The Boys may be Amazon’s tentpole superhero series, but even it can’t stay in the number one spot forever. After being dethroned by The Summer I Turned Pretty a few weeks back, The Boys now faces stiff competition from the Chris Pratt-led series The Terminal List.
The Boys’ third season is drawing to a close with episode 8 arriving on Prime Video this Friday (July 8). The third season has proven to be spectacular so far, especially with the exceedingly gross adaptation of the equally gross Herogasm plot from the comics. Still everyone loves something new, and Pratt’s ongoing action hero career is dominating the Prime Video charts in the U.S.
What is The Terminal List?
The Terminal List is a TV series, adapting the novel of the same name by Jack Carr. Designed as a multi-season show, rather than a single-run limited series, The Terminal List follows Navy Seal Lieutenant Commander James Reece (Chris Pratt) following an ambush that sees his entire platoon killed.
Reece is able to return to his family, but finds himself with conflicting memories of what actually went down — causing him to question his own responsibility. Reece uncovers evidence of a conspiracy, with dark forces seemingly working against him from the shadows. Forces that were responsible for the death of his team, and are putting the lives of Reece and his family at risk.
Deciding he has nothing to lose, Reece starts his training and begins a quest for revenge — targeting those he deems responsible. He’s aided in this by Ben Edwards (Taylor Kitsch), Reece’s former squadmate and CIA Ground Branch operative, alongside Katie Buranek (Constance Wu) a long-standing war correspondent.
What do critics think of The Terminal List?
The Terminal List has not gone down well with critics, with an average Rotten Tomatoes score of 37% based on 38 ratings. The critical consensus states that “while Chris Pratt fully commits himself to the The Terminal List's mission, this thriller's unrelenting gruffness is no meat and all potatoes.”
Benjamin Lee of The Guardian gave The Terminal List 1 star out of 5 declaring the show to be “ familiar to a fault, a tired and tiring series unfurling on Independence Day weekend for those looking for a low-stakes post-barbecue watch, a slab of barely heated red meat that’s all extremely hard-to-chew gristle.”
Olly Richards of Empire scored it 2 out of 5 and noted that Amazon’s algorithms will be pointing you towards The Terminal List if you enjoyed Jack Ryan and Reacher — but you should ignore the show. Nick Allen at RogerEbert.com called the show “jingoism at its finest, and absolute worst”.
Dan Flenberg from The Hollywood Reporter noted the show had some potential, especially relating to military PTSD and administrative systems that fail veterans. But that potential ends up wasted.
Of course, not all critics agree, and The Terminal List did get some positive reception. Robert Lloyd of The Los Angeles Times states that it is “not a show for everyone, and not what one would ever call 'fun,' but it may just be your cup of tea, with a dash of strychnine.”
IGN Movies Matt Fowler was also somewhat positive, giving the show 6/10. Their review concludes that “The Terminal List has both intriguing new elements and tried-and-true old methods that help it rise above the usual revenge yarn.”
Audiences also disagree with the critical consensus, which would explain The Terminal List’s rise to the top of the Amazon charts. The show has a 93% score from audiences, based on 511 user ratings. Likewise, it has 8.1 stars out of a possible 10 on IMDB, based on over 13,000 rankings.
Should you watch The Terminal List?
Whether you watch The Terminal List will all depend on your own personal tastes and the mood you’re in at the time. The Terminal List isn’t going to be the most intellectually-stimulating show around, but if you’re a fan of loud, dumb action then the eight-episode first season might be worth checking out.
The main question is whether you like Chris Pratt, and which roles you prefer seeing him do. If you’re a much bigger fan of Parks and Rec Pratt than you are of The Tomorrow War Pratt, then The Terminal List might be something to skip. But if the opposite is true, then you might as well give it a try.
All eight episodes of The Terminal List’s first season are available to stream on Prime Video right now, and if you’re unsure there’s no harm in checking out the first couple of episodes to see if they get you hooked.
Next: Here are the new movies and shows you need to watch this weekend. Plus, Amazon Freevee just ordered a remake of this classic British comedy
