Forget ‘Reacher,’ Prime Video’s Explosive 7-Part “Anti-Woke” Action Thriller Is a Streaming Hit

Alan Ritchson’s Reacher might have a stranglehold on Prime Video’s streaming charts right now, but there’s another action thriller that’s come from behind to give the popular series a run for its money. Premiering back in 2025, the seven-episode first season serves as a prequel to Chris Pratt‘s popular revenge-fueled thriller, and while he does appear in this one, it’s really Taylor Kitsch who’s the star of the show.

Announcement

Taylor Kitsch Leads an Ultra-Violent Action Thriller

Created by Jack Carr and David DiGilio, The Terminal List: Dark Wolf sees Kitsch return to the franchise based on Carr’s novels to reprise his role of Ben Edwards. Described by the author himself as a series with “no woke stuff shoved into it,” it takes place several years before the flagship show, and essentially tells the origin story of how the principled Navy SEAL gradually gets pulled into the morally gray world of CIA black operations.

Featuring Pratt’s character of James Reece in a supporting role, as well as Tom Hopper as Raife Hastings, The Terminal List: Dark Wolf was showered with overwhelming praise by critics, which is something the main series was never able to accomplish. Where Pratt’s show is rated just 42% on Rotten Tomatoes, Kitsch’s turn at the wheel earned Dark Wolf a score of 75%.

Featuring a larger ensemble of military and intelligence characters, as well as much more CIA espionage and covert operations, viewers were a little more critical of Dark Wolf. Rated 80% on the Popcornmeter compared to the first series’ score of 94%, it’s clear that not everyone appreciated the switch from an all-out revenge action thriller to a show that’s still ultra-violent, but one that has a little more meat on its bones story-wise.

Still, even though it scored lower on Rotten Tomatoes, The Terminal List: Dark Wolf has been called everything from “outstanding” to a “well written and executed” show, which is why it’s no surprise that the series has reentered the charts on Prime Video ahead of the new season of Pratt’s original.

‘The Terminal List: Dark Wolf’ Soars to Success on Streaming

Premiering its first season on Aug. 27, 2025, The Terminal List: Dark Wolf has been steadily making its mark on Prime Video’s U.S. Top 10 as of late. Per Flix Patrol, the series is currently the seventh most-popular show on the streaming platform, beating back the likes of the Legally Blonde prequel, Elle, the popular coming-of-age-drama, Every Year After, and Nicolas Cage’s Spider-Noir.

The Terminal List: Dark Wolf’s surge in popularity comes just before the return of the original, which premiered back in 2022. The long-awaited second season is set to hit Prime Video on Oct. 21 with another eight-episodes, and it will be based on Carr’s second novel in the series, True Believer.

Now a fugitive living in isolation, The Terminal List Season 2 will feature Pratt’s James Reece pulled back into action when the government calls on him to stop a major terrorist threat. In exchange, Reece will receive a full pardon for his actions in the first season. A true, globe-trotting action thriller, the series will see him travel from Moscow to Langley and across Africa, the Middle East, Europe and the Indian Ocean.

Thus far, there’s been no official word on a second season of Dark Wolf, but considering it took four years for The Terminal List to return, anything is still possible. As we await to see what the future holds, be sure to check out all seven episodes of Dark Wolf streaming now on Prime Video, along with the flagship series.

Announcement

Release Date

August 27, 2025

Network

Prime Video

Directors

Fred Toye, Liz Friedlander

• 
  

Announcement