‘Cross’ Review: Hollywood Finally Gets James Patterson’s Bestselling Detective Right

What to do with the character of Alex Cross has been a hard case for Hollywood to crack. Bestselling author James Patterson introduced the ace detective to the world in 1993 with “Along Came a Spider,” launching a rich world centered around the hero psychologist and investigator now comprising more than 30 books. That series has collectively sold more than 100 million copies, which is presumably why Hollywood keeps trying to get it right.

Alex Cross first showed up on the big screen back in 1997, with Morgan Freeman in “Kiss the Girls,” followed by “Along Came a Spider,” named for the very first novel, with Freeman again, in 2001. And then in 2012, Tyler Perry took over in “Alex Cross,” controversially replacing Idris Elba.

With Aldis Hodge, “Cross,” the latest adaptation from Amazon’s Prime Video, finally gets it right.

Best known as hacker Alec Hardison in the “Leverage” franchise as well as Noah from the slavery-era series “Underground,” Hodge centers the emotional adrenaline rush of the eight-episode inaugural season of “Cross.” He can bring it all —acting, physicality, sexuality and more.

Mere moments into the very first episode, Alex suffers a devastating personal loss that greatly impacts both his life and work. As a father of two young children — boy Damon (Caleb Elijah) and daughter Janelle (Melody Hurd) — he can’t fully express his grief, making it harder to heal. Helping to pick up the slack is his grandmother Nana Mama, a stellar Juanita Jennings who brings both toughness and compassion to both Alex and his kids.

Unlike the other iterations of Alex Cross, there is no race neutrality here. Set in the nation’s capital of Washington, D.C., once known as “Chocolate City” for its high Black population, “Cross” embraces its setting and its roots, specifically the city’s famous mambo sauce and iconic Ben’s Chili Bowl, strongly leaning in where other versions ran away. Being Black and Blue, especially in D.C., is far from easy. That’s evident in the very first episode when foul play is suspected in the death of an ex-con-turned-activist, which the D.C. police department wants to write it off as a gang killing.

Out in the streets, Alex and his partner Sampson (Isaiah Mustafa of Old Spice commercial fame), who has also been his best friend since childhood, take the brunt of the “F the Police” sentiment from Emir Godspeed’s sister Malika and his many supporters. They are completely unaware that internally, Detective Cross is the one pushing D.C. Police Chief Anderson (Jennifer Wigmore, “Malory Towers”) to see Emir’s death as bigger. When one of Emir’s friends is killed, Chief Anderson doubles down on her original position. By refusing to accept the politically expedient open-and-shut case, Cross uncovers a serial killer who is at the center of the kidnapping of Shannon Whitmer (Eloise Mumford, “Fifty Shades of Grey,” “Chicago Fire”), a young white woman with loving parents.

With fame as his ultimate motivator, this copycat killer is more dangerous than others.

Cross also navigates the emotional highs and lows of dating as a widower as he circles back to one-time school classmate Elle (Samantha Walkes) who runs a nonprofit. But work and life don’t separate that easily. Through her, he meets Ed Ramsey (“New Amsterdam” star Ryan Eggold), an eager to please rainmaker whom Cross begins to suspect is not the do-gooder he claims to be. At the same time, Cross finds himself targeted by a stalker, as an item belonging to his deceased wife Maria inexplicably appears in his family’s home, and flowers continually show up at both home and work. Hunting a serial killer and a stalker is hard and complex work. In the mix is also the nefarious ex-cop Bobby Trey (Johnny Ray Gill) who is an accomplice to many crimes yet beholden to no one.

It’s this complexity that greatly distinguishes this “Cross,” making it far more realized and gratifying than the previous attempts. Key to it all is that Prime Video and showrunner Ben Watkins treat the Black-led series with the same respect it has given “Reacher” and “Bosch,” a development that maybe Hollywood needed another decade to catch up to or that only a streamer could deliver. Everything about “Cross” is top-notch — writing, acting, cinematography, action, suspense. Amazon Studios and Prime Video knows it has a hit in “Cross” which is why Season 2 is already in the can.

With 30 novels of source material and a series format that gives it all room to breathe, the real sweet spot is that there could be a lot more “Cross” in our viewing future.

“Cross” premieres Thursday, Nov. 14, on Prime Video.

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