rime Video’s New #1 Action Thriller Series Is Too Good To Miss for ‘Reacher’ Fans

Published Jul 28, 2026, 7:18 PM EDT Dyah (pronounced Dee-yah) is a Senior Author at Collider, responsible for both writing and transcription duties. She joined the website in 2022 as a Resource Writer before stepping into her current role in April 2023. As a Senior Author, she writes Features and Lists covering TV, music, and movies, making her a true Jill of all trades. In addition to her writing, Dyah also serves as an interview transcriber, primarily for events such as San Diego Comic-Con, the Toronto International Film Festival, and the Sundance Film Festival. Dyah graduated from Satya Wacana Christian University in October 2019 with a Bachelor's degree in English Literature, concentrating on Creative Writing. She is currently completing her Master's degree in English Literature Studies, with a thesis on intersectionality in postcolonial-feminist studies in Asian literary works, and is expected to graduate in 2026. Born and raised between Indonesia and Singapore, Dyah is no stranger to different cultures. She now resides in the small town of Kendal with her husband and four cats, where she spends her free time cooking or cycling. Forget your typical buddy-cop comedy; Prime Video's latest series, Ride or Die, has heart, humor, and hard-hitting action on par with Reacher. Like the undefeatable former military police major Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson), Ride or Die features not one but two tough-as-nails leads: elite assassin Judith (Hannah Waddingham) and American housewife Debbie (Octavia Spencer). At first glance, the two women couldn't seem more different, and it's also worth noting that Waddingham and Spencer have never shared the screen before. But there's a reason Ride or Die is Prime Video's new #1 action thriller on streaming, and it's not just the pulse-pounding fight scenes. What Is 'Ride or Die' About? Ride or Die first introduces audiences to Judith (Waddingham), a professional assassin working for an off-the-books, hire-for-kill organization known as the Agency. Although she's exceptional at her job, Judith has a habit of ignoring orders from her handler, Sam (Calam Lynch). Fed up with her insubordination, the Agency forces Judith into retirement, using her age as an excuse—a decision she strongly protests. Realizing they won't be able to get rid of her so easily, the Agency offers Judith one final assignment to prove herself: If she fails the mission or disobeys orders again, she'll be fired for good. Unbeknownst to Judith, the mission is far more personal than she realizes. Her target is crime syndicate member Billy Donovan (Ed Skrein), who is attending his Water Relief Gala, a lavish event that's really just a front for money laundering. When Judith secretly slips into Billy's hotel room, she's shocked to find four men already dead, including MP David (Jamie Parker), who is believed to owe the Albanian mob £24 million. The bigger problem? David is the husband of Judith's best friend, Debbie (Spencer), who has spent years believing Judith is just an accountant. Once Debbie discovers Judith's true profession—and David's fate—the chaos is only just beginning. Despite Its Comedy, 'Ride or Die' Never Compromises on Its Action Once Debbie discovers who Judith really is in the first episode of Ride or Die, the pair are thrown into one hilariously chaotic, high-stakes situation after another as they flee the Albanian mob across Europe. Judith can shoot, poison, and cheat death, but assassin school never taught her how to protect her best friend. After all, the Agency forbids emotional attachments, seeing them as a liability. Fortunately—or unfortunately, depending on how Judith sees it—Debbie is no damsel in distress, refusing to sit around in Judith's safehouse doing nothing. It takes plenty of guts, especially considering Debbie has no training and is suddenly caught up in a deadly world she barely understands. The contrast between the two women's backgrounds leads to some genuinely inventive action sequences in Ride or Die. Whether she's chasing a speeding car on a motorcycle or escaping captivity in a train cabin while temporarily paralyzed by drugs, Judith delivers set pieces one would expect from an assassin. Debbie, on the other hand, relies on quick thinking instead of combat skills. When the Albanian mob kidnaps her, she calmly slips on her sunglasses before taking out the two burly men beside her with pepper spray. Her expertise in antiques proves invaluable, allowing her to identify inconspicuous but highly valuable items to help pay off David's debt. Together, the women manage to outsmart the Albanian mob, the Agency, and local law enforcement to the best of their abilities. 'Ride or Die's Biggest Strength Is Hannah Waddingham and Octavia Spencer's Chemistry Image via Prime Video By the midpoint of the season, the gloves come off, the guns come out, and the kills become even more merciless. Judith, despite being trained to escape almost any situation, constantly finds herself on the verge of death when she's supposed to be the one keeping Debbie alive. Debbie, however, isn't happy. As she watches the person she thought she knew transform into a killing machine, she realizes the Judith she befriended was never the real Judith at all. The real Judith is practically a stranger, and that revelation puts a painful strain on the heartfelt friendship first seen in the premiere. The final episodes are where Ride or Die hits the hardest. A rival assassin exposes all of Judith's darkest secrets, leaving Debbie questioning whether Judith had simply been using her as a cover. Apart from keeping Debbie alive, Judith's greatest mission becomes convincing her that, assassin or not, cover or not, their friendship is the only real thing in her life. With Waddingham and Spencer forming the perfect unlikely duo, Ride or Die serves the same bone-crunching action that makes Reacher so addictive, anchored by an earnest friendship you'll desperately want to see make it through anything. Ride or Die Release Date 2026 - 2026-00-00 Network Prime Video Cast