Entertainment
Reacher Season 4 Review: The Bloodiest Season Yet
After an incredible Season 3 that redeemed a lackluster sophomore run, “Reacher” is back with a fourth season that builds on what came before, while evolving the show and the character with new challenges, more commentary and also more humor. This is the bloodiest season of the show yet, as we swap constant gunfights for intense knifeplay that leaves a trail of blood behind. But it’s the political commentary that makes this season hit the hardest.
Season 3 found Reacher alone in a mansion undercover, with a change in tone that made it feel almost like a murder mystery where the detective is a slasher movie villain. Now, it’s back to basics, with Reacher solving an escalating problem with the help of some local cops who reluctantly follow him in his shenanigans. Except it’s not just a return to Season 1, because this season very much feels like an evolution of “Reacher,” even if every season still feels like a self-contained, sitcom-like story without much in terms of continuity. The Reacher we find here is an evolution of where we left off at the end of Season 3, where he is confronted by his ally and only friend, Neagley (Maria Sten), who explains that what drives Reacher is a desire to stop “The big, powerful, smug sons of bitches who think they can just get away with things.” This is why, when in the premiere episode Reacher is unable to help a woman before she decides to kill herself in front of him, he decides to chase down the bad guys who drove her to suicide.
What follows is an escalating series of reveals and the untangling of a web of mystery, lies and corruption that reaches far and wide, involving the military, the government and the CIA. This is the most fascinating aspect of the season, arguably the most political “Reacher” has ever gotten. Sure, the series always deals in corruption and abuse of authority, but this is the first time the show actively comments on the U.S. involvement in war crimes, with direct parallels to US involvement in the rise of al-Qaeda. It adds a layer of timeliness and urgency, grounding what is otherwise an often cartoony series. It also results in arguably the single best twist in the entire series thus far, with an incredible new kind of villain that shakes Reacher like no other before.

The political layer to Season 4 also gives Reacher a new kind of personal conflict. So far, the man goes by simple rules — anyone who tries to stop him is an enemy, anyone who abuses their authority is an enemy, and not much else. Here, however, Reacher is faced with the kind of political nuance he’s never faced before, having to think about optics and political fallout to truths being unveiled. That doesn’t stop him from being as over the top as you’d expect from this show.
He’s not alone though. Reacher gets some help from a brand new crew of sidekicks that aid him throughout the season, two cops who are way in over their head and have to battle their own demons. Of them, the clear standout is Christopher Marquette as Jake Merrick, a small town cop and brother to the woman whose suicide kickstarts the action. Marquette does a great job of portraying the neverending crisis his character goes through, the unstoppable grief, the raging anger that spirals out of control, making him a mirror of Reacher in past seasons.
Meanwhile, Alan Ritchson continues to be a delight to watch every week, with his performance this season adding a bit more humor to the stoic Reacher. The way he responds to everything that annoys him with a simple and condescending “OK” adds levity to what’s otherwise a rather grim outing. Plus, Reacher gets a different kind of sidekick in Season 4, an adorable kitten whose brief appearance next to the towering giant that is Reacher elicits as many laughs as it does “awwws.”

The kitten also helps (briefly) balance out the absolute carnage that accompanies this season of “Reacher.” This is a violent show, sure, but Season 4 takes it to a new level. The story mostly swaps gunfights for some stunning knifeplay, with quite elaborate stunts and a level of gore that we haven’t seen in the show yet. It adds to the brutality and ruthlessness of its villains, who are menacing and dangerous. The stuntwork is stellar, with dynamic camera work ensuring that no two fights look the same, employing reacher’s intimidating physique in different ways, whether it’s as a walking tank that can sustain injuries, a gorilla-like force to be reckoned with in his mighty punches, or just a clever agent of death who outsmarts his opponents by, say, pushing a guy’s hand into a shredder, or holding an assassin down in an elevator shaft until the elevator goes down on the guy’s head.
“Reacher” takes the heights of Season 3 and elevates them with a different yet equally effective and thrilling Season 4. If nothing else, the show continues to prove it does not run out of steam, but continues to improve and evolve with every new adventure.
“Reacher” Season 4 premieres Wednesday on Prime Video.
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Entertainment
TIFF Adds Werner Herzog, Martin McDonagh Movies to Lineup
Werner Herzog’s “Bucking Fastard,” Martin McDonagh’s “Wild Horse Nine,” Nanni Moretti’s “It Will Happen Tonight” and Guy Nattiv’s “The Liberation” are among the 11 films added to this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, TIFF organizers announced on Tuesday.
The festival also announced a series of “In Conversation With … ” programs devoted to Korean star Lee Min-ho, cinematographer and director Rachel Morrison, actor-director-comedian Chris Rock and actors Andrew Scott and Hudson Williams. Min-ho will be at the festival with his new film, “The Assassin(s),” Morrison with “Love of Your Life,” Rock with “Misty Green,” Scott with “Elsinore” and Williams with “YAGA.”
One of the films added to the lineup, Chinese director Bai Xue’s “It’s My Time,” will screen in the Galas section at TIFF. Additionally, “Trees Are Watching” from Turkish filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi, will be in the Centerpiece section. The other nine have been added to the Special Presentations section.
