Jack Ryan Series Premiere – Review. Not Your Father’s Ryan

Season 1

Air Date: Friday, August 31, 2018 on Amazon Prime

Rating: ★★★★★

“I’m an analyst .” – Jack Ryan

<i>Jack Ryan</i> Series Premiere – Review. Not Your Father’s Ryan 1 Heavily financed, Lebanese born Syrian Mousa Bin Suleiman (Ali Suliman) is determined to build an Islamic empire and declare war on the United States. With the country at risk, and Suleiman poised to become the next Bin Laden, you would think the U.S. government would be looking for him. There’s just one problem, though. The only person aware of Suleiman’s existence is an analyst named Jack Ryan (John Krasinski). Will Ryan be able to convince the higher ups at Langley of the danger Suleiman poses before it’s too late?

Amazon’s new Jack Ryan series is created by Carlton Cuse and Graham Roland and based on the fictional character of the same name created by by Tom Clancy. Since first appearing in the 1984 Clancy novel, “The Hunt for Red October,” Ryan has been America’s James Bond. As with the Bond character, a different actor has taken over as the title character every few years — Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck, and Chris Pine. Each recasting creates a different incarnation of the character that feels new, yet familiar. Krasinski’s performance is no different.

Krasinski’s charming personality is on full display during the six episodes I screened. Seeing Krasinski in an office environment again brings back so many fond memories of his time on the hit NBC series, The Office. So much so, a part of me kept looking for a stapler suspended in Jello, which was a prank throughout the series.

The chemistry between Ryan and James Greer (Wendell Pierce), his new boss, is at the heart of the series. While the two get off on the wrong foot following an unfortunate first encounter, watching their trust build as the series progresses is captivating. As great as some of the action scenes are, the moments between Greer and Ryan are what make Jack Ryan so enjoyable.

<i>Jack Ryan</i> Series Premiere – Review. Not Your Father’s Ryan 2 As much as I like Ryan’s interactions with Greer, the same can’t be said about Ryan’s budding relationship with Cathy Muller (Abigail Cornish). Perhaps Krasinski set the bar too high for all his future roles by being part of the most memorable on-screen TV romances in history during The Office. It’s not Cornish’s fault as I rather enjoyed her performance. It’s just her scenes with Krasinski feel forced and the writers seem unsure of what to do with her. Fans of the novels and previous films know Cathy goes on to become Jack’s wife so their fate appears already written. Hopefully, during the next few seasons the lovebirds will find that spark.

Despite being the title character, it’s surprising how underused Krasinski is. Ryan’s storyline often appears secondary to Suleiman’s. Additional storylines are given a fair amount of screen time, including one that, so far, is completely unnecessary and downright gratuitous, and another so riveting involving Suleiman’s wife Hank (Dina Shihabi), it could have been a spinoff series. As Jack Ryan progresses, I hope the writers fully embrace their leading man by giving Krasinski more to work with.

It’s never a good sign when over the course of screening several episodes you have to refer to the episode guide. On more than one occasion, I found myself checking to see if I had skipped an episode as key moments are referenced yet never seen. Scenes perfect for a flashback are instead ignored, leaving me wanting more. Instead of further developing Ryan’s character, these missed opportunities create gaping holes.

For as much as Krasinski is held back and the writing spotty at times, I really enjoyed Jack Ryan. With cinematography by Richard Rutkowski for the pilot, and Checco Varese for the remaining episodes, the series is beautifully shot. Filmed in Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia, Quebec, and Morocco, Jack Ryan is a globe-trotting action adventure that, while not perfect, is worth checking out.

Tweet me @Staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about Jack Ryan.

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Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.