Prime Video kills its biggest hit of the year — but keeps the Reacher machine running.
Prime Video has flipped the script on its 2026 slate. Six shows are gone. Fourteen are staying — and some, like Reacher, are getting early renewals before even finishing their current season. The cuts aren’t just about ratings.
They’re about momentum. And in this case, momentum didn’t save Ride or Die. Despite a 96% critic score and an 85% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham’s buddy spy comedy is dead after two seasons. It was Prime’s most-watched new scripted series of the year.
That’s not a failure. It’s a warning sign. Streaming isn’t just about what people watch. It’s about what they keep watching.
And Ride or Die didn’t stick. Not even with a perfect Tomatometer. So why did Neagley survive? Because it’s a Reacher spinoff.
And Reacher is still pulling weight. Maria Sten’s Frances Neagley will return for season two, no release date yet. But the real news is bigger: Reacher itself is already greenlit for seasons five and six. Alan Ritchson is back.
Season five is filming now. This isn’t renewal. It’s institutionalization. Amazon’s confidence in the franchise is absolute.
One show dies. Two others live. The rest? Still waiting.
The next move? A decision on Sardar 2. It drops on Amazon Prime this Thursday. Three weeks after theatrical release.
If it lands, the pattern might change. If it doesn’t… well, we’ll know what Prime really values.
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