“Reacher” returns this week for a new season of righteous butt-kicking, and fans of Lee Child’s super-popular book series will no doubt tune in. A straightforward action show on the surface, “Reacher” is elevated by a self-aware sense of humor, complex season-long mysteries, and an ensemble of unorthodox crime-solvers who are as brainy as they are battle-ready. At a press day /Film’s Jacob Hall attended ahead of the show’s season 2 premiere (you can read our season 2 review here), the cast of the new season contemplated the far-ranging, uh, reach of “Reacher.” Namely, they responded to a comment about the show and book series’ audience, which at one point was found to be made up of 60% women.

Why are women drawn to “Reacher,” a series whose premise makes it sound like it would perpetuate the same toxic masculinity-fueled tropes as countless other “violent man on a road to vengeance” action sagas? This question was posed to the cast, and stars Alan Ritchson, Serinda Swan, Shaun Stipos, and Maria Sten all had theories about the action saga’s unusual appeal. Before we dig into their responses, though, it’s worth noting that Sten — who plays cool and collected investigator Frances Neagley in the show — pointed out the problems inherent in labeling media as “for men” or “for women” pretty quickly.

Grandmas love fights too!

“I think maybe that there’s a bigger conversation to be had about maybe we don’t necessarily stereotype content into male and female,” Sten said. “Maybe we can think that women can enjoy the same really violent, splashy action just like men can. And maybe men can also enjoy romantic comedy.” Ritchson, who plays the titular wandering hero, noted that there definitely are a lot of women who watch the show. “On season 1, I found out from [producer] Don Granger that half the viewership for the films, half the readers for the book, a little more than half, were women,” Ritchson said. While he confessed he was surprised to find women so engaged in an action series, he also says the show is “well-rounded” and has “something for everybody.”

“There’s the mystery,” he pointed out. “There’s the detective [story] where everybody kind of wants to stay one step ahead of Reacher if possible as they try to suss out what’s going on in the story.” As a woman who recently watched “Reacher,” I’ll admit that I didn’t expect to like it at first, but the show’s sly humor, geeky underbelly, and confusing sense of morality all hooked me. According to Ritchson, though, some women tell him they do come to the show for the action. “I’ve had older women too, like grandmas, come up to me and they’re like, ‘I love you as Reacher,'” he recalled. “I’ll ask them what their favorite part of the show is. A lot of them, they’re like, ‘I love the fights.'”

Reacher doesn’t abide bullies

Stipos, who plays Reacher’s old colleague David in the new season, added that it’s empowering for people to see someone with the moral clarity (and force to go with it) that Jack Reacher possesses. “You have a man that’s there that is a massive force for good,” Stipos said. “I think they’re probably appealing. I think it’s appealing to men as well, that I don’t think anybody really likes a bully.”

He seemed to think Reacher’s penchant for acting quickly makes him super watchable, too. “To see someone that corrects a bully with such quick action and little gray area or forethought like, ‘Nope, that’s wrong and we’re going to fix that,’ I think is something that we all gravitate to.” Granted, Reacher definitely kills at least twice as many people as he actually needs to on any given mission, but Stipos is right that he also has a habit of standing up for the vulnerable (like in the season 2 premiere when he helps a woman who’s been carjacked).

Swan, who plays Reacher’s former teammate Karla in season 2, agreed that Reacher’s “violence is for good,” and also noted that the character’s respect towards women goes a long way. “There’s nothing about who he’s attracted to when they describe it. It is not tall, small waist, big boobs,” she said, presumably talking about Childs’ novels. “She’s capable, she’s intelligent, both of the mind and of the heart and of emotions. She has so much more to offer.”

Is Reacher an action saga or romantic fantasy?

She went on to say that the show resonates so much because “he stands up for these women, not because we’re weak, but because he’s standing beside us and sometimes even behind us.” Swan also noted that she consulted with showrunner Nick Santora about her character, and the two discussed the importance of making her something more than a Bond girl. “I think what’s beautiful is that there’s a mutual support with each character in Reacher that I find really deep and, I think, complex,” she noted.

Sten, meanwhile, called the “Reacher” book series a “romantic fantasy” story, and she’s not wrong: Childs has called Reacher himself a knight-errant figure before, referencing chivalric heroes of Arthurian legend who would go where they’re needed, often saving women and kids, fighting off threats, and just generally being good dudes. “It’s like reading a romantic fantasy novel. For me sometimes when I’m reading Reacher, that’s the vibe I get,” Sten said. “But it’s in this very weird detective, dark tone watching this man unravel in the world.” Personally, I think that last bit gets to the bottom of why so many people of all genders like “Reacher”: it’s weird. The show and books play with fans’ expectations for a hulking action hero at every possible turn, embracing its oddball cast of characters and walking a tonal tightrope.

Obviously “Reacher” isn’t just for men, but I’m glad the cast was able to use a question about the series’ audience demographics as a great jumping off point to dig into the its many small subversions and surprising pleasures. “Reacher” will be back for season 2 beginning December 15, 2023, on Prime Video.