Alan Ritchson says he was surprised by season 2 success of ‘Reacher’

In December, Prime Video’s action series Reacher was renewed for a third season even before its second season dropped, but star Alan Ritchson admitted to ABC Audio he was still worried about the fate of his show.

“When season one came out, I got a call on Saturday morning about how the numbers were already sort of at a record setting level, and I expected that same call [for] season two,” he recalls while promoting his new movie with Hilary Swank, Ordinary Angels.

“So when I didn’t get a call Saturday, Sunday, I’m back at work Monday. Nobody’s talking about [it]. And I was like, ‘Oh, we’re going to get canceled.’ Like, It’s like the numbers aren’t the same. Like nobody wants to talk about it. This is bad news.”

He explained he even phoned his wife, Catherine, and told her he was preparing “for us to be out of a job.”

Ritchson says, “She’s like, ‘It’s okay, babe. Like, you know, We could be plumbers. Like, We got each other … We’ll find a way to make it.'”

Of course, the star was relieved to find his fears were unfounded. “I found out later that day that … we’d grown … by over 50%,” he explains.

Ritchson adds, “But I’m, you know, I’m always nervous that we’re … resting on our laurels. So it’s been refreshing to know that … we’ve got an audience.” 

As reported, season 3 of Reacher is now in production.