In addition to the Herzog, Moretti, Nattiv and McDonagh films, there are Stéphane Brizé’s “A Good Little Soldier,” Cody Fern’s “Closing Night,” Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn’s “Neil Peart: No One’s Disciple,” Malgorzata Szumowska and Michal Englert’s “The Idiot(s)” and Peter Ho-Sun Chan’s “The Road Not Taken.”
“Closing Night,” “Neil Peart” and “The Road Not Taken” will have their world premieres in Toronto, while the other films will be North American, Canadian or International premieres.
The new films bring the total number of movies at this year’s TIFF to 293 features and shorts. The festival schedule is now available online at tiff.net/schedule.
The 2026 Toronto International Film Festival will open on Sept. 10 and run through Sept. 20.
Here are the additional titles. An asterisk indicates that the film is a world premiere.
Galas
“It’s My Time,” Bai Xue | China
Special Presentations
“A Good Little Soldier,” Stéphane Brizé | France
“Bucking Fastard,” Werner Herzog | USA
“Closing Night,” Cody Fern | Australia, Canada *
“It Will Happen Tonight,” Nanni Moretti | Italy, France, Spain
“Neil Peart: No One’s Disciple,” Scot McFadyen, Sam Dunn | Canada *
“The Idiot(s),” Małgorzata Szumowska, Michał Englert | Poland, Germany
“The Liberation,” Guy Nattiv | USA
“The Road Not Taken,” Peter Ho-Sun Chan | China *
“Wild Horse Nine,” Martin McDonagh | USA, Chile
Centerpiece
“Trees Are Watching,” Bahman Ghobadi | Turkey *
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movies
Chris Rock, Heated Rivalry’s Hudson Williams Set for Toronto Film Festival
Chris Rock, set to world premiere his latest film, Misty Green, in Toronto, will take part in an informal conversation at the September film festival, as will Heated Rivalry star Hudson Williams.
Rock’s film for A24 follows an actress whose career has stalled years after her breakthrough role, as she fights for her second act. Rosalind Eleazar stars as Misty Green alongside Adam Driver, Daniel Kaluuya, Anna Kendrick, Topher Grace and Rock. Besides his breakout role in the gay hockey drama Heated Rivalry, Williams will also discuss in Toronto his upcoming star turn in the Crave and AMC+ supernatural mystery thriller Yaga, created by Kat Sandler.
TIFF organizers also announced In Conversation With… sessions for Korean actor and singer Lee Min-ho, who will present his latest film, The Assassin(s), in Toronto, and director Rachel Morrison, as she brings her sophomore feature, Love of Your Life, a romantic drama starring Margaret Qualley, Aaron Pierre and Patrick Schwarzenegger, to the film festival for a world premiere.
Andrew Scott is headed to Toronto with his latest movie, Simon Stone’s Elsinore, where he plays the late actor Ian Charleson in one of his final London West End stage roles as Hamlet, which he performed while living with AIDS.
Scott has had other standout roles in Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag, playing Moriarty in Sherlock, and credits for Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery and Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon.
“This year’s In Conversation With… series brings together trailblazers and extraordinary storytellers for conversations that will offer audiences a deeper look at their craft and careers,” Anita Lee, chief programming officer at TIFF, said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Toronto Film Festival will run from Sept. 10 to 20.
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Entertainment
David Ellison Threatens to Move Paramount Out of California
David Ellison plans to move Paramount Skydance out of California if state Attorney General Rob Bonta refuses to budge over the Warner Bros. Discovery merger by Oct. 1.
According to multiple media reports on Monday after an initial Puck story, Ellison held an hourlong lunch meeting on the Paramount lot with his 12-member executive leadership team last week, in which he insisted his goal was to keep the company’s 30,000 jobs in Southern California but cautioned that if Bonta won’t negotiate a settlement by the time the company’s $7 million per day ticking fee kicks in, he will be moving standalone Paramount or the combined Paramount-WBD out of state regardless of the outcome. Tennessee, Texas and Georgia were all mentioned as options for the new Paramount home, and Ellison is reportedly in touch with multiple states to discuss his potential five-year plan.
The move would be a massive blow to California as one of the major Hollywood studios shifts thousands of jobs out of state. The plan would involve selling the Paramount lot, moving executives and business functions out of state and retaining some kind of presence in California.
Dana Goldberg, Josh Greenstein, Cindy Holland and George Cheeks are all said to have been in attendance at the Wednesday lunch meeting.
Paramount did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
Ellison’s threat arrives as his $110 billion Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition was dealt a major blow when the judge in the state AG’s antitrust case set a March trial date, which means this case may not be over until next summer or later with that hefty ticking fee in place.
The Paramount Skydance CEO has gone on the offensive, securing the backing of two of the biggest theater chains to counter fears that he would be unable to fulfill his promise of releasing 30 films a year in theaters under a combined Paramount-Warner Bros.
Still, Ellison seemingly remains confident the $110 billion Paramount-Warner deal will close. But if the 12 state AGs who sued successfully block the merger, Paramount will instead be required to pay a $7 billion termination fee to Warner Bros. Discovery.
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