All three seasons of Reacher have followed a similar vengeful pattern, meaning that season 4 really needs to up the stakes in a new way. Adapted from some of the best and worst Jack Reacher books, the show does justice to the source material with Alan Ritchson taking over from Tom Cruise. The first season came courtesy of Lee Child’s Killing Floor. The second was based on Bad Luck and Trouble. Meanwhile, Reacher season 3’s story and cast will bring to life the hugely popular Persuader, which was initially published all the way back in 2003.

While continuing his nomadic trek across America, Reacher season 3 sees the former military police Major recruited by the DEA. Tasked with going undercover, Reacher infiltrates a seemingly innocuous company that’s actually a front for a drug smuggling operation. In the process, Reacher season 3 will see him encounter some imposing new villains and prove that Reacher has a type via his romance with Sarah Duffy. It will also emphasize that the writers have fallen back on a similar pattern when it comes to the stories they are adapting.

All 3 Seasons Of Reacher Have Been Revenge Stories

There Needs To Be A Change Of Pace In Reacher Season 4

Reacher season 1 saw the titular man mountain walk into Margrave, Georgia and promptly get arrested. Soon after, he found out that the man he allegedly killed was actually his own brother. Once released, he swiftly embarked on a crusade of brutal revenge against those responsible. Similarly, the well-reviewed Reacher season 2 saw him reunite with members of his 110th special investigator unit. Together they swiftly embarked on a crusade of brutal revenge against those responsible for killing a pair of their own. Rinse and repeat.

For anybody hoping that the third season would put a fresh spin on things, they are destined for disappointment. There’s indeed a criminal conspiracy for Reacher to burn down, much like there was in seasons 1 and 2. Still, at its core, Reacher season 3 is very much revenge-driven. After all, the reason he accepts the undercover mission is so that he can get to the man who murdered some of his former colleagues. While many will assuredly be okay with Reacher season 3 sticking to an established format, there are other ways to up the stakes.

Which Book Reacher Season 4 Could Adapt To Break The Revenge Streak

The Reacher Series Still Has A Wealth Of Options For Future Stories

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One of the books that could be adapted to prove that would be Lee Child’s Die Trying. Originally published in 1998, Die Trying sees Reacher helping a woman on crutches named Holly, only for them to both be mysteriously kidnapped. Though it lacks physical threats on par with Reacher season 3’s Paulie, it still has plenty of what fans love about the franchise. On top of that, it has a boundless amount of tension that comes not from a personal revenge crusade but from the unknown as they try to work out what exactly is going on.

Jack Reacher Books
Year of Release/Adaptation

Killing Floor
1997 (Adapted for Reacher season 1)

Die Trying
1998

Tripwire
1999

Running Blind
2000

Echo Burning
2001

Without Fail
2002

Persuader
2003 (Adapted for Reacher season 3)

The Enemy
2004

One Shot
2005 (Adapted for the first Tom Cruise movie)

The Hard Way
2006

Bad Luck And Trouble
2007 (Adapted for Reacher season 2)

Nothing To Lose
2008

Gone Tomorrow
2009

61 Hours
2010

Worth Dying For
2010

The Affair
2011

A Wanted Man
2012

Never Go Back
2013 (Adapted for the second Tom Cruise movie)

Personal
2014

Make Me
2015

Night School
2016

The Midnight Line
2017

Past Tense
2018

Blue Moon
2019

The Sentinel
2020

Better Off Dead
2021

No Plan B
2022

The Secret
2023

In Too Deep
2024

Another option could also be 2019’s Blue Moon. This particular novel sees Reacher spot an attempted mugging of an elderly man. Reacher being Reacher, he quickly and efficiently intervenes. Unfortunately, he quickly finds himself in the middle of a turf war between Albanian and Ukrainian gangs after trying to help the man further. There’s no connection to Reacher’s past. There’s nothing to avenge. Blue Moon simply has Reacher trying to do good when bad things are happening and achieve justice where there is injustice. As such, either of them or several others would make Reacher season 4 compelling in a whole new way.