Jack Ryan (TV series)

Did You Know?

• The series held its world premiere at the 58th Annual Monte-Carlo Television Festival on June 16, 2018.
• Paramount Home Media Distribution released Blu-ray and DVD editions of the first season on June 4, 2019, with deleted scenes and Dolby Atmos soundtrack.
• A sequel film titled Jack Ryan: Ghost War, with John Krasinski and Wendell Pierce reprising their roles, was confirmed to be in production on February 19, 2025, and released in May 2026 on Prime Video.

Premise

The first season follows Jack Ryan as he leaves his desk job after discovering suspicious bank transfers linked to Islamic extremist Suleiman. In the second season, Jack becomes involved in political warfare in a corrupt Venezuela. The third season has him investigating a plot to detonate a tactical nuclear bomb in the Czech Republic to re-create the former Soviet Union. In the fourth season, now acting CIA deputy director, Jack probes internal corruption and uncovers an alliance between a drug cartel and a terrorist organization.

Cast and characters

John Krasinski plays Jack Ryan, a former U.S. Marine officer and Afghanistan veteran who works as a financial analyst for the CIA's Terror Finance and Arms Division, later promoted to head of T-FAD and then to field operations officer. Wendell Pierce portrays James Greer, Ryan's boss in T-FAD, a non-practising Muslim and former CIA station chief in Karachi; by season 2 he is deputy station chief in Moscow, then reassigned to Venezuela, and becomes CIA deputy director in season 4. Abbie Cornish appears as Dr. Cathy Mueller, Ryan's love interest and an infectious disease physician for the World Health Organization, in seasons 1 and 4. Ali Suliman plays Mousa bin Suleiman, a Lebanese-born French Islamic terrorist radicalized in prison after being harassed by police. Dina Shihabi plays Hanin Ali, Suleiman's wife. John Hoogenakker portrays Matice, a black ops operative with the CIA Special Activities Center, in season 2 and recurring in season 1. Jordi Mollà plays Venezuelan president Nicolás Reyes, Francisco Denis plays his advisor Miguel Ubarri, and Cristina Umaña plays presidential contender Gloria Bonalde.

Production

In September 2015, Carlton Cuse and Graham Roland began developing a television adaptation of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan series, described as a contemporary take using the novels as source material. Production companies included Paramount Television, Platinum Dunes, and Skydance Media. After a bidding war, Amazon Video acquired the rights and ordered three scripts. In August 2016, a straight-to-series order for ten episodes was given. Morten Tyldum directed the pilot, and Daniel Sackheim directed multiple episodes. The series was renewed for a second season in April 2018, set in South America. Phil Abraham joined as executive producer and directed the first two episodes of season 2. Dennie Gordon directed three episodes of season 2 and served as executive producer. A third season was ordered in February 2019, with Paul Scheuring as showrunner; he stepped down in January 2020 and was replaced by Vaun Wilmott. A spin-off revolving around Michael Peña's character was in development.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an overall score of 77%, and on Metacritic an overall score of 67. The first season received a 75% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 6.4 out of 10 based on 85 reviews, and a Metacritic score of 66 out of 100 based on 28 critics, indicating generally favorable reviews. The critical consensus on Rotten Tomatoes called it a satisfying addition to the genre with exceptional action sequences and a likable cast. RogerEbert.com's Nick Allen praised the series for its restraint and scope, while The Gazette's Terry Terrones gave it an A− and commended Krasinski's performance. Rolling Stone's Alan Sepinwall awarded the series three and a half stars out of five, calling it smart and confident.