The Boys Star Antony Starr’s 38-Part HBO Thriller Makes Reacher Look Tame
A sheriff’s identity stolen
Banshee follows an unnamed ex-convict and master thief who arrives in the Pennsylvania town after serving 15 years in prison for a diamond heist. He is searching for Anastasia, his former lover and accomplice, who now lives as Carrie Hopewell and is married to district attorney Gordon Hopewell.
At a bar, the thief meets Lucas Hood, the town’s newly appointed sheriff, who is killed in a fight. The ex-con takes Hood’s identity and steps into the role, leading the local police department and its deputies while concealing who he really is.
Old ties bring new threats
The assumed identity does not free Lucas from his past. He faces Kai Proctor, who controls Banshee’s criminal underworld, as well as Rabbit, a New York mob boss with unresolved business involving Lucas and Anastasia.
Carrie fears that Lucas could reveal her criminal history. The risk that his disguise will be exposed provides an ongoing source of tension in the first season.
A harsher kind of action
Banshee’s action is marked by graphic violence and Lucas’s readiness to use force. Even as he wears a sheriff’s badge, he continues planning robberies, showing that the job has not erased his criminal instincts.
Compared with Jack Reacher, who uses violence to protect himself and pursue a broader purpose, Lucas acts more out of self-interest. That difference makes him less predictable and gives Banshee a more ruthless tone than Reacher’s existing four seasons.
A cult series led by Starr
Originally released on Cinemax in 2013, Banshee was co-created by Jonathan Tropper. Its four seasons include 38 episodes, and the series has earned a 90% Rotten Tomatoes score despite being described as a hidden gem.
Starr leads a cast that includes Hoon Lee, Ivana Miličević, Ulrich Thomsen and Frankie Faison. His role came before his international fame as Homelander in The Boys, and the series offers fans of both shows a high-action crime drama to watch on HBO Max.
Key points
- Antony Starr plays an ex-con who assumes the identity of Banshee’s new sheriff.
- The crime thriller has 38 episodes across four seasons and is available on HBO Max.
- Lucas Hood faces threats from crime boss Kai Proctor and New York mob boss Rabbit.
- Banshee is described as more brutally violent than Reacher.