After Jack Ryan: Ghost War, Reacher Season 4 Can't Come Soon Enough

If you paid attention to action TV over the last couple of years, you know there's been one obvious benchmark everyone's chasing – Reacher on Prime Video. Since it landed in 2022, anything remotely action-thrillery gets billed as 'the next Reacher'. Honestly, it's got to be exhausting for new shows living in that shadow. Netflix lobbed in Man on Fire (not bad), then The Night Agent (also decent), but no one's quite pulled off the same magic.

There was hope for one pretty logical candidate, though: Jack Ryan. Prime Video again, solid run, universally decent reviews. And with the series wrapping up, talk quickly swung to what's next for John Krasinski's bespectacled CIA boffin-turned-unlikely-field-agent. Enter Jack Ryan: Ghost War – a film continuation that some (myself included, I'll admit) genuinely believed might fill that Reacher-shaped void until the next season of punch-ups and broken noses. Basically, I was ready for a polished two hours of decent spy shenanigans. I mean, Krasinski even helped write the script, and after A Quiet Place he's supposed to know what he's doing, right?

Ghost War: Where Did It All Go Wrong?

Turns out, not so much. Ghost War is the first outing in Krasinski's Jack Ryan run to land with a thud. Every season of the show got a 'Fresh' badge on Rotten Tomatoes (which, love or loathe the place, is generally the sign of a least a passable thriller). The movie? Nope. Critics have given it a measly 44%, and audiences are even less generous at 42%. That's not 'polarising' – that's just grim.

And for once, everyone's pretty much in agreement over why:

• Krasinski co-wrote the screenplay, but the plot seems more interested in talking at you than gripping you. If you're hoping for crisp pacing or proper intrigue, it's a slog instead.
• The performances? Underwhelming. One fed-up viewer summed it up as 'Poorly written, poorly acted, and the director phoned it in' – which reads harsher than most but isn't far off the consensus.
• Critics haven't exactly kept gloves on. Peter Travers said Jack Ryan has become 'a pale shadow of his former self trying to pass muster in an ill-conceived two-hour movie'. That's brutal, but spot-on.
• Even when it comes to the action, it's all fairly forgettable. No stand-out set-pieces, no fist-pumping moments, just a lot of people having long-winded chats.

To quote MovieWeb (and I don't disagree): "A wordy script that leaves us less intrigued than mildly confused."

So Much For a Reacher Replacement

The upshot is twofold. First, you have to wonder if Krasinski's days fronting any future Jack Ryan projects are numbered. If your co-written comeback gets absolutely rinsed, studio confidence usually tanks. Second – and this one's personal – Ghost War was touted as the next best thing for action TV fans impatiently awaiting Reacher's return. Didn't pan out, did it?

In fact, it was so disappointing it made me, for the first time in ages, remember Tom Cruise's dodgy Jack Reacher movies. Everyone jokes about how those misfired compared to Alan Ritchson's (let's be honest, iconic) version. But the distance in quality between Krasinski's latest attempt and what Reacher consistently delivers? Absolutely massive.

Let's Just Get to Reacher Season 4 Already

The good news is there's loads more Reacher on the way. Season 4 is due before the year's out, fingers crossed, and there's even a Neagley spin-off in the pipeline which might land even sooner. They've already greenlit Season 5. Faith properly rewarded, I'd say.

The Reacher series continues to stick the landing – each season has been popular with both viewers and critics, which frankly feels rarer by the week. Here's hoping it keeps up, because if Ghost War is anything to go by, action TV fans have suffered enough disappointment lately.

Key Cast – Jack Ryan: Ghost War

• John Krasinski as Jack Ryan
• Supporting CIA personnel and generic villains you'll likely forget the minute the credits roll

Short version? Stick with Reacher. Jack Ryan: Ghost War isn't the return anyone was hoping for. Here's to Season 4 saving 2024's action TV schedule.