Posted in: Amazon Studios, Preview, streaming, Trailer, TV | Tagged: Alan Ritchson, amazon, jack reacher, lee child, prime video, Reacher

Reacher Author Praises Season 2; Ritchson Confronts American Idol Past

Author Lee Child explains what makes Reacher Season 2 "much better" than the first season; Alan Ritchson confronts his "American Idol" past.

With the second season of Prime Video and writer & showrunner Nick Santora's Alan Ritchson-starring Reacher set to hit streaming screens this Friday, Ritchson has been taking a break from filming the recently-announced third season to start hit the press cycle to promote the show's return. And that brought the actor to ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where Ritchson and late-night host Jimmy Kimmel covered a wide range of topics – including what viewers can expect from the upcoming season and the time he wrote a letter to Tom Cruise before tackling a live-action series take on bestselling author Lee Child's literary hero. But it's the moment when Ritchson is confronted with his American Idol audition that makes it all that much sweeter – and definitely worth a trip down pop culture memory lane. Let's just say that Ritchson was definitely "feeling himself" in the moment. But first, Child is checking in with some thoughts about the Prime Video series – and why the second season "actually turned out much better" than the first season.

"The first season was wonderful in the sense that [Alan] Ritchson was new to the character, just as Reacher was new to his life. He was learning to be Reacher at the same time as Alan was getting into the role. That progression over the first two to three episodes of season 1 was perfectly done, Child shared exclusively with RadioTimes.com. "Now, in season 2, everything is established, Alan is confident, the whole crew is confident. We were hoping to make it as good as season 1 and I think because of that confidence, it's actually turned out much better. I'm really pleased with season 2." Now, here's a look at Ritchson's one-on-one time with Kimmel – with American Idol footage kicking in at around the 5:45 mark:

A Look at What We Know About Amazon's Reacher Season 2

Based on bestselling author Lee Child's 11th book in the series (Bad Luck and Trouble), Reacher sets out to find answers (and a lot of revenge) when members of his old military unit turn up dead. Serinda Swan (Coroner), Ferdinand Kingsley (The Sandman), and Robert Patrick (Peacemaker) have joined the cast as series regulars for the second season. In addition, Domenick Lombardozzi (Magnum P.I.), Luke Bilyk (DeGrassi: The Next Generation), Dean McKenzie (Shooter), Edsson Morales (Black Summer), Andres Collantes (Two Sentence Horror Stories), Shannon Kook-Chun (The 100), Ty Victor Olsson (Supernatural), Josh Blacker (See), and Al Sapienza (Coroner) are set to guest star. Maria Sten will return as Frances Neagley, with Shaun Sipos playing David O'Donnell.

Swan's Karla Dixon served with Reacher in the Army's unit of Special Investigators. She's an extremely intelligent private investigator who has no problem holding her own in a fight against men much larger than she is. Kingsley's A.M. is what Homeland Security calls a "ghost;" he operates under a number of aliases and can pass for any nationality. Money is his only motivation, and he'll work for the highest bidder.

Patrick's Shane Langston is a streetwise former NYPD detective with a questionable track record who is now head of security for a private defense contractor. Lombardozzi's Guy Russo is a tough NYPD detective who's investigating a case that involves several of Reacher's former Army cohorts. Olsson's Saropian is a brutal professional hitman who is charged with following members of Reacher's old elite military squad. Blacker's Hortense Fields is a Lt. Colonel in the Army who oversees Reacher's Elite 110th – Special Investigator's Unit. Sapienza's Marsh is a formidable lieutenant with the NYPD.

As previously reported, the rest of Reacher's former Special Investigator Task Force includes Bilyk as Calvin Franz, McKenzie as Stan Lowery, Morales as Manuel Orozco, Collantes as Jorge Sanchez, and Kook-Chun as Tony Swan. The series is produced by Amazon Studios, Skydance Television & Paramount TV Studios, with Child also serving as an executive producer with showrunner Nick Santora. In addition to Santora and Child, the series is executive produced by Don Granger, Scott Sullivan, and Adam Higgs, with David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Bill Bost for Skydance.

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