What if there was a man who was substantially larger than other men? This is the big question posed to us by the philosophers behind Amazon Prime’s original series Reacher. Based on the (many) Jack Reacher books by the crime author Lee Child, the show (which just wrapped its third season) follows the adventures of a mountain of man-flesh who uses his beefy body, brawny mind and slab of moral fortitude to kick and punch other men, and solve military crimes.
It’s hard to explain exactly what the plot of Reacher is: in the ancient tradition of shows like JAG (what if lawyers could fly jets?), it follows a retired US army military cop (what if a soldier could also solve crimes?) who wanders America with only a toothbrush. However, as he says, “wherever I go, trouble seems to find me” – usually in the form of organised crime needing to be less organised, or old grudges resurfacing, or the murder of an old pal, all of which means he has to reluctantly come out of retirement to stoically punch and kick yet again.
