I've never read the Child novels or watched Tom Cruise in the movies but there was a recent article in the paper about the new show and it sounded interesting. I'm not a fan of Tom Cruise but this actor does sound like he's perfect for the part. Thanks for the reminder.

I saw a commercial for this just the other night and didn't write it down. Thank you for the update! I totally agree about Tom Cruise playing Reacher. It just wasn't a good fit, to me.

I haven't read one of those books in years, but one look at that actor and it's all coming back to me. lol

Thanks, Jasdip!

I've always thought that Liev Schreiber or Liam Neeson would be good as Reacher, but I think they have both aged out of the role. Tom Cruise hit his peak in Risky Business.

OMG! Total Reacher fan here.

If Amazon has approached this in the same thoughtful and true to story manner that they did with the Bosch series, I will be happy.

Exactly!

"If Amazon has approached this in the same thoughtful and true to story manner that they did with the Bosch series."

My understanding is for both and most others, the most significant contribution Amazon makes is its checkbook, once it "buys" a project. For Bosch, Michael Connolly was deeply involved each year. from end to end. Including having a say on team members, casting decisions, location choices, dialog, story development and other aspects of the productions, just as examples. I don't know how involved Jim Grant (nom de plume is Lee Child) has been - he is shown as an Executive Producer but projects can have many of those and some are no more than a complimentary listing.

It is all the talented people and the diversity of jobs in each production team who have the lion's share of responsibility to manage, create, and fabricate the end product that winds up on a screen - not the money partners.

I've just watched the first episode - I'm pleased.

I love me some Jack Reacher!! I haven't seen the movies--the idea that Tom Cruise pulls off Reacher cannot compute. I do wish I could see this..but we do w/o prime anything LOL. Have fun watching everyone!

Ok, that's going on my watchlist. I am currently rewatching Bosch, I only watched part of it and lost track, so I started over. I thought that Titus Welliver was perfect in the role. So if Alan Rtchson is as good as Reacher, this will be good!

It is. Well cast, well scripted. Good show.

I spent my day watching the entire first season. I give it a full 2 thumbs up!! 👍👍

Now I will just have to be patient and wait until they do the second series. Hopefully the new Bosch 'Legacy' will be out soon to fill in the gap.

As a longtime fan of Connelly's work (and a fan who's been lucky enough to meet and talk privately with him twice), I thought the Bosch series was superb. The changes/tweaks made to stories and characters to make things flow better as a video series, which Connelly had a hand in as part of a team, were carried off well.

The casting was great. I agree. I think the best two choices were Wellever as Bosch and Lance Reddick as Irvin Irving but all were excellent. I'm an audiobook "reader" and since Welliver began the Bosch Amazon series, he's taken over the job of being the audiobook reader for Connelly's Bosch books. The personification of the character in video and audiobook forms and he does both well.

I don't know if you've heard but there's a Bosch-spinoff in production with a truncated continuing cast - Wellever as Bosch, Madison Lintz as daughter Maddie, and Mimi Rogers as attorney Money Chandler. It will be shown on Amazon's free IMDB channel. Connelly is involved.

My last encounter with him was about 5 years ago. For anyone interested in what Connelly is like, my impressions have been that he's an affable and down to earth type. Despite having sold whatever it is now, 75 million books or whatever the tally, he's just a regular guy.

It was his dream all the way back to his college days to become a novelist in the police procedural genre and was inspired by Raymond Chandler's work. Even with all the success he's had, he's humble and doesn't take himself too seriously. He considers himself lucky and remains grateful to readers for allowing him to realize his dream and spend his life as he'd hoped. On a personal note, was born in Philadelphia and lived there for a while before his family moved to Florida. He retains a heavy Philadelphia accent.

Thank you so much, Jasdip, for sharing this. I'll definitely be watching.

Elmer, I'm just now finishing what I assume is Connelly's latest, "Dark Hours." It's pretty good, highly readable. ****

I watched "Stay Close" recently, a movie based on Harlan Coben's books. I just couldn't get past that the main character was the spitting image of Bosch, he even tilted his head but not as much. I don't know if it was deliberate or if he just happens to look like Wellever.

Like aok, I lost interest in Bosch, I should start again.

I’m so glad you’ve mentioned this new series. Like pretty much everyone else, we thought that Tom Cruise was a terrible choice for a Jack Reacher, and are really looking forward to watching this new series with a much more real looking JR. DH is a huge Reacher book fan and has read them all. I’ve just started reading his first book, “Killing Floor” and am really enjoying it.

Lynn, you'll find that the Reacher books are not written in chronological order and skip around quite a bit, Some books you can follow Reacher from location to location. Then the next is a story from his Army days. Don't expect a progression with background personal stories as you see with Bosch.

And if you are a Bosch fan, be sure to read the Elvis Cole/Joe Pike stories from Robert Crais. Well written, and sometimes there is a little flash of Bosch in a story,

https://www.robertcrais.com/novels_order.htm

I’m loving the series. Of course it‘s not exactly the (wonderful) books but the flavor and essence is there. This Reacher really is “Reacher”.

