The reviews for season 3 offer nearly universal praise for the third installment of the hit action thriller show on Prime Video, developed from Lee Child's popular book series. Alan Ritchson returns as the titular protagonist, a larger-than-life former military cop turned into a drifter vigilante. Each season of Reacher delivers a new mission, setting, and set of supporting characters, with the only other recurring character besides Ritchon's Reacher being Maria Sten's Frances Neagley, a friend and military associate.

Reacher season 3 takes place in a Maine coastal college town, a serene setting where Reacher uncovers corruption, kidnappings, and a new path toward vengeance. Throughout Reacher season 3 episodes 1-3, out of Boston. Reacher tries to get into the inner circle of Zachary Beck, a wealthy business owner who operates Bizarre Bazaar, an apparent rug shipper and manufacturer. Reacher's infiltration leads him to Quinn, an old nemesis and American traitor who Reacher thought had died years before.

Critics applaud Alan Ritchson for his singular and undeniable embodiment of protagonist Jack Reacher, making it seem as though he were truly born to play the role. Everything from his physical physique to his calm yet serious demeanor, , are expertly delivered by Ritchson, making him one of the modern television greats of the action thriller genre.

Nick Schager of The Daily Beast writes in his positive Reacher season 3 review, "Courtesy of Alan Ritchson’s stoic lead performance as the noble behemoth, it remains satisfyingly mean, macho, and—literally and figuratively—muscular." Kate Sánchez of But Why Tho? A Geek Community notes, "Reacher Season 3 continues to show why Alan Ritchson is the best. He balances a spectrum of emotion and intensity, and everyone around him rises up to meet him."

As a more-or-less anthology series, Reacher delivers a new slate of supporting characters in a new location who help Reacher accomplish a new objective against new foes. There is some overlap between the three current Reacher seasons available on Amazon Prime Video, but not enough where it's necessarily imperative for viewers to watch Reacher seasons 1 and 2 before tuning into season 3. The anthological approach .

Dominic Baez of The Seattle Times writes, "This latest season of “Reacher” proves that familiarity doesn’t have to breed contempt. Twists aside, there’s never really any doubt how all of this will end up -- and yet, you can’t stop watching." Jonathan Wilson of Ready Steady Cut writes, "Reacher rides into town with a moral code and big muscles, he beats up the bad guys and he invariably gets the girl. It’s a tale as old as time, skilfully told once again."

Reacher season 3's villains are some of my favorite in the entire series, as many fellow critics would agree. The mysterious Xavier Quinn, who Reacher has unfinished business with, and the, are only a few of the multiple well-developed and lethal antagonists Reacher season 3 has on display.

In my Reacher season 3 review for Screen Rant, I noted that while Reacher's "previous missions were thrilling and suspenseful, every villain Reacher faced before seemed well within his grasp. Season 3, however, ups the ante by introducing the series' most formidable villains yet." Reacher often seems like he's toying with his opponents due to his superior strength and intelligence but in the Amazon series.

Sonya Cassidy's Susan Duffy is much more than Reacher's season 3 love interest, which typically changes from season to season. She is highly entertaining in her own right and is one of the most determined sidekicks that Reacher has ever had in the series. Duffy brings with her the likable DEA agents Guillermo Villanueva and Sam Eliot. both emotionally and physically next to Reacher.

Luke Reilly of IGN Movies writes in his "fresh" Reacher season 3 review, "Reacher’s new season 3 buddy Susan Duffy makes a firm case as the strongest supporting character in the series to date." However, not all critics were on the same page about Duffy and the season 3 supporting cast. Jorge Rivera Rubio of QiiBO felt that Reacher season 3 was "missing the supporting cast chemistry from season 2."

Reacher season 3 goes into darker places in its themes and narratives than either of the previous two seasons but not too dark that it loses its enjoyable tone. Reacher himself doesn't face any dark personal matters typically seen in modern anti-heroes. However, at the deepest level of Reacher's sense of compassion and greater humanity, which is typically unseen in the stoic protagonist.

Tim Stevens of The Spool writes in his positive review of Reacher season 3, "This installment merges a clear-eyed sense of right and wrong with frequent bursts of violence, buckets of blood, and a dark, sly sense of humor." M.N. Miller of Fandomwire calls Reacher "a show that intends to drag you across concrete with the taste of asphalt in your mouth and bits of glass in your forehead."

Reacher's undercover status in season 3 offers something new for viewers of seasons 1 and 2 who watched Reacher treat the world as his battleground with ease and no hesitation. This time around, Reacher has to think several steps ahead, . The idea of someone as unmissable as Reacher going undercover may sound humorous. Once Reacher gets inside, it becomes anything but funny.

In my review for Screen Rant, I noted the brilliance of Reacher going incognito to switch things up in season 3. "Reacher seasons 1 and 2 feature the titular protagonist going full-throttle as an unstoppable and fearless force. What better way to evolve Reacher's character than to force him to utilize some tactful restraint by going undercover?"

Even though Reacher is exactly what you expect him to be in the series, . That cleverness, combined with his signature brawn, of course, creates several of the best scenes of Reacher season 3, many of which occur within the first three episodes.

Terry Terrones of Paste Magazine writes, "Season three is a thrilling joy ride, from the fight scenes to the spycraft to the relationship dynamics." Similarly, Michael Hogan of The Daily Telegraph (UK) writes in his 4-star review, "As Reacher shatters noses, snaps legs and delivers laconic one-liners, this is TV as muscular as its protagonist’s oak-like arms." What's more, the Reacher season 3 trailer hints at the .

All but one of the dozens of Rotten Tomatoes-approved critics agree that Reacher season 3 is a standout installment, with some even professing that it's the best of the three current seasons. The critic's consensus on Reacher season 3 is that it's a hit for fans of classic, which some refer to as "dad core", action thrillers that prioritize twists and thrills over complexity.

With a Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 97%, season 3 is shaping up to be the best of the Jack Reacher Amazon TV adaptations thus far, although statistically speaking, season 2 has it slightly beat at 98%.