Showtime...
You should also check out Bosch based on Michael Connely’s novels.
Does lee Child do a cameo in this?
Ken, I can not decide it this whole entry is tongue in cheek. Especially coming from a television writer. I will give 3 examples of totally ridiculous writing that are only a small percentage of the stupidity of the first episode.
1 A stranger is arrested for a murder with zero evidence implicating him. Plus there is a good chance within the next day they will acquire evidence to prove his alibi as true. But, without seeing a judge, he, along with a guy who gave an obviously false confession, are sent to a state prison within 24 hours.
2 He is attacked by a dozen men in the shower room. He decimates 11 of them, and the 12th guy still tries to take him down alone. Even Russian troops don’t fight like that.
3 He is freed from prison, again no judge involved, and he wants to leave the town. The detective, who seems to have more power than the chief of police, insists Reacher go to inspect the dead bodies. Why? So he can identify his long lost beloved brothers body? There was zero indication the body was his brother prior to his ID. Reacher should buy a Mega Millions ticket.
This shit was written by 8th graders. I will consider this blog entry to be pure sarcasm.
@ventucky,
It's called "willing suspension of disbelief." Do you really want to sit through tedious court hearing scenes just to get to the same far-fetched result? There's no show if Reacher is tied up in legal proceedings. You either buy into the ridiculous, or you skip to the next streaming show.
@KevinB
I will never watch another episode. It is pure stupidity regardless of the motivation of the writers. It also appears that the smartest cop is a 23 year old female beauty. I prefer not to watch shows with no basis in reality that just make impossible shit up and I am supposed "suspend disbelief". That's what children's cartoons are for. I could probably predict everything 5 minutes ahead if I did choose to continue watching.
Lee Child made a cameo in the last episode, passing Reacher in the diner. The way they lingered on this nothing scene (and the height of the other person) made me suspect it was the author, which was easily confirmed online.
I enjoyed the series fine though the end was essentially like something out of Lethal Weapon or other generic action film.
I can't help but ponder how many people here, especially our esteemed host Mr. Levine, heap scorn and sneers at superhero movies/shows but accept Reacher with wide smiles and shiny eyes.
I enjoyed "Reacher", but I'm surprised Prof X didn't send his "Homo Superior" mutants to recruit one of their own to join the team.
I was one of the "No!" to Tom Cruise crowd. Did he get the character right? Yes, in a MI way
But the movies, especially the second, were better than expected.
So is the series-big time. Amazon got this one right in a way that nearly makes up for missing the mark, for multiple seasons, with dreadful slowness of Bosch.
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