I don’t know if anyone has been watching the hit Amazon Prime TV Series “Reacher”. This NY Times review explains why half its viewers are surprisingly women – unusual for a show that features a lot of bone-crushing violence.
{{ Reacher appeals to men in general and fathers in particular because, as the TV critic Eric Deggans of NPR writes, he is “a character freed from all the pressures and responsibilities many dads face every day” — a fairly representative critical assessment, based on the many reviews I’ve read. “He has no wife, steady romantic partner, kids or family,” Deggans continues, “not even a mortgage, rent payment or full-time job.”
But I suspect that plenty of moms would welcome the opportunity to be freed from those demands as well. (And they are more likely than dads to be guilt-tripped for even entertaining the fantasy.) Reacher, who travels the country with nothing but a toothbrush, an A.T.M. card and the clothes on his back, does not have any responsibilities other than the ones he sets for himself. I’m not a mother, but I do have a spouse, a deskbound job and bills to pay, and I often find myself thinking, “I’ll have what he’s having.” }}
Also liked this caption from one of the still photographs from the show
{{ In the series, as in the books, Reacher (Ritchson, left, with Shaun Sipos and Serinda Swan) must collaborate with other people, forcing him to act more like a human. }}
He has an Army pension, auto deposited, he gets wire transfers wherever he is. His luggage consists of a toothbrush. Presumably he sleeps under the stars or something?
Some years ago, advertisers figured out that women control most things, especially the buying. So, the media panders to women. Not surprising that a series would by tailored to attract women. I remember how my mom drooled over Tom Selleck when the original “Magnum PI” started. I teased her about watching “beefcake”, which she never denied.
And, of course, the NYT article is, possibly, paid promotion for the series. “Gee, the NYT says this series is popular with women. I should try it”
Steve…sings the “advertising passed off as news” song often when watching the “news”.
The book series that the TV series is based on had a readership about 2/3 women. It’s not really surprising that the TV series might have similar demographics.
The New York Times emphatically does not do paid promotion in its articles. Any writer doing that would be summarily fired, as would any editor who approved it.
About 2/3 of readers are women, so this part isn’t surprising. Perhaps the choice of genre is a bit surprising, but it seems like women read nearly every genre more than men do. Perhaps the only exception is comic books. (it’s a joke, but could be true)
He stays at dumpy motels. And he negotiates night rate which he seems to get a room below the rack rate. Hey it’s fiction. Also he wears cheap clothes which he replaces with more cheap clothing & tosses the old clothes. Again it’s fiction.
The male fantasy of no responsibilities and possessions. He lives a life of experience. And he is a big ex army MP officer that deals with big continually which he seems to runs into constantly.
45 years ago John D MacDonald wrote fiction with a Travis MacGee character that lived on a houseboat in Florida and did not have a steady job. He took risky investigative gigs occasionally to refill his bank account. Again young male fantasy books.
Or 40 years ago the Robert Parker Spenser for hire books about a tough guy private detective.
These books are all quick reads that require that the reader thiink very hard about the reality of them.
Read another review that said “this is the Reacher we’ve been waiting for”, basically panning Tom Cruise for literally not embodying the character and the main reason I never watched the movies.
Love the series and makes me want to read the books. However, I think there are about 25 in the series. Supposedly they have held true the books. Unlike Longmire, that after the first couple of episodes, all the characters were different and some drastically.
I’m not likely to see this show but it raises a question frequently raised on another millionaire early retiree forum I can’t seem to quit. Permanent address. It is impossible to live one of these off-the-grid, under-the-radar, fancy-free, adventurous lives, even if you have money to gavotte around the world if you don’t have a permanent address or something that fools banks, the Government, the post office, and whoever else you’re doing business with into thinking you have one. I suppose that’s part of the fictional conceit necessary to make this show work…?
Yes, without a doubt. That doesn’t mean they can’t be led to a good story by an adroit PR agent or be “forced” into it because it has become so current in the zeitgeist (I’m thinking “Barbie”), but I’m quite sure they absolutely do not pay for play, nor do any of the other reputable media. I still have friends at CBS, NPR, and Scripps, among other places. Those values have not changed. Full stop.
Unfortunately, this only works sometimes. Box addresses won’t always be accepted, and using an address like the business that owns the box is either rejected or is sometimes considered a form of fraud. This is not my opinion because I don’t travel. It’s what I hear from people who want to buy a boat or a camper or something and travel like a modern day Davy Crocket or Daniel Boone or hobo-with-money. The only thing that can “pass” is an actual cheap apartment you use just for this purpose or maybe Mom & Pop will let you fake it with their address. But then there’s the problem of where do they forward your mail to? With an Army pension like the guy on the TV show or insurance policies like a winnebago/yacht guy you’re going to have paperwork.
Love the bod…super beefcake … but the series is pure comic book with no plot but smash ‘n’ bang. Lost interest after a few episodes.
For plenty of action/ adventure with lots of martial arts and fun parkour, plus a great mystery plot and deeply felt romance, try the Korean series, “Healer.” The lead isn’t beefcake but very agile. This series won several awards for acting excellence.
I have subscribed to KOCOWA, the Korean streaming service, since the Korean shows are so superior to U.S. content. I also have Amazon Prime but their content is annoyingly genre. Netflix has some good content.
I looked at the article. It is not “news”. It’s an opinion piece, by an “art and culture journalist”, who freelances for several publications. She quotes other program reviews in her piece. According to the Wiki entry, she hasn’t been on the NYT payroll since 2016. Are you willing to vouch for the impartiality of content that the NYT buys?
Funny your should mention Scripps. Scripps owns WXYZ, channel 7, in Detroit. Channel 7 is as corrupt as the rest of the local news. Their most blatant tout is the lottery. Every time the pot grows a bit, the “news” anchors go berserk, shouting “woohoohooo, look at all that money, woohoohoo you can’t win if you don’t play. woohooohooo, I’m buying my ticket on the way home from work tonight”, Utter nonsense.
My idea of entertainment is how high is the body count (think John Wick).
Ms. Wolf’s idea of entertainment is how many boxes of Kleenex did she go through.
Surprisingly (or maybe not), she enjoyed Jack Reacher. (Note 1)
Couldn’t be the beefcake, she gets enough of that at home.
Usually in the magazines she keeps under her pillow.
Note 1: why do so many action heroes have names that start with J? John Wick, Jack Reacher, Jason Bourne, James Kirk, James Bond, John Rambo, John McClane, etc.
Yes!
I have never seen but when I checked with three friends they were all knowledgable and extremely enthusiastic. Beyond the handsome agile fighter the pro-democracy underground gang vibe has a very big appeal.
(it’s a joke, but could be true)