Prime Video is becoming the go-to place for edgy crime dramas. The platform's latest foray into the genre is Cross, a crime thriller series inspired by James Patterson's best-selling novels, which follow Alex Cross, a decorated homicide detective and forensic psychologist. The series stars Aldis Hodge in the title role and hits Prime Video on Thursday.
The first season of Prime Video's crime thriller follows Alex Cross, who, with his partner and best friend John Sampson (Isaiah Mustafa), works to track down an insidious serial killer. This is a layered series, though, and Cross is faced with multiple challenges as he works to solve this case: He must gain the trust of his community and keep his family and mental health intact after suffering a debilitating loss.
There's already so much more happening here than audiences have seen in the previous Alex Cross adaptations that have hit the big screen: 1997's Kiss the Girls and 2001's Along Came a Spider (both led by Morgan Freeman) and 2012's Alex Cross, which starred Tyler Perry.
Under the guidance of creator, showrunner and executive producer Ben Watkins, Prime Video's Cross is an exciting retooling of the iconic character. Obviously, Hodge is a younger actor than Freeman and Perry were when they portrayed the D.C. detective in the titles mentioned above, and his age and stature help to redefine who Alex Cross is, what he's capable of and what he stands for.
It's worth noting that Patterson's books inspired Cross, but the series is not a direct adaptation.
Hodge had his work cut out to create an authentic representation of the character that was not a retread of the Alex Cross audiences have previously seen. The Black Adam actor told CNET over Zoom during the official press day for the series that his process in forming this version of Cross was completely based on honesty.
"Once I understood the nature of the character, I understood the character's why and the character's heart," he said. "All I had to do was anchor my honesty to the character's honesty and build out a whole human being, not a caricature of something, but an entire, living, breathing, functioning man."
Hodge's emotional work in bringing Cross to life is the foundation of the series. However, his connection to the Black community and his deep bond with his family and friends elevate the story beyond the movies I mentioned above.
According to Watkins, these were necessary elements for bringing the show to life.
"I knew I could give you a great thriller, but I wanted to combine that with a great character journey because I think folks lean into that, and that's actually very relatable," he said. "For me, that was really important. Some of it actually comes from reading the books and realizing that there are elements in the books that haven't made their way to the screen yet, and television may be the best way for that to happen because we have more real estate."
Fleshing out the world around Cross involved deep research on the actors' parts. According to Mustafa, they traveled to Washington, DC. They spent time with the detectives who work in the city -- specifically the officers of color -- to discuss the nature of working in law enforcement in the nation's capital and how balancing responsibility to their community while working to solve crime and uphold justice directly impacts them personally.
"Ben Watkins does not shy away from any topic, especially if it's on the forefront of everyone's minds, in the culture, in the news," Mustafa explained. "He wrote these things into the story on purpose to make sure that people can see how these two characters navigate their way through this world, being of the neighborhood, but also having to deal with this problem of police brutality, you know, things like that."
Cross and Sampson want justice in both the streets and the precinct. "No matter who it is, that's what they're looking for," he added. From what I can tell, their mission is going to take them to some very dark places.
Joining Hodge and Mustafa in the series are Ryan Eggold as Ed Ramsey, Samantha Walkes as Elle Montero, Jennifer Wigmore as Chief Anderson, Johnny Ray Gill as Bobby Trey, Alona Tal as Kayla Craig, Eloise Mumford as Shannon Witmer and Juanita Jennings as Regina "Nana Mama" Cross.
Cross was already renewed for a second season earlier this year, so it looks like Patterson's detective will be around for a while. Read on to learn where and when to stream Cross and how using a VPN can help.
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All eight episodes of the first season of Cross will be available to watch today, Thursday, Nov. 14, on Prime Video.