Inside This New Must-Watch Crime Thriller

By Olivia Emily

1 month ago

Now streaming on Prime Video

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Everyone’s talking about Cross, a brand new crime thriller that landed on Prime Video last week. Starring Aldis Hodge as a Washington D.C. police detective, and from the same mind that has brought us countless nail-biters, here’s what you need to know about Cross before you tune in – plus whether season 2 is on the cards.

Cross: Plot, Cast, Renewal & More

Aldis Hodge as Alex Cross. (Keri Anderson/Prime Video)

What Is Cross About?

Now streaming on Prime Video, Cross is a crime thriller following Alex Cross (Aldis Hodge), a homicide detective and forensic psychologist in Washington D.C. Also a devoted father and family man, Alex is driven by an almost obsessive determination to understand the killers and victims whose cases he works on, grinding tirelessly to uncover the truth and bring the perpetrators to justice.

At the start of Cross, we meet a grieving Alex, whose wife was murdered around a year before. Resisting therapy and struggling with escalating anger issues, Alex is considering a leave of absence when he is drawn into a high-profile case: a local Black Lives Matter activist has been murdered – and Alex’s white police chief is keen for a Black detective like Alex to take the lead.

Get a taste of the action in the trailer below.

The Cast

Aldis Hodge as Alex Cross
Isaiah Mustafa as Detective John Sampson
Juanita Jennings as Regina ‘Nana Mama’ Cross
Alona Tal as Kayla Craig
Samantha Walkes as Elle Monteiro
Caleb Elijah as Damon Cross
Melody Hurd as Janelle ‘Jannie’ Cross
Jennifer Wigmore as Chief Anderson
Eloise Mumford as Shannon Witmer
Ryan Eggold as Ed Ramsey
Matt Baram as Detective Bill Hardy
Mercedes de la Zerda as Detective Amielynn Vega
Johnny Ray Gill as Bobby Trey
Ed Stacie Greenwell as Detective Shawna De Lackner
Dwain Murphy as Detective Akbar
Siobhan Murphy as Tania Hightower
Jason Rogel as Chris Wu
Chaunteé Schuler Irving as Maria Cross
Sharon Taylor as Lieutenant Oracene Massey
Karen Robinson as Miss Nancy

Aldis Hodge as Alex Cross, Isaiah Mustafa as John Sampson in Cross. (Prime Video)

Is Cross Based On A Book?

Yes, Cross is based on James Patterson’s best selling (and numerous) Alex Cross novels, which follow the Washington D.C. detective and his partner Detective John Sampson as they pursue some of America’s most dangerous killers. That said, Cross is not an adaptation of one particular Alex Cross novel (of which there are 31 to choose from – and counting), but instead explores the titular character and his partner in new scenarios. The crime and killer we see in Cross season 1 were entirely created for the TV series, and can’t be found in any of Paterson’s books.

‘What people will learn is that […] the seasons aren’t based on the books,’ Aldis Hodge recently told Radio Times. ‘They are new mysteries, new characters, new villains, with obviously your staple characters, Cross and Sampson. The benefit is that we get to create a world that stands as an asset to the Cross universe as it is. So people get the books, and then when they come to the series, they get an extension of the world that they love and know.

‘And we get to create these magnanimous characters that really are truly inspired,’ Hodge adds. ‘They’re creative, there’s depth to them, a lot of mystery going on. But we get the freedom to play and create how we do as artists, always celebrating the fabric and the foundation of the books. And we get to give the audience kind of like, again, the final full experience that they want to get out of the world of Cross that they love so much.’

Will There Be Cross Season 2?

Yes, Cross has already been renewed for season 2 – which was filmed back-to-back with season 1. Joining fellow prolific series on Prime like Bosch and Reacher, we expect Cross to stretch long into the future – so long as fans keep enjoying it.