Cross Review: Aldis Hodge Brings James Patterson’s Detective to Amazon Prime

Amazon’s Cross adapts James Patterson’s long-running Alex Cross detective novels with Aldis Hodge in the title role, and the result is a solid, well-acted crime procedural that benefits enormously from its lead performance. Previous screen versions of Cross were played by Morgan Freeman and Tyler Perry, but Hodge makes the character entirely his own — bringing a simmering intelligence, physical presence, and emotional depth that elevates material which could easily feel formulaic in less capable hands.

How We Reviewed: Our assessment is based on analysis of writing, direction, and ensemble performance and viewing all available episodes before publishing. Ratings reflect full-season viewing, critical analysis, and production quality assessment. All picks reflect editorial judgment; no brand paid for inclusion.

The Detective

Alex Cross is a detective and forensic psychologist in Washington, D.C., whose ability to get inside criminals’ minds makes him both invaluable to law enforcement and personally vulnerable to the darkness he studies. Hodge plays Cross as a man whose brilliance is inseparable from his trauma — the recent murder of his wife has left him grieving while simultaneously driven to understand violent behavior on a deeper level. His profiling scenes are the show’s strongest sequences, combining procedural detail with genuine psychological insight that goes beyond the standard “here is what the killer is thinking” monologue. Hodge brings a stillness to these moments that conveys a mind working at a level most people cannot access.

Season 1 follows two parallel investigations. The first involves a serial killer who targets prominent Washington figures in elaborately staged murders that carry symbolic meaning Cross must decode. The second concerns a mystery connected to Cross’s own past, specifically the circumstances of his wife’s death that the official investigation may not have gotten right. The dual structure keeps the pacing brisk and gives Cross both professional and personal stakes in the outcome, with the two investigations converging in the back half in ways that feel earned rather than contrived.

The Partnership

Isaiah Mustafa provides strong support as John Sampson, Cross’s best friend and partner, and their dynamic is the show’s warmest element. The friendship feels lived-in — they communicate in shorthand, they know each other’s weaknesses, and they cover for each other without being asked. Mustafa brings a steady reliability to Sampson that contrasts effectively with Cross’s more volatile intensity. Their scenes together — particularly a bar conversation where Sampson confronts Cross about his self-destructive behavior — provide emotional grounding that the thriller elements need.

Juanita Jennings is a delight as Nana Mama, Cross’s grandmother and moral anchor. The family scenes — Cross at the dinner table with his children, Nana Mama dispensing wisdom and judgment in equal measure — ground the show in a domesticity that most crime procedurals neglect entirely. The show understands that what makes Cross interesting is not just his ability to catch killers but his determination to be a good father and grandson despite the horrors he witnesses at work. These scenes are never treated as filler between the thriller sequences; they are presented as equally important to understanding who Alex Cross is.

The Villain and the City

The serial killer storyline provides the more conventional thrills, with an antagonist whose methods are inventive enough to sustain mystery across the season without resorting to implausible genius-level scheming. The personal investigation adds emotional stakes that distinguish Cross from standard procedurals, and when the two investigations begin to converge, the show achieves a momentum that justifies the slower setup of the early episodes.

The show uses its Washington setting well, depicting a city of monuments and power alongside neighborhoods that politicians never visit. Cross works in the spaces between — the crime scenes in affluent Georgetown, the community centers in Southeast D.C., the government offices where bureaucratic politics complicate his investigations. The show does not use the city as mere backdrop but as a character whose contradictions mirror Cross’s own dual nature as both an instrument of justice and a man capable of violence.

Verdict

Cross is a strong addition to the detective genre, elevated significantly by Aldis Hodge’s commanding lead performance and the show’s investment in Cross’s family life. The procedural elements are competent, the personal storyline adds genuine weight, and the decision to treat Cross as a complete human being rather than just a crime-solving machine distinguishes it from countless darker, more nihilistic crime shows. Amazon has already renewed it for a second season, and Hodge has earned the franchise.

Rating: 7/10

For more crime content, see the Best Crime Shows Streaming in 2025 and the Amazon Prime Video Best Originals Guide.