A tenacious detective. A brilliant scientist. A family man grieving a devastating loss. Alex Cross is all these things – and that’s what makes him such a compelling central character in a series of bestselling books, three Hollywood movies and, now, a stylish, gripping eight-part series on Prime Video.

Millions of readers have been enthralled by the story of Alex Cross since his first appearance in the novel Along Came A Spider in 1993. Created by James Patterson, who’s gone on to be one of the world’s biggest-selling authors, Cross is diligent and unrelenting, with a strong moral compass to keep him on the path to justice – plus he’s also devoted to his children and has a strong relationship with his mother. In short, he’s an upright citizen and someone you want to succeed.

So whether you’re already a fan of Patterson’s books or new to the character, get ready to be utterly absorbed in Cross, which you can find in Apps > Prime Video from Thursday 14 November. Have a look at the trailer here.

Yep, that looks like our kind of show! Read on to find out more about Cross…

It’s an iconic character in a new story

Writer and producer Ben Watkins (Burn Notice, Hand Of God) knew it would allow scope to really get inside the mind of Cross in a way previous adaptations hadn’t. “When I read the books, I realised that there were actually some opportunities to do things that didn’t get done in the movies,” Watkins says. “I got excited.”

For example, the films sidelined or simply cut out the character of John Sampson, Cross’s fellow detective and a loyal friend Cross can always rely on, but he’s a key component of the TV show (played by IT: Chapter Two’s Isaiah Mustafa). And while the crucial aspects of the book series’ premise are in place – Cross’s skills and qualifications, his children, his grief over the murder of his wife – the show’s storyline isn’t based on any of the novels.

“I thought it was really important that we give fans a new offering,” Watkins told Entertainment Weekly, “that we honour the characters and the world so that they would feel like they were getting what they signed up for, but also then give them a new story. They’ll get what those books feel like.”

It found its perfect leading man

Watkins had been tracking Aldis Hodge’s career since the actor was a teenager. “I had a dream that Aldis would be Alex Cross. He was the blueprint. I didn’t think I could get him and thought he was unavailable. But the stars aligned.” Watkins says that Hodge “has this very intense intellectual feel to him, and I knew Alex Cross had to have that. But I also needed the vulnerability [and] accessibility, because for this to work, Alex Cross can’t be a superhero.”

Hodge actually has experience in the superhero world, as Hawkman in the 2022 DC movie Black Adam, alongside an impressive resumé of film roles including social justice drama Clemency, imaginative period piece One Night In Miami… and the tense, disturbing 2020 version of The Invisible Man, as well as TV parts in Black Mirror, Underground and Leverage.

He says the psychological aspects of Cross drew him to the role. “I like to understand the nature of people’s psychosis, why they do what they do, what motivates certain things… I just like to understand the nature of human behaviour.”

It doesn’t ignore social tensions

US TV shows featuring police officers from the Black community have been in a tricky position in recent years, in the wake of tragic incidents that have caused increasing friction between police and African Americans. Cross doesn’t ignore this. As Hodge told Entertainment Weekly, the detective “sits between a rock and a hard place sometimes. His life is not easy because he has to enforce policy but he also has to do so with respect to his community because he understands, without that badge, he may be sitting on the wrong end of said policy.”

“You’ll see how committed we were to honouring the truths of the complicated relationship that exists between law enforcement and the Black community,” Watkins added. “We do have a hero who is a detective, so if we’re going to have that conversation, let’s make sure that it’s a well-rounded one.”

Above all, it’s relentlessly entertaining

Asked to sum up Cross, Hodge says: “I hope people get pure entertainment and joy. It’s a show that’s fun, emotional, sexy, and it has all the pieces.” In fact, given that description, it sits well alongside another Prime Video show. Alex Cross and Jack Reacher may have very different lifestyles, backgrounds and ways of working, but they’re both assured, determined, forceful investigators with an enduringly robust sense of justice. Both shows are based on long-running series of bestselling novels, and both characters are motivated by the death of a loved one early in their story. Let’s see how Cross and Reacher compare.

When does Cross start on Prime Video?

All eight episodes of Cross season 1 are released on Thursday 14 November in Apps > Prime Video, and there’s good news – it’s already been renewed for a second season.