Next week, Amazon Prime will start “airing” the second seasons of their excellent Cross series. The latest adaptation of James Patterson’s mega-selling Alex Cross series of novels, it’s also probably the best. I’ll always have a soft-spot for the Morgan Freeman-starring movie adaptations of Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider, but this latest version works much better.

Not only is Aldis Hodge superb and magnetic in the title role, but the show has a grittier feel. While obviously drawing on the novels, it manages to be its own thing as well. I’ve been a fan of the books since I found 2001’s Violets Are Blue in a Kinokuniya in Kumamoto, Japan (I was in need of some English-language reading), and was hooked pretty quickly. I went back and bought all of the other Cross novels they had in stock, and remained a loyal reader for many years. While I may think the series has fallen off in quality, many of the earlier books were solid, gripping thrillers.

I think the team did a fantastic job with the first season — in particular certain changes that I think bode very well for future seasons (no spoilers!) — and this has been one of my most-anticipated returning TV shows of 2026. The trailer is above.

If you haven’t given it a try, I’d certainly recommend it to any fan of crime/thriller fiction and shows. Even if you are not a fan of the books: as I said, it is its own thing, with a different tone and grittiness. And, also repeating myself: Aldis Hodge is absolutely superb in the title role, and the supporting cast is likewise excellent.