Fans eager to see Reacher’s adventures on the screen once again were highly taken up by the announcement. Despite the buzz about the new season, the news that Reacher season 2 would not follow the chronological order of the Lee Child novels was met with some contention. Fans of the story were left with questions regarding whether the narrative could comprehensively continue given the jump of 10 whole books. However, here are some reasons why it makes sense for Reacher season 2 not to follow the second Jack Reacher novel.
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A Faster Path to Establishing Reacher’s Backstory
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Reacher season 1 followed the titular character’s journey to clear his name from a murder he was falsely accused of after arriving in Margrave, Georgia. Having been a Major, creating the U.S. Army 110th MP Special Investigation Unit in his past life, Reacher uses these skills in his quest for the truth. In unraveling the truth, viewers were given some insight into Reacher’s backstory. However, the insight was limited, and a substantial amount of Reacher’s background was left in the dark at the conclusion of season 1.
Despite viewers expecting the second series to follow the events of the second Lee Child novel Die Trying, showrunner Nick Santora hinted early on that the series may not follow the chronological order of the books. Talking to TVLine in February 2022 about the possibility of adapting any of Child’s novels, Santora said:
As per the original texts, Lee Child uses several books to concretely flesh out Jack Reacher’s origin story. In each of the author’s books, readers are introduced to more and more characters who form a part of Reacher’s history. Given this, if the series followed the novels’ chronological order, it would have taken numerous seasons for the show’s creative team to reveal Reacher’s background to viewers.
“Lee Child has set up stories in small towns, in big cities… in the United States, and stories that take us to Europe…. There’s a plethora to select from. It’s just a question of everyone putting their heads together, talking it out and deciding what would be fun for fans. The good news is you can pick almost anything and you’re going to have a good story.”
Jumping to book eleven allows the show to establish Reacher’s backstory early on and bring in characters whom viewers would have otherwise seen much later. Given that some of the major questions that viewers were left with at the end of season 1 have to do with Reacher’s military training, the decision to skip ahead may bring some much-anticipated answers.
Possible Freedom for the Adaptation
Making the leap may also allow season 2 of the show to have more creative freedom. Given that season 1 of the show followed the first Lee Child novel and stayed faithful to the source text, for the most part, the creative team is allowed a bit more freedom if they break away from the chronological order of the books.
Reacher is a character shaped by his past greatly, with events and characters from his history factoring significantly into how he handles present-day situations. The decision to divert and not follow the second book allows the series space to introduce certain characters to its viewers without sticking to the script already provided by the source texts. Allowing more creative freedom also works to add more mystery and excitement to the show, as viewers will not be completely aware of what awaits them.
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However, as reported by Screen Rant, the decision to skip ten books has come across as jarring to new fans who were determined to read the novels before the release of season 2. Given that some books before Bad Luck and Trouble are considered some of the best in the series, fans may have to scramble to fit them all in before the release of Reacher season 2.
The Reacher Series May Add Details from Earlier Books
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Introducing characters and events from book eleven early on in the series also allows viewers a chance to get to know characters sooner. The team will also most likely have to draw inspiration from earlier books when creating the new season, allowing viewers to get glimpses into previous novels. The producers will also have the creative freedom to focus more on characters and events of their choosing. The plus point here is that this also allows the previous books to carry more meaning for Reacher fans if and when they are adapted onto the screen, as viewers will already have some familiarity with the happenings of the previous books.
For example, much of Bad Luck and Trouble’s plot involves the elite Special Investigation Unit. Members of the team are disappearing and turning up dead, and Reacher embarks on a mission with the surviving members to find those that have disappeared. Assuming that season 2 will center its narrative on the plot of the source text, the latest season may draw heavily on those in and connected to the elite team both from Bad Luck and Trouble and the books prior to it.
While there appear to be some concrete reasons for the series to skip ahead, only time will tell if the decision pays off. At the time of writing, an official release date for Reacher season 2 hasn’t been confirmed. However, with filming starting in September 2022, the season is expected to air sometime during Spring 2023.
