Prime Video’s Upcoming Neagley Spin-Off Has the Chance To Do Something ‘Reacher’ Never Could -

Reacher star Maria Sten will soon get spun off into her own television series about her character, Frances Neagley. It marks the first spin-off for the Reacher television franchise, which recently concluded its third season. Sten’s Neagley takes center stage in her new show after appearing in the first three seasons of Reacher in a supporting role. Now that Neagley is getting her own television series, the upcoming spin-off has the chance to do something that Reacher never could, along with something Lee Child, the original author of the Reacher book saga, never accomplished with the character in the books. It’s time to explore how the Neagley television series can finally explore Neagley’s haphephobia and backstory in ways that fans have not seen before.

‘Neagley’ Should Explore the Origin of the Character’s Haphephobia

Maria Sten as Neagley with her left foot on the front bumper of a car in Season 3 of Reacher — Image via Prime

Going back to the first season of Reacher, one of the recurring aspects of Neagley’s character concerns her haphephobia, a deep, irrational fear of being touched. She doesn’t like to shake hands or touch others. In one of the most powerful moments in Season 2, Neagley briefly overcomes her haphephobia by holding the hand of Detective Guy Russo (Domenick Lombardozzi) as he slowly bleeds out and dies after saving the daughter of a witness. Reacher has never shed light on Neagley’s haphephobia, and it’s an aspect that Child has avoided exploring further during the character’s book appearances.

Although Neagley’s haphephobia is unexplained in Child’s novels, it’s addressed in the 1996 book, Night School. During a conversation with Dr. Marian Sinclair, Reacher reveals that Neagley informed him that she was “born” with her haphephobia. The Neagley series will have the opportunity to properly answer the origin of Neagley’s anxiety disorder, and when she started suffering from the condition. One would imagine Neagley’s haphephobia stems from a deeply traumatic incident in her childhood, causing her anxiety that followed her into adulthood. Haphephobia is often induced by an incident of sexual abuse or assault, which implies that Neagley might have been sexually abused as a child. In the first season episode, “No Apologies,” Neagley takes it upon herself to knock out a patron groping a dancer at a gentlemen’s club, without the dancer’s permission, which deeply angered Neagley. That scene presents another hint of a potentially traumatic event from the character’s mysterious past that Neagley should examine.

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Frances Neagley (Maria Sten) examining a key in Reacher Season 2

Reacher’s Neagley Spinoff Series Is Setting Up The Reacher Universe

Reacher fans, get ready! A new spin-off is on the horizon, and this time, it’s about the fearless Frances Neagley.

The Series Can Finally Reveal the Character’s Mysterious Backstory

The Reacher television series increased Neagley’s role in the supporting cast, so she appears in the television adaptation more frequently than in her book appearances. In the books, Child opts to maintain a mystique with Neagley, preferring her behavior and actions to be unexplained. As Child told The Wrap, he shied away from revealing more about the character. “I was nervous about doing it, because the thing about her, it seemed to me, was that she’s mysterious. She’s unexplained,” the author stated. “I didn’t want to go too deeply into what made her who she is. I felt that would burst the bubble somehow, so I shied away from it.”

The good news is that Reacher showrunner Nick Santora, who is also working on Neagley, finally plans to reveal what makes Neagley tick and why she became who she is. It’s an idea that Child himself approves of, telling The Wrap, “I thought that was brave. And I think the solution that he came up with is magnificent, and I’m professionally, incredibly jealous of it.” Child continued, “He did something that I was afraid to do, and he did it superbly well.” That means Neagley will depict the character’s long-awaited, definitive backstory with Child’s oversight and approval, which is an exciting prospect.

So far, aside from the aforementioned haphephobia, the show has depicted that Neagley is an expert sniper, hand-to-hand combatant, and marksman. She enjoys playing video games in her spare time, and she loves sugary breakfast cereals and snacks. Her father (James Neely) is still alive, and they still appear close, as he’s the only person other than Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) who knows her private phone number. Currently, Neagley works as a private investigator for what appears to be a lucrative office in Chicago, Illinois. She became a private investigator after leaving the Military Police, and she maintained a close relationship with her military mentor, frequently aiding Reacher throughout the first three seasons. The Reacher series has provided some nice hints and breadcrumbs about Neagley, but with the Neagley spin-off, the writers will finally be able to pull back the full curtain on her life. It would make sense if Neagley depicted flashbacks of the character’s youth, upbringing, and formative years, similar to the earlier seasons of Reacher.

How the ‘Neagley’ Can Avoid a Recurring Issue in ‘Reacher’

Previously, we discussed how Reacher needs to slow down with the show’s revolving door of love interests. Unfortunately, the romance between Reacher and DEA Agent Susan Duffy (Sonya Cassidy) in Season 3 turned out to be the least interesting romantic subplot in the series to date. Almost every new season of Reacher calls for a new love interest for the lead character, and frankly, it’s getting a bit tiresome. This is a problem Neagley will avoid for multiple reasons. Due to Neagley’s haphephobia, she has a deep-seated fear of physically touching or being touched by others. Additionally, Reacher Season 2 provided another interesting hint, suggesting that Neagley isn’t looking for any type of romance.

A dialogue exchange early in Reacher Season 2 offered a hint regarding Neagley’s apparent sexuality. During a conversation with Neagley’s former teammate in the 110th Special Investigations Unit, Karla Dixon (Serinda Swan), in Season 2, Episode 1, “ATM,” Neagley reveals, “I don’t find anyone attractive.” The brief dialogue suggests that Neagley could be asexual or aroace, which adds another interesting layer to her character that her spin-off could explore. Additionally, Neagley does not have to dedicate significant time to depicting a romantic interest for the main character, which is a recurring issue in the Reacher series. Neagley can take things in a different direction and does not necessarily need a forced romantic subplot each season. That’s not to say the series needs to be completely devoid of romance. Provided Neagley does further explore the character’s sexuality, any potential romance would likely be more of a slow-burn for her, which could make for some interesting storytelling for the spin-off.

Neagley does not have a release date yet, but the show will debut later on Prime Video, joining the first three seasons of Reacher.