Jo Nesbø's Detective Hole’s Villain Outshines Reacher In 1 Way

Reacher Is The Undisputed King Of Dad Shows, But Netflix’s New Action Thriller Beats It In 1 Way Alan Ritchson staring at someone in Reacher season 3 By  Dhruv Sharma Published Feb 6, 2026, 10:01 PM EST Dhruv is a Lead Writer in Screen Rant's New TV division. He has been consistently contributing to the website for over two years and has written thousands of articles covering streaming trends, movie/TV analysis, and pop culture breakdowns. Before Screen Rant, he was a Senior Writer for The Cinemaholic, covering everything from anime to television, from reality TV to movies. After high school, he was on his way to become a Civil Engineer. However, he soon realized that writing was his true calling. As a result, he took a leap and never looked back. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Add Us On Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

Reacher is undoubtedly the undisputed king of dad shows, but an upcoming crime thriller on Netflix will seemingly overcome its biggest shortcoming.

Many shows have tried to emulate Reacher's formula but only a few have come close to being as commercially and critically successful as the Alan Ritchson series. Although Reacher, too, has had a few ups and downs, the show continues to impress critics and draw massive viewership. Since it is easily Prime Video's most valuable IP in the action thriller genre right now, it would be fair to call it the king of all dad shows.

However, it looks like Netflix's upcoming crime thriller, which is also based on a book series, might beat it in one significant way.

Reacher Has Always Had A Villain Problem, But Netflix’s Detective Hole Won’t Be The Same

Alan Ritchson does an incredible job of carrying the Prime Video show with his brilliant screen presence and ability to capture Jack Reacher's stoic demeanor and dry humor. When it comes to villains, though, Reacher has struggled since season 1. Most villains in Reacher have seemed too corny or generic to pose a truly memorable threat to the towering protagonist.

Reacher season 3 was a slight improvement in this regard, as Paulie and Quinn seemed far more intimidating and personal in their conflict with Reacher.

However, owing to their limited screen time, Quinn and Paulie, too, lacked the layered depth of truly great crime drama antagonists. Netflix's upcoming adaptation of Jo Nesbø's Detective Hole novels will seemingly not have the same villain problem.

As Detective Hole's trailer establishes, it is launching with a massive rivalry already baked in. The show features Joel Kinnaman as Tom Waaler, who is the titular detective’s corrupt and terrifyingly competent colleague. Their cat-and-mouse dynamic spans multiple books and gives the show a long-term tension that Reacher lacks.

Detective Hole Books’ Original Author Is More Involved With The Show Than Lee Child With Reacher

Interestingly, the long-term rivalry between Harry Hole and Tome Waaler is not the only thing Detective Hole benefits from. The original book series' author, Jo Nesbø, is directly involved with the Netflix series as its writer, which ensures the crime thriller will closely adapt the original books.

Like Reacher, Jo Nesbø's Detective Hole, will also focus on one book per season, and its first installment will adapt the series' fifth novel, The Devil's Star.

Given how Reacher has been consistently performing well for three seasons and will continue to do the same in future installments as well, it might be too soon to call Jo Nesbø's Detective Hole its worthy Netflix rival. However, considering the strength of its source material, its original author's direct involvement, and its villain advantage, the upcoming crime thriller seems to have immense potential.

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  Like Follow Followed Reacher TV-MA Crime Drama Action Thriller 8/10 666 9.2/10 Release Date February 3, 2022 Network Prime Video

  Cast

  See All
  • Alan Ritchson Jack Reacher
  • Maria Sten Frances Neagley

  Reacher follows Jack Reacher, a former military police investigator, as he navigates civilian life. Without a phone and carrying minimal belongings, Reacher drifts across the country, experiencing the nation he once served, and encounters intriguing challenges along the way.

  Writers Cait Duffy Main Genre Action Creator(s) Nick Santora Powered by Expand Collapse
• Like Follow Followed Joe Nesbø's Detective Hole Crime Drama Thriller Release Date March 26, 2026 Writers Jo Nesbø

  Cast

  • Tobias Santelmann
  • Joel Kinnaman
  • Pia Tjelta
  • Ellen Helinder
  Main Genre Crime Creator(s) Jo Nesbø Powered by Expand Collapse

• Reacher
• Joe Nesbø's Detective Hole
• Netflix

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