Reacher is known for faithfully adapting its source material. But which Jack Reacher book is Season 2 of the Prime Video series based on?
Reacher Season 1 adapted 1997’s Killing Floor. This was a logical place for the action-crime show to start, as Killing Floor is Child’s first Reacher story.
Which Jack Reacher book is Season 2 based on?
Reacher Season 2 is based on Bad Luck and Trouble, Lee Child’s 11th entry in the Jack Reacher canon.
Had the show followed the books’ publication order, Season 2 would’ve adapted 1998’s Die Trying, instead. The same applies if showrunner Nick Santora had maintained the series’ in-universe timeline, as Die Trying picks up after the events of Killing Floor.
That said, for all Reacher’s second season diverges from Child’s chronology, it largely stays true to Bad Luck and Trouble itself. Like the book, Season 2 sees Reacher trying to solve the murder of one ofhis old army buddies, Calvin Franz (Luke Bilyk).
Reacher’s second batch of episodes also follows Bad Luck and Trouble’s lead by bringing backMaria Sten’s Frances Neagley. Indeed, Neagley enlisting Jack’s help is what gets the ball rolling in Season 2, as she does in Child’s original tome.
Another major overlap between Reacher Season 2 and Bad Luck and Trouble is theabsence of Roscoe Conklin. While Roscoe plays a key supporting role in the first season, she doesn’t return in the second – reflecting Child’s established canon.
Willa Fitzgerald, who portrayed Roscoe in Season 1, addressed her series exit ahead of Season 2’s release, making it clear she backed the decision. “I think that’s a great opportunity to get to tell a clean and complete story, and then be able to walk away,” Fitzgeraldtold Digital Spy.
Reacher Season 2 Episodes 1-8 are streaming now on Prime Video, which you can sign up forhere.
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Leon is a freelance Movies and TV writer at Dexerto. His past writing credits include articles for Polygon, Popverse, The Escapist, Screen Rant, CBR, Cultured Vultures, PanelxPanel, Taste of Cinema, and more. Originally from Australia, Leon is currently based in the UK.
