Neagley Season One streams on globally on Prime Video starting September 16, 2026.
Synopsis
Frances Neagley (Maria Sten) is a private investigator in Chicago and former military protégé of Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) in the Army’s 110th Special Investigations Unit. When she learns that a beloved friend from her past has been killed in a suspicious accident, she becomes hell-bent on justice. Using everything she’s learned from Jack Reacher and her time as a member of the 110 Special Investigators, Neagley puts herself on a dangerous path to uncover a menacing evil.
Starring Maria Sten as Frances Neagley, the ensemble cast features Greyston Holt as Detective Hudson Riley, Adeline Rudolph as Renee Birdwhistle, Jasper Jones as Keno, Matthew Del Negro as Pierce Woodrow and Damon Herriman as Lawrence Cole. Alan Ritchson guest stars as Jack Reacher.
Review
The REACHERVERSE (if that isn’t a term yet, it is now) just got bigger. Reacher’s former military protégé turned Chicago-based private eye, Neagley (Maria Sten), is spinning off to lead her own show. And Prime Video might’ve made a show stronger than its predecessor.
Season one focuses on Neagley trying to solve the death of her childhood friend, Tommy, who has apparently committed suicide. The more Neagley digs into Tommy’s suicide, the deadlier things become. And soon, she finds herself caught in the sights of some dangerous and powerful people.
The series kicks off with a high-octane Reacher/Neagley action sequence that eases viewers into the show before Reacher (Ritchson) fully hands the audience over to Neagley. Series creators Nick Santora (Reacher) and Nicholas Wootton don’t upset the apple cart. They know what Reacher fans like, and they deliver it successfully. It follows the Reacher formula to a T. Even the opening titles are the same as Reacher’s: white text against a black background while thunder rolls.
But in certain ways, Neagley takes what Reacher does well and improves upon it—particularly in the area of its protagonist and main cast.
Each season of Reacher takes us somewhere new. Reacher is transient by nature. Therefore, each season introduces a new set of one-and-done characters, all of whom begin to feel a little cookie-cutter. Neagley’s benefits from being the opposite of Reacher. Chicago is Neagley’s playground, and there is a supporting cast for viewers to safely invest in.
Maria Sten delivers a strong and varied performance. Where Ritchson plays Reacher rather stiff and monotone, Sten’s Neagley pops with life. This is one of the most welcome differences between Reacher and Neagley. Yes, Sten’s Neagley is a tough-as-nails private eye, but she also explores a deeper, more human side of her character that I don’t feel we get in Reacher.
The supporting cast also shine throughout this series.
Both Greyston Holt’s Detective Hudson Riley and Adeline Rudolph’s Renee Birdwhistle are welcome additions to the Reacherverse. The budding chemistry between Riley and Neagley, in particular, is intriguing as it develops. However, the standout performance goes to newcomer Jasper Jones, who plays Keno. Keno is hilarious, vulnerable and unpredictable. And Jones ignites every scene with charisma and authenticity. There is no doubt he will be a fan favourite.
While the cast is strong and the show is not short on thrilling action and suspense, the story is uneven.
At the centre of it is a pharmaceutical tycoon, Pierce Woodrow (Matthew Del Negro), developing a new drug called Tranqlara—a psychedelic cure-all for mental illnesses. There’s also Lawrence Cole (Damon Herriman), who runs the hippie commune, Echo Farm. While Tommy’s death connects to both of them, the focus on Tommy quickly fades as the story swerves from a noir thriller into a strange Charles Manson-like parody while also spoofing late-Connery/Early-Moore era James Bond, with moustache-twirling villains, experimentation, and secret lairs.
Ultimately, the villains are far too hammy. Del Negro’s Pierce Woodrow and Damon Herriman’s Lawrence Cole are caricature villains from the Austin Powers Dr Evil school of villainy. It is a shame because Herriman’s performance, in particular, is fantastic, and Cole had the potential to be a truly unique and sinister villain rather than a Charles Manson-Meets-Blofeld parody. The season really misses a trick by not playing more into the seductive and abusive nature of cults and how they prey on lost souls.
And be assured, there’s no mystery about who the bad guys are. We know from the jump. The downside is, we spend the series waiting for Neagley to catch up with what the audience already knows. And the final confrontations, as I say, feel a little too You Only Live Twice for my liking.
And to quote Columbo, “Just, one more thing.” Prime Video must learn to restrain its product placement. One of the silliest moments in the show was the inclusion of He-Man toys in Neagley’s apartment. Her shelves are lined with the figures. It plays like the heavy-handed product-placement scene in Wayne’s World, but without any self-awareness. Prime Video needs to dial it back in the future.
The series is most fun when it embraces its hardboiled, noir identity. It’s hard not to love watching Neagley ruffle feathers, exchange blows, and chase killers down dark Chicago streets. She’s an action star and proves it over and over. The series also has a strong supporting cast. However, moustache-twirling villains and knockoff James Bond plot quickly wear thin. If the series gets a second season, which I will be shocked if it does not, it ought to keep away from the Bond riffs.
Verdict
Neagley is exactly what you want in a popcorn crime thriller. It is fun, fast-paced, and thrilling. And Maria Sten confidently proves she’s got the chops to lead Prime Video to another hit series that successfully expands the Reacherverse without relying on Ritchson’s presence. Still, the overall 007-lite plot feels clumsy in places and the villains too hammy. Nevertheless, Neagley is a solid spinoff that is bound to win over Reacher fans.
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