This Prime Video Crime Thriller Series Feels Like The Perfect Follow-Up For Reacher Fans

Amazon's "Reacher," starring Alan Ritchson, is an excellent show. It's action-packed, thrilling, and does a great job of pitting Ritchson's titular character, Jack Reacher, against an assortment of heinous bad guys. This show absolutely crushes its streaming competition each time a new season debuts, but if you're looking for something else to watch until the next season drops, Amazon has another lone-hero, crime-thriller for you — it's called "Cross"

"Cross" is based on the "Alex Cross" novel series by James Patterson, with Aldis Hodge playing the lead role. Hodge is the third actor to play Alex Cross, following Morgan Freeman and Tyler Perry. Freeman played the role in 1997's "Kiss the Girls" and 2001's "Along Came a Spider," while Perry took over in the 2012 film, "Alex Cross." 

Of course, the show has its own telling of the character, masterfully weaving the brilliant detective's universe and introducing an eclectic series of characters that complement the storyline's twists and turns. It also tackles some pretty heavy issues on modern social justice without being too heavy-handed. All in, "Cross" is a great watch if you loved "Reacher," and it seems like a perfect follow-up because of its crime roots, thrilling storyline and lone-wolf main character.

In its two seasons, "Cross" has received an 85% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.2 out of 10 star rating on IMDb (with more than 33,000 reviews). One commenter was "pleased to see an actor that fit the bill" for the role of Alex Cross and added that the villain, played by Ryan Eggold, "didn't disappoint." Another review added: "Aldis Hodge is great as Alex Cross." A common criticism, however, seems to be that the environments and lighting are too dark, making what's going on hard to see in certain scenes. If you can look past that, though, there's an enthralling story to uncover. And don't worry if you aren't familiar with the books, as one person stated they "enjoyed" the show "even though I've never read any of the source material."

Alternatively, you should also check out "Jack Ryan," "The Terminal List," and another action-packed show being hailed as the next "Reacher," called "Butterfly" — all on Amazon Prime Video. If you're in the mood for something else, you might also consider Alan Ritchson's new Netflix sci-fi movie, "War Machine," which is reminiscent of the original "Predator." Honestly, fans of these kinds of shows are eating good right now.