“For me, it’s not Dad TV, it’s family TV.”

Alan Ritchson on the phone in Reacher Season 2Image via Prime Video

THE BIG PICTURE

Reacher Season 2 was a huge success on Prime Video, surpassing the viewership of Season 1 in just three days.
 Actor Alan Ritchson disagrees with the show being labeled as “Dad TV” and believes it is more for the whole family to enjoy.
 While the majority of Reacher viewers are over 50 and male, there is evidence to suggest that the show’s appeal extends beyond that demographic.

Reacher has just concluded its second season on Prime Video as one of Amazon’s most successful shows ever, with Season 2 smashing the entire viewership of Season 1 within three days of release.

Alan Ritchson‘s role as a gigantic slab of beef with a heart and a brain has proven a massive hit with audiences young and old, but the show being labeled as “peak Dad TV” is something that the actor feels isn’t particularly fair, or accurate, to the show’s viewership.

Speaking in a new profile with GQ after the conclusion of the second season, Ritchson was asked about the show’s “Dad TV” description and revealed, with the exception of scenes like men having their crown jewels cut off and shoved down their throat during an intense battle scene, he felt it was more of a series for the whole family to enjoy, rather than just older men. He explained:

“It’s so weird. I keep seeing that. It’s funny: I’ve shown my kids the show. I let them watch Season 1 – but I wouldn’t let them see the naked guy hanging crucified on the wall , but everything else was…

Within context, it all made sense. They loved it, man. For me, it’s not ‘Dad TV’, it’s ‘family TV’. I walk down the street and little ladies on their walkers are like “Reacher… Reacher…” It’s such a misnomer to me to qualify this as ‘Dad TV’. But I am a father and I, too, love the show. Maybe it does work.”

Is ‘Reacher’ Actually Dad TV?

Alan Ritchson and Maria Sten in Reacher Season 2Image via Prime Video

It should be made clear that the expression “Dad TV” isn’t intended to be insulting. Rather, it actually pinpoints an area of television that is perhaps underserved. The numbers for this don’t lie, especially in the case of this series.

The viewing figures for Reacher reveal that the audience is 58% male, but more crucially, two-thirds of its viewers are over the age of 50, which would also ring true with Ritchson’s remarks regarding older people approaching him to compliment the series.

Other procedural shows like NCIS, Law and Order, and even Bosch also hit this demographic nicely. Not all series need to have overly quirky characters, dragons, or fantastical elements to engage viewers.

However, there is plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest that the viewership for Reacher extends beyond that of the 50+ male demographic.

After all, just look at the man — he is one handsome walking refrigerator. Dad TV or not, Reacher can be seen on Prime Video. Filming for Season 3 is already underway, stay tuned at Collider for further updates.