Prime Video has become quite an asset for Amazon, with a range of shows that have built up big fanbases, but I'd make a pretty powerful argument that few of its originals have been as impressive as Reacher. The show, my favourite that Prime Video has made, has finally demonstrated just how satisfying Lee Child's thriller novels can be when they're faithfully adapted.
It's also been a major success with audiences, rocketing to the top of Amazon's charts for each of its first two season's releases, and we've known a third was on the way for ages. Now, it's finally been given its first teaser trailer and a release date of 20 February 2025, as you'll see below.
The third season of the show will adapt Persuader, one of the better Reacher novels going (and I've read every single one, so I'm in a position to judge) – and it'll bring one of the series' best antagonists to the table. Paulie is a hulking henchman who's notable for being way, way bigger than the already massive Reacher himself.
As the above trailer shows, that means we're in for some unbelievably musclebound fights, and some encounters where Reacher has the tables turned on him in a rare way, finding himself as David rather than Goliath for the first time. Of course, there's also a fun mystery for him to figure out, as always.
What remains to be seen is how much Amazon will insist on bringing back recognisable faces from the previous couple of seasons, something that would be at odds with the format of the long-running and best-selling novels. We know that we'll get at least some time with Reacher's ex-colleague Neagley, since she's in the trailer, but the second season also brought back a couple of other characters, albeit briefly.
I'm hoping it resists that urge this time around, and lets us have more of a blank slate, with Reacher in the lone wolf mould that suits him best. Seeing him bounce off new allies and enemies each time is part of the fun of the format, whereas recurring relationships might start to take the show away from its source material a little.
We'll doubtless get more trailers before the show arrives in February next year, though, so I'll keep my fingers crossed until then. If it can stick the landing, Prime Video will have another feather in its cap in the run to be the best streaming service.
