I've watched all 8 episodes of Reacher spinoff Neagley an longtime fans will love it — mostly because they feel like the exact same show

With Reacher season 4 still streaming on Prime Video at the time of writing, fans are divided on whether its pivot to a political espionage plot has worked.

<![CDATA[ <article> <p>With <a href="https://www.techradar.com/streaming/amazon-prime-video/reacher-season-4-review"><em>Reacher </em>season 4</a> still streaming on <a href="https://www.techradar.com/uk/streaming/amazon-prime-video">Prime Video</a> at the time of writing, fans are divided on whether its pivot to a political espionage plot has worked. But there is one detail that unites them: the show was better with Neagley (Maria Sten) in it.</p><p>After three seasons of dedicated service to Reacher (Alan Ritchson), <a href="https://www.techradar.com/streaming/amazon-prime-video/neagley-release-date-time"><em>Neagley </em></a>is now a spinoff all her own. Taking on the lead role, she's working as a private investigator in Chicago, learning that a beloved friend from her past has been killed in a suspicious accident.</p><p>Obviously, Neagley is hell-bent on getting revenge and bringing the killer to justice, and "puts herself on a dangerous path to uncover a menacing evil," according to <a href="https://www.techradar.com/uk/tag/amazon">Amazon</a>. Who does that remind you of?</p><p>We might have changed the surname in the title, but aside from Neagley's return, it all feels very like <em>Reacher</em>. From the look of each scene and the eight-episode storyline structure to how new supporting characters are introduced and utilized, everything is feeling very familiar.</p><p>It's also no secret that Reacher himself (Alan Ritchson) will make an appearance in <em>Neagley</em>, a cameo which, while likely to provide plenty of entertainment and action, blurs the lines between the two shows even further. </p><p>Sure, some elements of the new spinoff have been effective (more on that below), but when the opportunity arises to create an entirely original story that's adjacent to an existing, beloved IP... could the creative team behind Neagley not have been a <em>little</em> bit braver?</p><div style="min-height: 250px;"> <div class="kwizly-quiz kwizly-O6yVMW"></div> </div> <script src="https://kwizly.com/embed/O6yVMW.js" async></script><h2 id="neagley-is-still-reacher-just-with-a-different-focal-point">Neagley is still Reacher... just with a different focal point </h2><div class="youtube-video" data-nosnippet ><div class="video-aspect-box"><iframe data-lazy-priority="high" data-lazy-src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/BOzNaa_o9_g" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div><p>Even though I know that a review of <em>Neagley </em>is something that <em>Reacher </em>fans will be looking for, this is one of the rare times in my job where I don't feel enthused to write... well, anything.</p><p>Why? As a reviewer, the most difficult movies or TV shows comment on are the ones that are forgettably fine. It's easy to lift something brilliant up and fun to trash something that you've hated — but if a project has nothing to say for itself, you're stuck.</p><p>This is where I think both <em>Neagley </em>and <em>Reacher </em>sit in the TV landscape. Both are designed to be <a href="https://www.techradar.com/streaming/amazon-prime-video/reacher-season-4-fans-have-forgotten-that-the-hit-prime-video-crime-drama-is-supposed-to-be-dumb-fun-and-thats-part-of-a-bigger-problem">intentionally dumb fun</a> wrapped in the popular package of a crime drama, and therefore, they require very little of you as a viewer.</p><p>Credit where credit is due, though. Where <em>Reacher </em>season 4 has potentially tanked its own legacy by getting too entangled in its political tone shift, <em>Neagley </em>has kept things much more straightforward.</p><p>Its overarching storyline is much more akin to <em>Reacher </em>seasons 1-3, with a surprising connection to a little-known cult effectively tapping into our continued love affair with all things true crime. There's a healthy mix of CGI and real-life action scenes, all of which are incredibly cool and draw you into Neagley's ridiculously varied day-to-day. </p><p>However, our new supporting faces are sweet and ever-present, but they don't hold the same sidekick weight as Neagley herself did as Reacher's right-hand woman. In short, it's swings and roundabouts on a fairly inconsequential level.</p><div data-widget-type="review" data-model-name="Amazon Prime Video"></div><h2 id="at-the-same-time-this-is-maria-sten-39-s-love-letter-to-fans">At the same time, this is Maria Sten's love letter to fans </h2><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="T9Z5qTgpJe2uoUXGfgzugG" name="neagley" alt="Neagley talks on the phone while looking up at something" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/T9Z5qTgpJe2uoUXGfgzugG-1920-80.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="1920" height="1080" attribution="" endorsement="" class="inline"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Prime Video)</span></figcaption></figure><p>This brings me neatly to my main argument: it almost doesn't matter what <em>Neagley </em>as a show has got right or wrong, because we're only really showing up for Neagley herself. </p><p>For Maria Sten alone, <em>Neagley </em>is exactly the <em>Reacher </em>spinoff that fans have been waiting for. Search for anything <em>Reacher </em>related on social media and you'll quickly find fans pining for Neagley to return to the main series, or for the pair to finally give into their (questionable) underlying romantic chemistry and make things official.</p><p>Not only is Sten as impeccable as she was in the main series, but she understands exactly what both fans and the story need from her character. The exploration of Neagley's past and backstory is easily the most satisfying element of the new series, getting into the murky depths of why she is the way she is.</p><p>Through this lens, <em>Neagley </em>pulls no punches and leaves no stone unturned while reaching its hard to swallow conclusion. Even while she's recounting hidden trauma in the most vulnerable way possible, Neagley herself remains everything we want from the TV presence we've sorely missed.</p><p>Frankly, I credit anything and everything positive about the <em>Reacher </em>spinoff to Sten herself, and if Neagley gets commissioned for future seasons (which I think is highly likely), she'll be the one that makes them satisfying enough to keep watching.</p><p>If you're simply tuning in because you're upset that <em>Reacher </em>season 4 is ending on the same day, I'd probably advise that you rewatch seasons 1-3 instead. When it's good, it's golden, as they say... and we're still yet to beat that run.</p><p>All eight episodes of <em>Neagley </em>will be available to stream on Prime Video on September 16.</p> </article> ]]>