Let’s dive into Neagley season 1 and why you should watch it. It’s a spin-off of Reacher starring Maria Sten as the main character. She’s been such an integral part of Reacher, even though she wasn’t in Reacher season 4. It seems only right for her to have her own spin-off show, and I’m here to tell you, it’s great! When you have a really great show and great characters, that doesn’t mean every character should get their own spinoff, but Neagley is the perfect character to have her own show. In many ways, she’s like Reacher’s best friend, always one phone call away. Now we get to dive more into her backstory and what she does when she’s not helping Reacher. Season 1 picks up a few years after season 2 of Richard. This time around, she’s working as a private detective in Chicago with a fairly large agency and helps take care of her ailing dad. The season starts with her on a job where Reacher gives her a hand, but then she has pulled into something when a childhood friend ends up dead, and she’s forced to confront the truth behind his murder and her own past.
If you’ve read my reviews, you know how much I love Reacher, and I love when she shows up. I don’t want to call her a sidekick, because I think in a lot of ways she is his equal, but this is the perfect story for her to shine, especially after having been trained as a detective not only by her father but by Reacher when she was in the army. It’s very accurate to say that she’s a badass. She is smart, knows how to get the job done, and, more importantly, fights for those who can’t do it on their own. She’s a superhero in her own right. This story leaves her tracking down what happened to her friend after he got entangled with a cult. She deals with a Chicago police detective who, despite his family’s criminal activities, is a Boy Scout without an ounce of corruption. There are also two other main characters who end up helping her, one of them being a kid from the streets who knows how to hustle, played by the talented Jasper Jones, but has the making to be a great private detective. What made the season worth watching is not only Maria Sten getting to be the main focus of the story, whereas Reacher has more of the sidekick role. If you are a fan of badass women in law enforcement who can shoot, kick butt, and win out over their male counterparts. Season 1 is just as good as any season of Reacher. Eight episodes are perfect to tell this story. Not one episode is wasted as it slowly takes you into the overall conspiracy, even when the main character dives into her past with memories she repressed about her father. Taking down a cult always makes for a great story.
As a critic, I honestly don’t really have any complaints about this season. While we already know the character, this season is a great origin story for her. Chicago becomes the perfect side character to tell the story. I especially love the fact that they got to shoot at Wrigley Field and even talk to Maria about that during my interview. The thing is, Neagley is a complex character, and we get to really explore that more with her own show, plus she surrounds herself with great characters that will eventually help her with her own PI business. There is certainly a lot of room to grow in an opportunity to have more characters from the 110th Division pop in and out. As I mentioned during my interview with Maria, and she agreed, it would be great to have Serenda Swan pop in because the two of them together were great in season 2 of Reacher. Amazon has always done law enforcement shows really well. They may not be great when it comes to fantasy, but for law enforcement, that’s where this streaming service shines, and Neagley, along with Reacher, is perfect for this streaming platform. This is another home run in my opinion, and I hope we get to see more seasons of this show. With a great cast, great characters, and Chicago being the perfect backdrop, the sky’s the limit with Neagley, and Maria Sten absolutely proves that she can carry her own show. And I also admit, she has been one of my favorite interviewees over the last 15 years. Check out season 1, which will drop all episodes on the same day, and watch my interview with Maria Sten.
