Prime Video has scored big hits with many of their recent TV shows, from Reacher to The Rings of Power, Carrie to the return of an action series that puts Marvel favorite Chris Pratt front and center of his own franchise. While Pratt used to be known for his goofy turn in comedy series Parks & Recreation, following his success as Peter “Star Lord” Quill in Guardians of the Galaxy and other MCU movies he had found his career moving in several different directions very quickly. He voiced both Mario and Garfield in new animated movies, starred alongside Rebecca Ferguson in the sci-fi action movie Mercy, and let the Russo brothers’ Netflix movie The Electric State with Millie Bobby Brown. However, one of his biggest crow-pleasers has been Prime Video’s The Terminal List, which has provided streaming audiences with something to pass the time between seasons of Reacher.
The Terminal List is based on the books by Jack Carr, in which Navy SEAL James Reece returns home from active duty after his platoon was ambushed during a covert mission. However, as secrets about the people he works for comes to light, Reece finds himself and his family being put in mortal danger. His second outing continues the story in line with Carr’s sequels. This may sound like the kind of plot that became the basis for many gritty movies of the 1980s, which were filled with macho men and plenty of gun action. That is one of the reasons many audience reviews have labeled the series “anti-woke” as a part of their highly positive praise for Pratt and the series as it takes over the Prime Video streaming chart with its second season.
Although Pratt recently confirmed that he will be returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Star Lord, and his tenure as the voice of both Mario and Garfield is probably going to continue for some time, there is a lot of mileage in The Terminal List that could end up being one of his longest running projects. Carr’s original novel was published in 2018 and was followed by several sequels and prequels giving Prime Video plenty of storylines for at least four or five more seasons. The franchise has already branched out with a spinoff series, The Terminal List: Dark Wolf, and judging by the audience reactions to this and both seasons of the flagship series, Amazon will be happy to continue investing in the series in the foreseeable future.
On its debut in 2025, The Terminal List landed a strong run in the Prime Video chart and certainly pleased viewers. While those reviews heaped praise on the show with a huge 94% Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes, critics found everything about the show dated and nothing that hasn’t been put on screen a thousand times in the past. The low 42% score from critics highlighted one of biggest changes when it comes to what audiences want compared to what critics look for. Viewers were more than happy with the old school familiarity the series delivered, which was exact what it was panned for from more than half of the critics reviewing it. While the prequel series, Dark Wolf, picked up a much stronger set of Tomatometer reviews, The Terminal List‘s Season 2 return has once again found something lacking for professional reviewers. One thing for certain is that when it comes to streaming, it is the viewers that really matter and as long as they continue to tune in for Pratt’s brand of action hero, then we will be seeing a lot more of James Reece.
Has Chris Pratt found his niche in The Terminal List? Or are you more interested to see his return as Star Lord in the MCU? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
