Showrunner Nick Santora addresses the possibility of seeing more returning characters in Reacher season 3 to help Alan Ritchson’s hero.

SUMMARY

Reacher showrunner Nick Santora wants to preserve the character’s loner identity in season 3, emphasizing that the titular hero operates alone and only teams up with good people temporarily.
 While Maria Sten’s Neagley will return in season 3, the show should avoid featuring more returning characters, as it dulled Jack’s appeal in season 2 by making him part of a team.
 Season 3 should focus on Jack operating mostly on his own to highlight his abilities as a fighter and thinker, making up for the character problem in season 2.

Reacher showrunner Nick Santora responds to the possibility of more returning characters in season 3. Not long after the Reacher season 2 finale, news about its sequel made its way online, including the confirmation that Persuader will be the next Lee Child’s book to be adapted on the screen.

Aside from Ritchson, Maria Sten’s Neagley will also return, but it raises questions if allies from Jack Reacher’s time in Margrave or other members of the 110th Special Investigations Unit will also make an appearance.

In a recent conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Santora was coy about the idea. However, he explained that, at his core, Jack Reacher operates alone, meaning he won’t have a crew consistently running around with him. It’s one of the several character traits they want to preserve in Reacher season 3. Read his full quote below:

What I can say is the spirit of Reacher is that he is a loner and a drifting hobo, to use Reacher’s terminology. So, Reacher is never going to have a band of merry folks that travel along with him and help him solve crimes, and have adventures.

The DNA of Reacher is that he moves about on his own and teams up with good people when there’s bad lurking about, and then he says goodbye to those people and goes on his way. And that’s what we’re always trying to stay true to.

Should Reacher Season 3 Bring Back More Familiar Characters?

Sten’s return as Neagley in Reacher season 3 makes her the only supporting character who will have appeared in all seasons of the Prime Video original.

This is already a significant departure from Child’s books, which don’t re-use players from one book to another. Aside from her, Malcolm Goodwin from season 1 also returned as Oscar Finlay, further increasing the chances of seeing familiar faces cross paths with Jack again.

However, coming back doesn’t mean they will be featured prominently throughout the story, and a brief cameo is more than likely instead.

Reacher season 3, however, should veer away from featuring more returning characters aside from Neagley. Season 2 somehow dulled Jack’s appeal by making him a team member.

Giving him consistent backup hindered the storytelling from highlighting his abilities as a fighter and thinker. He wasn’t as creative or interesting in his approach to the mystery simply because he knew the 110th Special Investigators were on standby to help him. Following him on his own in season 3 would be a great way to make up for that.

Assuming that Reacher will continue to run on Prime Video, future seasons beyond season 3 can bring back other players from Jack’s past adventures.

Perhaps, it could even see the return of fan-favorite Roscoe Conklin — Jack’s first love interest in season 1. For its next installment, however, it’s best to see the hero operating mostly on his own.