Kristen Baldwin gave Prime Video’s Cross a B+, praising its Alex Cross–John Sampson partnership and its willingness to turn a crime thriller into a debate about grief, masculinity and Black officers’ place in law enforcement. Her reservations: an underdeveloped romance, a stalker plot that lingers, and a finale crowded with twists.
What Baldwin’s review is about
This is a review of the television series Cross, which draws on characters from James Patterson’s Alex Cross novels—not a review of a Patterson novel titled Cross. In her November 13, 2024, review for Entertainment Weekly, syndicated by AOL, Baldwin sees the adaptation as a familiar, propulsive detective thriller that tries to do more than reproduce its genre’s pleasures. Read Baldwin’s review at AOL.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
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| 1 |
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Cross and Sampson: An Alex Cross and John Sampson Thriller | $3.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Along Came a Spider (Alex Cross Book 1) | $9.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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The House of Cross: An Alex Cross Thriller | $12.09 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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The Family Cross: An Alex Cross Thriller | $14.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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Return of the Spider: An Alex Cross Thriller | $12.00 | Buy on Amazon |
How the story sets up Alex Cross
Aldis Hodge plays Alex Cross, a Washington, D.C.-based detective and forensic psychologist; Isaiah Mustafa plays John Sampson, his partner and longtime friend. Alex is grieving the murder of his wife, Maria, and attempting to take leave when the death of activist Emir Goodspeed draws him into an investigation that may involve a serial killer. Meanwhile, a stalker has entered the home Alex shares with his grandmother and children.
The partnership is the show’s strongest relationship
Baldwin’s clearest praise is for Hodge and Mustafa together. Their banter, disagreements and relaxed familiarity make Alex and John’s long history feel lived-in. That connection gives the series an emotional anchor while the investigation drives its plot.
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By comparison, Baldwin finds Alex’s romance with Elle less convincing. She describes Elle as too saintly and humorless, a weakness in a relationship that does not carry the same spark as the partnership at the show’s center.
Where the thriller reaches beyond the case
A continuing argument about policing
The review’s central point is that Cross uses its procedural framework to ask whether Black officers can serve their communities from inside a police system with a history of abusing them. Alex and John disagree, and the series does not settle the question neatly. Baldwin finds that unresolved tension more compelling than a simple answer.
Rank #2
Grief and the performance of toughness
Alex and John project toughness, including in a scene where they box at a gym. Yet John also urges Alex to face his grief and seek therapy. Baldwin reads the contrast as a challenge to narrow expectations of masculinity: strength is not presented only as physical control or emotional silence.
One moment makes Alex’s grief and protective instincts explicit. In dialogue quoted in Baldwin’s review, he tells Elle: “Imagine you have this compulsion to protect… And then one day, your wife’s in danger. She’s the love of your life. She’s the one person above all that you want to protect, and you can’t.” The line is spoken by the character in the series; it is not a statement by Hodge or Patterson.
Rank #3
What works—and what does not—in the season
Baldwin calls the eight-episode season taut overall and says it resolves its main mystery. But the main hunt for the serial killer takes precedence, leaving the personal-stalker subplot hanging for much of the back half. In the final episodes, cliffhanger twists accumulate; Baldwin finds the story occasionally convoluted and crowded.
That makes the review’s B+ a qualified endorsement rather than a claim that every plot thread lands. The show’s strongest case rests on the lead partnership and its thematic ambitions; the romance and late-season plotting are weaker points.
Rank #4
Release details and what the review establishes
Baldwin’s review appeared on November 13, 2024, and reported that all eight episodes would premiere on Prime Video the following day, November 14. It also reported that the series had already been renewed for a second season at that time. Those details describe the publication-era context; the review does not establish current availability by country or the series’ present season status.
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