The prospect of Roscoe returning in a future Reacher season looks even more likely after an exciting update from Amazon. Played by Willa Fitzgerald, Roscoe served as one of Reacher‘s main cast members in season 1, and the small-town cop struck up a budding romance with Alan Ritchson’s titanic titular traveler. Because of his nomadic nature, however, Reacher and Roscoe parted ways during Reacher season 1’s ending, and Fitzgerald did not appear whatsoever in season 2.
Reacher season 3 has been confirmed by Amazon, but where the franchise goes from there was previously unclear. Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios, has now clarified the situation, stating, “We’ll have Alan as long as he will play Jack Reacher… hopefully that’s for a very, very, very long time.” Not only does that all but confirm Reacher season 4 will happen, it paves the way for a much longer run beyond that. With more than 20 Jack Reacher books by Lee Child, there is no shortage of source material, and Ritchson himself wants to “explore as many of these books as [his] body will allow.”
The long-term vision both Amazon and Alan Ritchson clearly have means that Roscoe will inevitably return sooner or later. If Reacher season 3 was all that Amazon had left in the tank, that wouldn’t leave a great deal of scope for a Roscoe comeback, especially since her character does not naturally fit into Persuader, which season 3 is based on. If there was any chance of Reacher ending soon, Willa Fitzgerald never appearing again would be a real risk. With Amazon openly declaring its intention to produce Reacher for as long as possible, however, there is ample opportunity for Roscoe to resurface. Sooner or later, with enough seasons, it will happen.
Through Neagley and Finlay, Reacher has already set a precedent for bringing back familiar faces. The chances of Roscoe appearing in Reacher season 3 look dubious because of Persuader‘s story, but it is highly improbable that Amazon’s show will reach seasons 5, 6 and 7 without at least a small cameo from Willa Fitzgerald’s character. Now that Jennifer Salke’s comments have made Reacher season 5 and beyond very realistic, Roscoe’s return looks like a done deal at some point on that journey.
Roscoe may have been conspicuous by her absence in Reacher season 2, but the Amazon show’s sophomore run certainly laid the groundwork for her future role. Firstly, Reacher broke Lee Child’s book canon to pull another season 1 character, Malcolm Goodwin’s Finlay, into the season 2 narrative. Beyond proving the show’s willingness to revisit past adventures, Finlay’s cameo demonstrated Reacher calling upon the allies he made in Margrave. If the hobo hero can recruit Finlay, there is no reason he couldn’t one day do the same with Roscoe.
Reacher season 2’s ending also allows for a future romantic reconciliation between Reacher and Roscoe. During one last motel room fumble, Dixon ruled out the prospect of a long-term relationship with Reacher, drawing a line under their fling. If Jack Reacher does have an “endgame” romance somewhere on the horizon, therefore, Roscoe remains the most likely candidate.
Finally, Reacher has subtly alluded towards settling down once his adventures are over. During an uncharacteristically revealing conversation with O’Donnell in season 2, episode 4, Reacher raised the possibility of eventually laying down roots with a small home and four or five dogs. O’Donnell questioned whether Reacher would be joined by a woman in this hypothetical future, and despite playing down Dixon’s chances of being that woman, he didn’t denounce the possibility itself.