[Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Cross Season 1]

The Big Picture

Collider’s Steve Weintraub talks with
Cross
showrunner Ben Watkins.
Ben Watkins secured a green light for season two before
Cross’s
first season even dropped, a rare feat in TV production.

Cross’s
natural approach allowed writers to determine eight episodes per season based on the flow of the story.

Ben Watkins proved himself a force of nature after writing and producing the audience-beloved Burn Notice. Soon after, he helmed the Amazon Original series Hand of God, starring Ron Perlman and Dana Delaney. Now, Watkins is back and the guiding force behind the latest iteration of James Patterson’s seminal hero, Cross.

In the newest reincarnation of James Patterson’s iconic detective, Alex Cross, played in the show by Aldis Hodge, uses forensic psychology to analyze and investigate the minds of sociopaths and psychopaths, deep-diving into the victim’s psyche to identify these murderers and bring them to justice. At the same time, he’s placed in the dangerous position of protecting his family and those nearest to him. The show also stars Isaiah Mustafa, Samantha Walkes, Alona Tal, and more.

Ahead of the series premiere, Collider’s Steve Weintraub had the pleasure of sitting down with Watkins to chat about all things Cross, including how they decided on the Season 1 ending. They also talked extensively about the machinations behind Season 2, as well as the future and realities of streaming and letting the story dictate the length of the season.

‘Cross’ Season 2 Is Already Greenlit

COLLIDER: Let me start with congrats on the first season and already having a green light for Season 2.

BEN WATKINS: Thank you. I’m sure you’re aware getting one season is catching lightning in a bottle. The idea that someone would greenlight Season 2 before Season 1 even drops is the amazing testament to the people that made the show. I wish I could take all the credit. Actually, sometimes I do take all the credit, but the truth is, there are so many people involved in making a show and getting it to the place where the powers that be have that much confidence in it, and confidence in the future of it, that they’re willing to make that kind of investment. It’s very, very gratifying.

I watch a lot of shows that are streaming, and it’s just unfortunate how long it takes between seasons. Having that greenlight means you’re already working.

WATKINS: Yeah. I put myself in the fans’ shoes. As a fan, I always struggle with the fact that there’s such a gap between seasons. As a matter of fact, I’m trying to do a whole campaign that ends binging because, if nothing else, that means there’ll be more time in between the last episode and the first episode of the new season. But yeah, that makes a big difference. Folks who take the time to invest in watching your show, you really wanna do as much as you can to reward that. One of the things you can do to reward that is not make them wait forever to see the next season. So, I’m really happy that we’ll have one in the can, and hopefully, we get it to them while the first season is still somewhere fresh in their mind.

Actually, ‘Cross’ Season 2 is Already Filmed
Image via Amazon Prime Video

I’m gonna ask you a few questions regarding season two because, fuck it, I am. Where are you in the writing process?

WATKINS: Season 2 is actually filmed. I’m gonna go ahead and give you a spoiler because, fuck it. We started the [writers’] room back in November, we started filming in April, we finished production in September, and we’re actually in post-production on Season 2. Each season is a book for me. They’re all based on new mysteries. Season 1 is Hero Complex, and Season 2 is called Bitter Fruit.

I did not realize. I’m actually pretty astute at stuff that’s going on. I did not realize you’d already shot Season 2.

WATKINS: I think one of the reasons that keeps catching people off guard — and we haven’t told everyone that — but the folks who know, they’re so surprised because it really is bizarro-world, right? I mean, not only have we gotten greenlit for Season 2, but we’ve actually finished production before they’ve even dropped Season 1. It’s just so uncommon that everybody’s surprised by it.

12:24 Related This Is the Biggest Difference Between the ‘Cross’ Series and James Patterson’s Books The team behind the Prime Video series discusses collaborating with James Patterson and the major changes from the books.

I can already realize it’ll be a year from now, pretty much, that Season 2 drops. If Season 1 is a hit, they’ll already give you Season 3. So, you can hit a pace of every year having a season.

WATKINS: I really, really hope. I’ve been having these conversations with them. There are so many other factors that come into play with these decisions, but I’ve been really, really trying to say, “Look, streaming is becoming the most prominent way people are consuming content right now.” I would love to give them something reliable in terms of the schedule. If they know that every fall, or going into the winter, you’re gonna get a season of Cross, I think that that’s one of the ways you reward us. As audience members, we love being able to look forward and associate our shows with certain times. Right now, Amazon has said that is their intention, that they will try to make it a regular thing so that we can come to you every late fall, early winter.

