Prime Video's Neagley Spinoff Will Do 1 Thing Jack Reacher Has Avoided For 3 Seasons

By Padraig Cotter

Published Mar 23, 2025

Followed

Thread 5

Image via Prime Video

Warning: Major spoilers for Reacher season 3, episode 7 "L.A. Story"The latest episode of Neagley didn't appear in Reacher season 3's novel Persuader, she has been given a prominent ing role regardless.

She's proven so popular that Sten will front an Neagley spinoff, with Ritchson's Reacher set to make a guest appearance. Plot details are sparse, though the logline involves Neagley investigating the suspicious death of a friend. The new season of Reacher has largely kept Neagley and Reacher separate, but her scenes have given a taste of what her solo show might look like. In general, she's more tech-savvy than her hulking counterpart, and her combat style is based around firearms.

Maria Sten as Neagley in Reacher season 3

If You Want A Taste Of Neagley's Spinoff, Watch This Reacher Season 3 Scene

While only time will tell how the Neagley series will turn out, one Reacher season 3 gives a glimpse into all the potential the Reacher spinoff holds.

Posts 1

Unlike Reacher, Neagley Will Use Technology To Her Advantage In Prime Video's Spinoff

Reacher doesn't even own a phone!

s Neagley (Maria Sten) in Reacher Season 3 Ep 6 — Image via Prime Video

The Reacher from Child's novels is almost monk-like in his relationship to technology. He avoids technology as much as possible and refuses to get a cellphone. Ritchson's version is a tad more open-minded, but there is a sense he'd never look at a computer unless he absolutely had to. The opening of Reacher's "L.A. Story" underlines how Neagley's spinoff will differ, with Sten's private investigator threatening the man who sent assassins after her in the previous episode.

When she confronts him in broad daylight outside his home, he doesn't buy that Neagley will actually harm him. Neagley counters that she's created a computer program that makes it look like she's online shopping at that exact moment, so she could easily shoot him in the head and walk away with zero consequences. Reacher, of course, could never even dream of such a threat, but Neagley's understanding of modern tech and how to use it in her cases will really separate her show from Reacher.

Maria Sten is also a writer, and both wrote and acted as story editor on the TV series Big Sky.

Neagley is also, for lack of a better term, a big nerd and has been seen online gaming in previous seasons as part of a case. Neagley has none of Reacher's hangups ing computers, and unlike her best friend, she has a home base in Chicago. Neagley will likely retain the mix of action, mystery, and humor of its parent show, but she's a much different character.

Reacher Season 3's Assassination Attempt Already Suggested Neagley's Spinoff Will Be More Urban

Neagley should be delivering fewer punches than Reacher

s Neagley (Maria Sten) pointing a gun at a man in Reacher Season 3 Ep 7 — Image via Prime Video

Reacher might be a great thinker, but he does tend to punch his way out of trouble too. Considering he's built like an action hero from the 1980s, this comes naturally, but pretty much everyone else he encounters is just a regular old human being. This includes Neagley, and a key action sequence from season 3's sixth episode shows her approach to taking on multiple killers. When she realizes two assassins have entered her office, Neagley uses a mix of stealth, misdirection - such as remotely turning on a printer - and good old marksmanship to solve the problem.

Every Jack Reacher Movie & Show	Book Adapted
Jack Reacher (2012)	One Shot (2005)
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016)	Never Go Back (2013)
Reacher: Season 1 (2022)	Killing Floor (1997)
Reacher: Season 2 (2023-2024)	Bad Luck and Trouble (2007)
Reacher: Season 3 (2025)	Persuader (2003)

Considering this setpiece takes place in a sleek, high-tech office, this already sets up a mission statement for Neagley. Her show will be based in Chicago and will feature a protagonist who is more modern and computer-savvy. Presumably, the show will shed more light on Neagley's life outside the 110th, including her relationship with her father and the friends she has in the city.

It's A Good Thing That Neagley's Spinoff Will Have A Different Tone Compared To Reacher's Show

The two shows must set themselves apart

Fans of Reacher will be very familiar with Sten's Neagley by this point, but it's vital her show stands on its own. The spinoff can have all the action and gags it wants, but if it just feels like a lesser version of Reacher, it won't survive beyond a single season. Neagley is a great character and this offshoot is a unique opportunity to explore her outside her relationship with Reacher. Both the books and the series have hinted at so many things about her - including her aromantic nature - that Neagley now has the chance to explore properly.

Reacher's season 3 subplot almost feels like an extended teaser for how the character will function in her own series, and assuming it has a good story and interesting new characters, the spinoff might just work. Of course, it will help that Ritchson appears locked in for a cameo as Reacher. How he'll figure into the plot is another question, but hopefully, it's a case of Reacher adding a little spice, instead of viewers being so bored by the Neagley spinoff they're just waiting for him to turn up.