Why isn’t Finlay in Reacher Season 2?

There are a few missing faces from the first season of Reacher, and Finlay is one of them. Why won’t the character return for Reacher Season 2?

A lot of TV shows bring back characters for each season. That’s not the case for Reacher, which has brought back just two characters from the first season. One of those is the titular character, but the other is Neagley played by Maria Sten. Finlay and Roscoe are not coming back.

We love anything Malcolm Goodwin does, and we woud love to see more of Oscar Finlay in the series. Why would the show opt to change most of its main cast for the second season? Don’t fans need consistency?

Why Finlay is not in Reacher Season 2

To keep it simple, the series is following the books in terms of Jack Reacher’s personality. The lead character does not stay in one place for too long. He’s a drifter, and he doesn’t make too many strong connections anywhere that he goes. It’s no wonder that people don’t even initially like him. Meanwhile, Finlay is not as much of a drifter, although he’s not afraid to be on the move when it’s needed.

At the end of the first season, Finlay and Reacher met at the diner, where Reacher was finally able to get a slice of that peach pie everyone had been talking about. The two part ways, but it’s clear that there is an understanding between them. Should Reacher find his way back in Georgia and needing help, Finlay will be there. Should Finlay need him, he’ll come to Georgia to help with a case.

However, Reacher has something bigger going on. He needs to team up with the remaining members of his former unit to find out who is hunting them down and why.

Reacher Season 2 airs Fridays on Prime Video.