Cross Season 2, on Prime Video

For Alex Cross, catching killers isn’t just a job. His motivations are painfully personal. His wife, Maria, was gunned by an unknown killer before w meet him in both James Patterson’s novels and Prime Video’s current series. He also unknowingly befriended and worked with a serial killer who would eventually be dubbed the “Mastermind.” It takes half a dozen novels for Cross to figure out the Mastermind’s true identity. Frankly, it is unclear whether the Mastermind will be the same Mastermind for Prime Video, due to changes made during the first and second seasons. Regardless, the shadowy nemesis remains offstage throughout season two of creator Ben Watkins’ Cross, which premieres today on Prime Video.

Like the initial 8-episode run, the new season is not directly based on any of Patterson’s novels. However, the prior season’s serial killer took some inspiration from the DC Audience Killer, from Double Cross. Frankly, creating memorable bad guys has always been Patterson’s strength, so perhaps Watkins should follow the example of Reacher, which follows a specific Lee Child novel each season.

Indeed, season two is deeply flawed, because Cross and his allies, fellow DC cop John Sampson and FBI Agent Kayla Craig (Kyle in the books), spend most of their time protecting the primary bad guy, agri-tech-billionaire Lance Durand. Instead, they chase a mysterious vigilante killing off Durand’s accomplices in his dirty enterprise, starting with a perverse Epstein-like figure.

Viewers want to see Cross hunting monsters on a par with Hannibal Lecter. Instead, Wakins and the co-writers constantly humanize and justify the mysterious Rebecca and her accomplice Donnie. This throws off the balance and creates mixed feelings for the audience, in counterproductive ways. (This is the same reason why U.S. Marshals, the sequel to The Fugitive failed—because it suggested Sam Gerard specialized in chasing innocent men.)

It is a shame, because Aldis Hodge broods commandingly as Cross and he maintains strong chemistry with Isaiah Mustafa and Alona Tal as Sampson and Craig. Indeed, Tal continues to be the series standout, exploring Craig’s checkered history and professional frustrations, in complex but charismatic ways. Johnny Ray Gill also gets to swagger and chew the scenery while making his unexpected return as convicted criminal fixer, Bobby Trey.

Admittedly, Matthew Lillard is often amusing as the arrogant, self-righteous Durand. Frankly, his character could have had a lot of bite if Watkins had used him to satirize zillionaires like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, who advocate wide-spread human suffering for the sake of curbing global warming or over-population. However, those parallels were lost on the Cross writers’ room. Regardless, Lillard’s performance lacks the malevolence required from a villain driving an entire season.

For fans of Patterson’s signature detective, it also seems strange that Cross’s investigation into his wife’s murder is side-tracked for the entire season. Instead, season two is preoccupied with his attempts to reconcile with ex-girlfriend Elle Monteiro, but these scenes act like speed-bumps, halting the momentum of each episode.

Nevertheless, Alex Cross is a highly compelling character, for reasons Hodge clearly understands and eloquently projects on screen. He and supporting players like Tal, Mustafa, Gill (and also Wes Chatham, who brings impressive physicality as Donnie, the secondary vigilante) keep viewers hooked, despite the conspicuous weaknesses of the new storyline. It still represents a sophomore slump, so start with the first season rather than skipping ahead. The second season has its moments, but overall, it disappoints. Regardless, season two of Cross starts streaming today (2/11) on Prime Video.