How Ben Watkins Landed on Eight Episodes of ‘Cross’
Image via Prime Video

Was the eight episodes determined by the studio or by you guys? How did you figure out that number?

WATKINS: It’s so funny, when I originally started breaking it, it was based on a 10-episode model. Early on, I decided the show was nine episodes. You can say there are a lot of advantages to streaming. One of them is if something’s happening naturally in the story, you can actually lean into that instead of saying, “Oh, well, you have to do 18 episodes,” or you have to do whatever the conscripted order number is. I just say, let the story dictate it.

Ironically, after that, the model shifted to eight episodes becoming the new 10. They said they wanted to do eight episodes, and it actually, for me, was no problem. I felt like I had the material I needed, and eight episodes would give me the run that I needed to actually do the stories well. It was tough because Season 1 has what I consider to be two “A” stories on the mystery side. That was ambitious, but I felt that was necessary because I wanted one of those stories to be a vehicle for revealing Alex Cross as a character even more. Not just a crime solver. So, that second line has him in jeopardy.

The Importance of The Killer’s Scrapbook In ‘Cross’
“He wants to join the Pantheon of the celebrated serial killers.”
Image via Prime Video

This is a spoiler question, and it’s gonna run after the show comes out. Talk a little bit about how you decided on the ending of Season 1. Was it always where it ends? Because sometimes things change in the writing process.

WATKINS: Let me think. In terms of the fanboy ending?

Yeah, because as you said, you have two storylines. How did you decide on both of those and where they would end?

WATKINS: Fanboy ended a little bit differently than what I originally planned on. It really just came down to I had a couple of different options on the table, but it really came down to, you have a character like Ed Ramsey who’s so used to getting what he wants and has gamed the system even to the point that — what we realized at the end of the season is that he actually wants this too — he wants to be caught. He wants to join the Pantheon of the celebrated serial killers.

I had a couple of different ways. I was thinking I would try to have Alex Cross pull the rug out from under him within that. So, the final crushing blow from Alex Cross is that this killer, whose ultimate win would be to get the notoriety, and Alex Cross pulls the rug out from underneath him. The one we picked really solidified itself as our answer when we realized that the scrapbook that he’s been compiling all this time took on a life of its own. Originally, that was just something that I wanted to help tell the story of who this character was, this Fanboy. So, of course, a Fanboy has to have a scrapbook. I didn’t realize that was gonna take on a life of its own.

Image via Prime Video

Hats off to the production designer. You’re making a show, and you’re like, “Oh, he has a scrapbook.” You say that and then the production designer is like, “Do you know there are a million questions that come with the scrapbook? Who’s in it? How long has he had it? What kind of cover? What kind of design?” So, as all those questions started getting answered, that became a central piece of the season. Then, it became very clear to me that the way to strike that crushing blow would be tied to what we do with that scrapbook. The second ending — which is the one where Cross is in jeopardy and his family is in jeopardy — I always knew that someone would blame Cross for something that had happened to their family, and in the end, they would try to force him into a “Sophie’s choice.” I always knew that his personal journey as a character would put certain relationships at risk.

But in the end, especially that friendship with Samson, they come back together and the family comes together. We get to have that nice, redemptive, victorious, satisfying feeling of us coming back together even when we have differences. Because when all is said and done, and the smoke clears, we love each other. We’re gonna bond together when we need to and that is the only way he’s gonna win.

I’m just about out of time. Who kept the scrapbook? Do you have it in your office?

WATKINS: No, we still have it up in Toronto right now. And spoiler alert: we don’t know if we’ve seen the end of Ramsey.

Cross is available to stream on Prime Video now.

TV series based on James Paterson’s Alex Cross novels. Alex Cross uses forensic psychology to analyze killers’ minds, delving into victims’ psyches to identify murderers and bring them to justice.Cast Aldis Hodge , Isaiah Mustafa , Juanita Jennings , Alona Tal , Samantha Walkes , Caleb Elijah , Melody Hurd , Jennifer Wigmore , Eloise Mumford , Ryan Eggold , Johnny Ray Gill , Stacie Greenwell , Mercedes de la Zerda , Sharon Taylor , Dwain Murphy , Karen Robinson , Matt Baram , Siobhan Murphy , Jason Rogel , Chaunteé Schuler Irving , Ann Hamilton , Ashley Rios , Richard Waugh Creator(s) Ben Watkins Writers Ben Watkins Franchise(s) Alex Cross Expand

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