Prime Video isn't leaving fans without their next fix when another season of Reacher wraps on September 16. On the same day the season four finale is being released, one of the show's most popular supporting characters steps into the lead.
Neagley stars Maria Sten as Frances Neagley, the private investigator and former US Army master sergeant who has become one of Jack Reacher's closest and most trusted allies.
The eight-episode spin-off takes a character familiar to fans of both the Lee Child books and the hit Prime Video series they inspired, and gives her a story of her own.
Reacher star Alan Ritchson will also appear, though this time in a supporting role.
What is Neagley about?
The series begins with a death from Neagley's past.
After a trusted friend dies in what appears to be a suspicious accident, Neagley becomes determined to find out what happened. Her investigation takes her into a dangerous conspiracy and forces her to confront parts of her own past.
Shifting the focus to Neagley also gives the series an opportunity to switch up its formula. While Reacher is a drifter who deliberately avoids putting down roots, Neagley has built a life and career as a private investigator in Chicago. She has access to technology, contacts and investigative tools that Reacher frequently shuns.
Neagley is developed by Reacher showrunner Nick Santora and Nicholas Wootton, with Child involved as an executive producer. Besides Sten and Ritchson, the cast includes Greyston Holt, Jasper Jones, Adeline Rudolph, Matthew Del Negro and Damon Herriman.
Who is Frances Neagley?
Neagley first appeared in the first season of Reacher and has since become one of the drama's most important recurring characters, although she's not in season four.
She served in the US Army's 110th Special Investigations Unit, an elite group of military investigators that Reacher commanded.
Their relationship was explored much more deeply in season two, which brought surviving members of the unit back together after former colleagues began turning up dead.
Neagley is also one of the few people Reacher appears to trust without reservation. She is highly intelligent, skilled in combat and surveillance, and considerably more comfortable with modern technology than her former commanding officer. The pair share a similar moral compass – particularly when it comes to loyalty and justice – but go about getting answers in very different ways.
The character originates in Child's novels, appearing in several books including Without Fail, Bad Luck and Trouble and The Affair.
What is Reacher about?
Prime Video's hit action series Reacher is based on Child's long-running novels about Jack Reacher, a former US Army military police investigator who travels across the US without a permanent home and finds himself drawn into criminal investigations.
Ritchson plays Reacher in the series, taking over the role after Tom Cruise portrayed the character in the 2012 film Jack Reacher and 2016's Jack Reacher: Never Go Back.
Since its debut in 2022, Reacher has become one of Prime Video's biggest original series. It was the platform's most-viewed release of 2023, while season three attracted 54.6 million viewers worldwide in its first 19 days, making it Prime Video's most-watched returning season at the time.
Its success has prompted Amazon to expand the franchise. Reacher was renewed for a fifth season before season four had its premiere, while Neagley marks its first spin-off, putting Sten's fan-favourite character Frances Neagley at the centre of her own story.
Will Jack Reacher appear in Neagley?
Yes. Ritchson will reprise his role as Jack Reacher in the spin-off, although Neagley remains very much Sten's series.
Is Neagley based on a Lee Child book?
No. Each season of Reacher has largely adapted one of Child's Jack Reacher novels, albeit with changes for television. Neagley takes a character created by Child and builds a new story around her. This means that even fans who have read all of Child's books won't necessarily know where the story is heading.
When is Neagley being released?
All eight episodes of Neagley will be released on Prime Video on September 16, the same day as the Reacher season four finale. It marks a different release strategy from Reacher, which was released weekly.
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