How Prime Video’s Hit Thriller Series Could Run For More Than 20 Seasons (And Fix a Major Movie Problem)

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Even though only two seasons of the popular Prime Video thriller have been released, this show, based on a famous author’s book series, has the potential to run for many years. Successful crime shows can be incredibly valuable for streaming services and TV networks. Because bestselling book series like those by Lee Child (the Reacher novels) and Patricia Cornwell (Scarpetta books) contain numerous independent stories, the shows based on them can continue for years—even decades—without needing new material.

James Patterson’s thriller novel Cross has become a hit series on Prime Video, and it’s generating a lot of excitement for both book fans and viewers who enjoy suspenseful TV. The show has been renewed for a third season, with Aldis Hodge returning to play the lead role. Hodge portrays Cross, a gifted but haunted detective and forensic psychologist working in Washington D.C. Driven by a quick temper and the trauma of his wife’s murder, Cross is a compelling and relentless character, and season one introduced audiences to his complex personality.

Cross Can Adapt Over 30 Books In James Patterson’s Novel Series

The series Cross sees Detective Hodge regaining his knack for catching difficult criminals, but the show’s main character still deals with police corruption and personal struggles. Hodge is the third actor to play Cross, following Morgan Freeman who starred in the 1997 film Kiss the Girls, based on James Patterson’s second Alex Cross novel. The film’s success led to a 2001 sequel, Along Came a Spider, despite the fact that this story was actually the first Alex Cross novel Patterson published in 1993.

James Patterson has written more than 33 books featuring the character Alex Cross since 1993, giving the TV show a wealth of material to draw from for future seasons. The books cover a wide variety of cases and adventures, offering many different storylines the show can explore as it continues. If the Prime Video series lasts, it could even revisit the plot of the 2006 novel Cross – the same story that inspired the 2012 Alex Cross movie, which wasn’t very well-received.

Cross Could Even Redeem 2006’s Misguided Movie Adaptation

Rob Cohen, the director of The Fast and the Furious, aimed to launch a new film series with Alex Cross, starring Tyler Perry. However, despite a solid supporting cast featuring Giancarlo Esposito and John C. McGinley, the movie underperformed at the box office, failing to earn back its $35 million production cost. Critics widely considered it Cohen’s worst thriller to date, and even Perry’s strong performance as the lead couldn’t save this unsuccessful attempt to reboot the franchise.

The Alex Cross series had been on hold for ten years. Just as the Reacher TV show on Prime revitalized the earlier, disappointing Jack Reacher movies, the first season of Cross in 2023 finally did the novels justice. Now, with the success of season two and the show’s renewal, it’s clear that this adaptation of James Patterson’s work should continue bringing his books to life on screen, rescuing a series that seemed doomed after a failed reboot in 2012.

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2026-03-30 21:43