Alan Ritchson's Jack Reacher has come a long way since he foiled a corruption plot in the small town of Margrave, Georgia. Back in 2022, season 1 of "Reacher" saw Ritchson's ex-military policeman arriving in the town (which was actually built in a Canadian cornfield) and causing all sorts of havoc after his brother is discovered dead and he's blamed for the murder. Since then, he's faced off against Robert Patrick's Shane Langston in season 2 (in what was a clear homage to a James Cameron classic)
and thwarted an international arms dealer and his sprawling operation in season 3.
But back in season 1, he was just a guy looking for a place to get a slice of pie, before he got caught up in the small town conspiracy that ultimately saw him putting an end to a counterfeiting operation and clearing his name. In the process, he also formed a bond with Malcolm Goodwin's Oscar Finlay, Chief Detective of the Margrave Police Department — though the pair didn't get off on the right foot when Finlay swiftly arrested Reacher moments after he first arrived in town. By the end of the season, however, the pair had become quite close, with Finlay helping Reacher on his mission and establishing himself as a fan-favorite character (along with Willa Fitzgerald's officer Roscoe Conklin). As the show continued, Reacher continued his travels around the U.S., and as such, the cast changed with each successive season. But it seems Ritchson himself has always had a soft spot for one particular scene from that first run of episodes.
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Alan Ritchson Loved Working With Malcolm Goodwin
Following the end of season 1, Alan Ritchson said he thought "Reacher" should bring back Roscoe and Finlay, which it technically already did in the second season. Season 2's fourth episode saw the return of Finlay when Reacher and his former 110th Special Investigations crew visit Boston and find his former comrade working as part of the city's police force. That must have been a great moment for Ritchson himself, as it seems he still thinks of one of his season 1 scenes with Malcolm Goodwin as a standout moment in his career. In an interview with Cinelinx back in 2022, the actor was asked about his favorite moments from season 1 and said:
"There are moments I appreciate for different reasons. There's a scene that takes place between Oscar Finlay—played by Malcolm Goodwin—and it's one of my favorite scenes I've ever been a part of as an actor. Not so much because of what I did, but just bearing witness to the brilliant work that Malcolm did in the scene."
Ritchson doesn't specify which scene he's referring to, but there are several standout moments between the pair, including their final scene together in the same diner that Reacher first visited when he arrived in Margarve. There's also the scene in which Finlay and Reacher visit Currie Graham's Kliner Sr. at his office, and Finlay finally breaks, threatening the CEO to stop impeding his investigation, causing Reacher to stifle a chuckle after Finlay's expletive-laden threats take all the air out of the room. The star added, "What [Malcolm] brought to Oscar, the vulnerability, the history, and the pain; it was just all so good. It was so good. I was fighting the urge to just, as a fan, smile in the scene. I had to tell myself to stay in [character]!'"
Will Oscar Finlay Return To Reacher?
"Reacher" showrunner Nick Santora has said we're unlikely to see either Oscar Finlay or Roscoe Conklin return to the show, as the writers have to stay faithful to Lee Child's book series and its anthology format. But they've already brought back Oscar, and considering the high praise he received from Alan Ritchson and his fan-favorite status, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him come back one more time. As Ritchson previously told /Film's Jacob Hall when asked about bringing Finlay and Roscoe back in a future season, "They were just too good. We're building a world here, and although this is an anthology, to be able to remind the audience that this is a real journey that he's taken and there are some people that are still there, I think, could be a lot of fun. Yeah, I hope we can do that at some point."
For now, we await "Reacher" season 4, which is based on the book with the most mind-blowing reveal in the whole series. The show is shooting in Philadelphia, and set photos have shown that the season is in fact set in that city rather than using Philly as a stand-in for another town. With Finlay in Boston, he's not too far away to help out his old buddy, though whether the writers will bring him back so soon after his season 2 cameo remains unclear. It certainly seems as though Ritchson would be in favor of it, though...
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