Alan Ritchson’s Prime Video hit may find a worthy competitor with ABC’s exciting Reacher replacement series. The Prime Video series has enjoyed immense success ever since it premiered in 2022, with its take on the drifter becoming the definitive take on the protagonist from Lee Child’s famous novels. Considering how popular it has been, it’s unsurprising that the streamer has continued to renew it, guaranteeing its run until season 5, well ahead of Reacher season 4’s release.

While the TV space is not lacking in similar shows, with projects like Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, The Night Agent, and even Tracker, very few, if not nothing, have come close to matching its success. Thanks to its ability to balance faithfulness to the source material and take creative liberties, Reacher has appealed to both built-in fans of Child’s novels and new ones, who are introduced to the character’s adventures through the Prime Video series. Moving forward, however, a new endeavor from ABC will likely give it a run for its money.

ABC’s A Forgotten Kill Has All The Hallmarks Of Reacher But Is Already Better In Two Aspects

Tracker star Justin Hartley is confirmed to be producing, A Forgotten Kill, based on a novel of the same name by Isabella Maldonado and was released in 2024. Its story follows ex–Army Ranger Dani Vega, a Nuyorican from the Lower East Side and dauntless FBI agent whose specialty is breaking codes and detecting patterns. She is partnered with NYPD Detective Mark Flint, whose style could not be more different than hers. Throughout their cases, an overarching mystery about her family haunts her. Per the reports, Tracker‘s veteran director and fellow EP, Ken Olin, will also have the same duties in A Forgotten Kill.

A Forgotten Kill has all the aspects of Reacher, which makes it a good alternative to Ritchson’s show. That said, it has a couple of advantages that could make it better than the Prime Video series. For starters, since it’s on network TV, it means that it will have more episodes per season. While Reacher only has eight episodes per season — the usual count for streaming shows, A Forgotten Kill can have as much as 20 per year. This gives it more time to flesh out its characters and properly develop its story. This doesn’t consider the guaranteed annual release, assuming it runs for more than a season.

Secondly, although A Forgotten Kill is focused on Dani as its protagonist, pairing her up with Mark allows some stability that Reacher doesn’t really have. Granted that Maria Sten’s Frances Neagley has been his reliable ally and Child’s books function more as an anthology series, but there’s still an appeal to seeing a continuing relationship flourish across multiple years. This also makes it easier for fans to invest in the long-run. Right now, Reacher is the only constant in his show, especially with Neagley getting her own offshoot.

A Forgotten Kill’s Success Boils Down To Its Execution

Image via CBS

Obviously, all of these are just potentials right now. Only time will tell if ABC can translate it to actual results, and it will all boil down to execution. Even if A Forgotten Kill has all the hallmarks of Reacher, if the show is not as well-done as Ritchson’s show, it will fail to capture its audience. The comparison to the Prime Video show can work in its favor, as some might see it as a great alternative, but it can also be detrimental if it fails in its adaptation, as its weaknesses will be magnified.

The good thing is that A Forgotten Kill has a creative team that has a solid track record. It’s back by the same squad behind Tracker — one of the most-watched shows on TV right now. If Hartley and his group can do what they did to his CBS show in the upcoming ABC project, there’s a good chance that people will be tuning in.

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Reacher

8/10

Release Date

February 3, 2022

Network

Prime Video

Showrunner

Nick Santora

Directors

Omar Madha, Carol Banker, Julian Holmes, Lin Oeding, M.J. Bassett, Norberto Barba, Stephen Surjik, Thomas Vincent