Reacher definitely allowed Amazon to reach (pun intended) Netflix-like viewing numbers. It was even more successful than a hugely anticipated event show The Wheel of Time. Once again, Amazon targeted an adult male audience, and it paid off. But there is more to it than just adapting another famous book series (before Reacher, there was Jack Ryan). After Tom Cruise’s take on Reacher, Lee Child’s books were more popular than ever, but an upcoming TV show with Alan Ritchson wasn’t on everyone’s radar. Amazon did a great job with trailers and the marketing campaign. The first week brought numbers that were almost reaching the return of Ozark to Netflix. And the show got hit with the internet buzz, the word of mouth spread like a fire. Since its early February premiere, Reacher is steadily number one show on Amazon Prime Video. Picard Season 2 is always getting ahead around the release day of the new episode, but then Reacher gets back to number one and then again and again. Picard will end its season run in May, until then it will be the neverending duel.
Reacher had one advantage over almost every other Amazon show. Unlike The Wheel of Time or Picard, it got released in its entirety (8 episodes) on day one. People could binge it down in hours or days and then spread the word. Good reviews helped as well (90 % from critics and fans alike). Now it seems that Reacher is here to stay. Even though die-hard fans binged it as soon as possible, it’s still on the top two months later. Amazon surely can’t wait to put out another season that is already in the making.