Alan Ritchson stars as the titular character in Amazon Prime Video’s TV series Reacher. Fans of the show are once again buckled up in anticipation of what dangerous travels await the protagonist after the first three episodes of the second season debuted on the platform. Ahead of the occasion, the leading actor of the endeavor engaged in an interview where he addressed the potential return of two Season One characters—a statement that may intrigue many viewers.
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In the first installment, Jack Reacher visits the fictional town of Margrave, Georgia, and becomes entangled in a local criminal conspiracy. Audiences soon get introduced to fan-favorite characters Chief Detective Oscar Finlay and Margrave PD Sergeant Roscoe Conklin. Given the on-screen dynamic between the show’s titular Lone Ranger and his Season One allies, many have speculated the potential return of Finlay and Roscoe in future releases.
Lead actor Ritchson appears to be receptive to the idea as well.
Alan Ritchson Hopes For Finlay And Roscoe To Be Brought Back At Some Point
The Nick Santora-developed anthology series is a TV adaptation of Lee Child’s uber-popular Jack Reacher book series, with the first season based on Child’s 1997 debut novel Killing Floor.
Viewers witnessed the endearing chemistry between the hulking protagonist and his two companions, Roscoe Conklin (played by Willa Fitzgerald) and Oscar Finlay (played by Malcolm Goodwin). Jack Reacher even develops a romantic bond with the former during their investigation of the Margrave murders.
Much like the novel, the former military policeman, who finds it difficult to stay in one place for too long, parted ways with his newfound companions at the end of the first season. Roscoe stays and wishes to rebuild Margrave. Meanwhile, Finlay decides to move back to Boston.
With Season 2 based on a different book, namely 2007’s Bad Luck and Trouble, it is unlikely that fans will get to see the two characters this time. But could other future appearances be a possibility?
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On the topic of Finlay and Roscoe’s potential return, Alan Ritchson told Slash Film the following:
“I would [be open to bringing Finlay and Roscoe back], for sure. I would be a huge fan of that. […] I think we should at some point. They were just too good. We’re building a world here, and although this is an anthology, to be able to remind the audience that this is a real journey that he’s taken, and there are some people that are still there, I think could be a lot of fun. Yeah, I hope we can do that at some point.”
If the anthology TV series remains a hundred percent faithful to the Lee Child’s book series, then we are likely never seeing the two characters return in future installments.
However, as Ritchson’s comment best illustrates, Finlay and Roscoe’s reappearance in the show would best remind viewers of the hulking drifter’s overarching journey and character development.
Showrunner Nick Santora On Finlay And Roscoe’s Return
Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novels serve as standalone adventures. The Amazon Prime Video series aims to adhere to this cardinal rule. Each new premise would bring in new characters while leaving behind the old ones. In an interview with Collider, showrunner Nick Santora expressed the importance of faithfully adapting the lore of the acclaimed book series.
He has a responsibility to uphold, even though he adores Finlay and Roscoe as characters as much as the next person.
Following was his statement:
“I love the characters of Finlay and Roscoe. If there was a way to organically have them somehow pop in, once in a while, into Reacher’s life, wonderful. But we’re not [going to] force anything, and we’re not [going to] do anything that messes up the lore of Reacher.”
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Continuing, the showrunner of the Alan Ritchson starrer affirmed:
“Reacher can’t run around the country with his rag-tag team of crime fighters. That’s not Jack Reacher. I know . . . that Lee Child would say, “Nope,” and I would say nope too. We have to be honest to the book series.”
Only an organic return would make sense for the two beloved Season 1 characters. Anything beyond that would not feel honest to Reacher‘s overarching premise. Fans can, nevertheless, look forward to new characters and adventures in the show’s second season.
The first three episodes of Alan Ritchson’s Reacher Season 2 are available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video. The remaining five episodes will be released once a week till January 19, 2024.
