Turn Off the News! Three Series – Reacher, The Pitt, The White Lotus – to Stream Now

Let’s face it. It’s hard to avoid bad news these days. Our democracy is being dismantled by a group of power hungry men and women who have no compassion for how their fellow citizens are suffering. So turn off the news! We have three terrific series you can stream now.

Reacher

Alan Ritchson (Jack Reacher) – (Photo Credit: Amazon Prime)

The third season of Reacher, now streaming on Amazon Prime, brings back a bigger, better, and yes, buffer, Alan Ritchson as Lee Child’s hero. This time around Reacher is out to avenge the death of a young woman, Dominique, who was one of his proteges when he led a U.S. Army Military Police squad. She was tortured and killed by a mercenary named Quinn (Brian Tee), whom Reacher thought he had killed. Instead, Quinn, now calling himself McCabe, has set up a criminal enterprise in Rhode Island and is pressuring a businessman, Zachary Beck (Anthony Michael Hall), to help him sell guns to the Russians. To convince Beck, McCabe kidnapped his son, Richard (Johnny Berchtold), cut off one of his ears and sent it to the father. 

Roberto Montesinos (Guillermo Villanueva), Sonya Cassidy (Susan Duffy) – (Photo Credit: Amazon Prime)

Reacher is recruited by DEA Agent Susan Duffy (Sonya Cassidy), whose young CI, Teresa, was working undercover at Beck’s home when she was taken by McCabe. Duffy, aided by her two officers, Guillermo Villanueva (Roberto Montesinos), and Steven Elliot (Daniel David Stewart) is determined to arrest Beck and McCabe and rescue Teresa. But because the trio has gone rogue, she can’s ask her boss for help. She needs Reacher. 

They stage a fake second kidnapping of Richard and after the rescue, Beck hires Reacher as his son’s bodyguard. Now undercover, Reacher has a lot on his plate – keeping Richard safe, searching for Teresa, and learning more about what Beck and McCabe are planning. One of McCabe’s men, Pauli, actually makes Reacher look small and their final fight is something to see. Joining Reacher’s team is badass Neagley (Maria Stem), whose performances have been so outstanding that she’s landed her own series on Amazon Prime.

As with Rich’s novels, the characters are engaging, the plot, complex, and Reacher, once again, defeating the bad guys, has us all cheering. Can we get him to run for office?

The Pitt

Noah Wyle (Dr. Robby) – (Photo Credit: HBO)

Noah Wyle has spent such a large chunk of his career playing doctors, that someone should award him a real medical degree. From 1994 to 2009, Wyle played Dr. John Carter in the NBC medical drama ER which made huge stars of George Clooney and Juliana Margulies. As Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch in MAX’s medical drama The Pitt, Wyle demonstrates that he’s lost none of the emotional depth he once exhibited on ER. Wyle is the heart of this series, but he’s surrounded by a talented supporting cast, a mixture of experienced actors and newbies, many destined for certain stardom.

Katherine LaNasa (Dana Evans) – (Photo Credit: HBO)

Dr. Robby controls the ER, but he often has trouble controlling his own emotions. Robby still blames himself for not being able to save his mentor, an elderly physician, who died during Covid. The Pitt, filmed as it might have happened in real time – similar to FOX’s popular drama, 24 – becomes a roller-coast ride as the waiting room fills up and, because of a shortage of personnel and beds, treating patients becomes a race. The plot manages to touch on themes that have become well known to those who worry about the state of health care in our country. Hospital financial types keep pressing Robby to improve his patient satisfaction scores. His response? “If they live, they should be happy.” But anger towards health care professionals often explodes with disgruntled patients becoming violent. The fabulous Katherine LaNasa (Dana Evans), is punched in the face by someone who is tired of waiting for care.

Isa Briones (Dr. Santos) – (Photo Credit: HBO)

A young standout in the cast is Isa Briones as Dr. Santos, a talented, but over confident intern who has no problem bullying the medical students, nicknaming Javadi, the also terrific Shabana Azeez “crash” when she faints while watching a procedure. Welsh actor Gerran Howell is compelling as Dr. Whitaker, who is distraught after losing his first patient.

On regular days the ER is a tense battleground, but after a mass shooter targets Pitt Fest it resembles a war zone with standard operating procedure thrown out the window. A second season has already been ordered so Wyle seems to be on his way to earning a graduate medical degree and maybe an Emmy and Golden Globe.

The White Lotus

Parker Posey (Victoria) – (Photo Credit: HBO)

We’ve traveled to Hawaii and Sicily with The White Lotus. The third season takes us to Thailand  where a group of tourists gathers to enjoy what they hope will be a relaxing and exciting vacation. Instead, they will see their relationships be tested and their lives torn apart. The series is the brainchild of Mike White, who also writes and directs. He pulls together a cast where there is not one weak link. Some are well know, others will be new to audiences. And there’s always a breakthrough star.

Three actors, nicknamed the “blonde blob,” make up a group of lifelong friends. White happened on this idea when he was on vacation and saw three women who spent time together, but when one would leave the group, the other two would gossip behind her back.  Leslie Bibb (Kate), Carrie Coon (Laurie), and Michelle Monaghan (Jaclyn) make up the trio who start out the trip renewing bonds and just enjoying each other’s company. But as time goes on, past hurts erupt and healing seems unlikely. 

Aimee Lee Wood (Chelsea) – (Photo Credit: HBO)

Jason Isaacs plays Timothy Ratliff, a wealthy financier whose son, Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger), also works for the firm. The mother, Victoria, played by the amazing Parker Posey, self medicates with alcohol and pills. Daughter, Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook), wants to spend a year at a Buddhist retreat in Thailand, while the younger son, Lachlan (Sam Nivola), has to decide whether he will attend Duke like his father and brother, or UNC like his mother and sister. In reality, he wants to drop out altogether, perhaps join Piper and the monks. When Timothy receives news that the FBI has seized his files and frozen his bank accounts, he knows he is headed for prison. 

White always brings onto the cast locals, and this time those include Lalisa Manobal as Mook, who works at the hotel and has her eye on Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthing), a security guard. 

There are two winter/spring couples. Rick (Walter Goggins) dismisses the attention he receives from girlfriend Chelsea (Aimee Lee Wood), while she believes he’s her soulmate. Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon), met Gary (Jon Gries) online. But Belinda (Natasha Rothwell) remembers him as Greg who was once married to the wealthy Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge), who drowned in Hawaii. The authorities want Greg for questioning in Tanya’s death, and when Greg and Belinda recognize each other, she fears he wants to kill her, too. Since there’s always a death in The White Lotus, someone is living on borrowed time. 

Top photo: Carrie Coon (Laurie), Leslie Bibb (Kate), and Michelle Monaghan (Jaclyn) – (Photo Credit: HBO)