This week, Alan Ritchson is back as Jack Reacher in the second season of Amazon Prime Video‘s Reacher. Author Lee Child couldn’t have anticipated that Reacher would be portrayed by someone as physically imposing as Ritchson, which makes him look like a superhero compared to most of the other people on the show. That’s fitting since Ritchson made guest appearances on Smallville as Aquaman, and he co-starred in Max’s Titans as Hawk.
The key appeal of Reacher is that the title character isn’t afraid to take the law into his own hands and confront powerful criminals when no one else will. Naturally, the action is also a big draw for Reacher fans, which is why it already has a third-season renewal on the way. But if the new episodes of Reacher season 2 just aren’t enough for you, then check out our picks for the five action TV shows just like Reacher, which you can watch any time you like during the holiday season.
Justified
At first glance, Timothy Olyphant’s Raylan Givens may seem very slight compared to Alan Ritchson’s towering Jack Reacher. But both men seem like they’re heroes who have stepped out of the past and into the present. In Justified, Raylan is a U.S. Marshal who has the skills of an Old Western gunslinger and a willingness to use them whenever he has to. Unlike Reacher, Raylan has a badge, and he really is committed to bringing down the worst people in his former home, Harlan County.
All six seasons of Justified are streaming on Hulu alongside the sequel miniseries Justified: City Primeval. Both of Raylan’s shows are going to give you hours of enjoyment, especially if you’ve never seen them before.
Watch Justified on Hulu.
Bosch (2014-2021)
In just nine years, Titus Welliver has gone through seven seasons of Bosch on Prime Video and two seasons of Bosch: Legacy on Freevee. That’s a long time for anyone to hang on to a role. As Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch, Welliver’s title character may have more in common with Raylan Givens than he does with Jack Reacher. But Bosch has been known to bend the law a bit if justice can’t be achieved without extra steps. That’s something that Reacher would be able to identify with.
An unwavering belief in justice may be the one thing that Harry Bosch and Jack Reacher truly have in common, but fans of these throwback heroes will probably see a lot to like about both men.
Watch Bosch on Prime Video.
The Old Man (2022-Present)
Jeff Bridges finally gets his action moment in The Old Man; it just took a few decades to get there. Like Jack Reacher, Dan Chase (Bridges) was formerly in a dangerous profession. Although we’d say that Chase’s work as a CIA operative was far more impressive than Reacher’s Military Police background. Chase’s problem with being ex-CIA is that he has too many secrets to safeguard, and that’s why FBI Assistant Director for Counterintelligence Harold Harper (John Lithgow) wants him dead.
Chase is forced to go on the run with his temporary landlord, Zoe McDonald (Amy Brenneman), when Harper’s minions get close. But Chase is the one who is typically kicking ass and staying ahead of Harper. The Old Man already has a renewal in place, so Chase’s story will continue to unfold.
Watch The Old Man on Hulu.
The Punisher (2017-2019)
The second season of The Punisher has more in common with Reacher than the first season, but any fan of Reacher should appreciate the TV-MA action of this series. Marvel TV originally produced this series for Netflix as a spinoff from Daredevil, with The Walking Dead‘s Jon Bernthal in the lead role of Frank Castle, aka The Punisher.
Season 1 of The Punisher picked up some threads from Daredevil season 2, as Castle discovered that his best friend, Billy Russo (Westworld‘s Ben Barnes) was connected with the murder of his family. In the second season, Castle was basically a drifter (like Jack Reacher) who just wanted to be left alone before he was forced to resurrect his Punisher persona to put down some bad guys. Rumor has it that Bernthal will reprise his role for Daredevil: Born Again on Disney+.
Watch The Punisher on Disney+.
Banshee (2013-2016)
Before Antony Starr was cast as Homelander in The Boys, he headlined Cinemax’s action series Banshee as Sheriff Lucas Hood, a man of many secrets. For starters, Lucas Hood wasn’t his real name, and he simply assumed the real Hood’s identity as front for his activities in Banshee, Pennsylvania. At the start of the series, Hood is fresh out of prison after serving 15 years behind bars, and he needs to retrieve his stolen diamonds from his ex-lover, Anastasiya “Ana” Rabitova (Ivana Miličević).
Since Ana had reinvented herself as Carrie Hopewell and married the town’s DA, Hood stuck around Banshee and took a very unconventional approach to enforcing the law, which mystified and angered his deputies. In some ways, Hood is a lot like Jack Reacher, just unencumbered by conventional morality. Sometimes, it takes a crook to take down crime.
Watch Banshee on Max.