Strictly personal opinion and taste - I enjoyed the earlier works of both Crais (whose major series' characters are based in LA, like Connelly's) and Coben. I think both ran out of gas about 10 years ago and lost their mojo. Books written since by each of them I've found to be less interesting and less engaging than their earlier works and I've stopped looking for them.

Another writer with an LA-based detective who I think WAS quite good (sadly, it's past tense) is Stephen J. Cannell. He was an accomplished creator of successful TV shows (Rockford Files, Silk Stalkings, The Commish, and a number of others) who retired from TV and started writing novels. He died of melanoma before his 70th birthday so his body of work is complete. I enjoyed reading his ten book or so Shane Scully series.

PS - I got around to watching the first Reacher episode tonight on Prime and enjoyed it. I found a NY Times review and apparently Lee Child has had some degree of involvement, a plus of course.

Speaking of the writer getting involved with the movie production, the best series ever is the Outlander series. Diana Gabaldon is very much involved and the shows are pretty much word for word. So often, movies fall flat if the books.

Reacher is going to be my tv viewing tonight.

I am watching Reacher and I think it is quite good!

Ohhhh, I loved the Outlander books!!

*saving this thread for future reference *

I'm breezing thru the episodes. Each one ends on a cliffhanger and I have to keep going.

What a difference with this Reacher!

I always do the IMDb on familiar actors and a number of people in Teacher were in Titans, as the lead guy was. I think I'll have to watch that show too.

We have really enjoyed this new series.

I was able to see a few episodes this weekend. The are good; if you haven't read the books. I do think a bit is lost that they don't let us hear what's going on in Reacher's head. The strategies he uses and why they work...but it is one I wish I could keep watching!!

Some have the opposite perspective, arcy.

Watching a screen production of the story in a book previously read is similar to rereading that book. For this new Reacher series, just like with the Bosch series, a good portion of the audience will be fans of the author who've read the book or books and await seeing an on-screen portrayal of the characters who previously only appeared as mental images. That's what happened when there was media coverage of disappointed loyal Reacher book fans with having short Tom Cruise cast as Reacher for the movies. And why because of that care was taken for the Amazon production to be sure that the actor playing Reacher better fulfilled readers' expectations. I read that because that actor (who I think is excellent in the role) is only 6'2", other actors in the cast were explicitly picked because of their being below average in height. That and judicious camera angles make Reacher look taller. Attention to detail, mission accomplished.

As for familiarity with the character and stories, this first Reacher "series" is based on Childs' first Reacher book, Killing Floor. I've read every book released in the Reacher series and have reread many of them. As it happens, I've read Killing Floor three times and having done so enhances my enjoyment of the Amazon production. Others may feel differently.

Elmer this new season of Reacher is based on Killing Floor.

Isn't that what I said?

Violence/all the fighting not so into but I do enjoy hearing Reacher's perspective on the physics of a fight. How he strategizes them. As my daughter kept saying "that's why books are always better". Which I agree with but I think they could/should have allowed the audience to hear the commentary going on in Reacher's head. THAT often makes the book, adds to the suspense IMPO. I do not miss Child's over descriptions of the surrounding areas Reacher walks through. I skip skim through pages and pages of the books as they get quite tedious in their descriptions of things that just do not matter to the story line.

DH and I binged Reacher this past weekend. Made the ice storm totally endurable. The series is excellent and very well made. And Alan Ritchson is easy on the eyes. Kept this old lady happy. 😁

Like most, I have read all the books. DH is not a reader. We both loved the Reacher series, can can’t wait for season 2.

Thanks, Jasdip, for bringing this to my attention and to the others who added encouraging comments. I'm halfway through the series, and really enjoying it!

I googled a bit and was quite surprised to read each episode has a different director and several different writers. Maybe this has become the norm???

"Maybe this has become the norm???"

Pretty much :-) Book adaptations to into television series often employ multiple writers, producers and directors (hopefully overseen or guided by the original author). It also tends to be more of a collaborative effort than different ones in charge of different episodes so as to ensure flow and continuity. Developing a TV series is much different from making a single motion picture!

Amazon's Bosch series is the same....some 18 different writers over the course of the series and multiple directors and producers.

btw, I am now on round 2 of watching this series....catching things I had missed from my first viewing.

"I googled a bit and was quite surprised to read each episode has a different director and several different writers. Maybe this has become the norm???"

arcy, as I understand it, the role of a director for a TV production is quite different from a director for a feature film. For TV, the "showrunner" is the person with ultimate decision-making authority for creative and operational elements of the production and thus management of all aspects too. The job begins when a project gets the go-ahead to start and doesn't finish until the final edit is done. The showrunner is usually listed as one of the Executive Producers, of which many can be listed, but the role of showrunner is carried out by one individual and not by a group. A TV director carries out the decisions and instructions that come from the showrunner.

For feature films, many aspects of a TV showrunner's role are carried out by the director. The director is the head honcho, the person whose conduct, decisions and visions determine the ultimate end product. Not so for a TV director.