Why John Sampson From Reacher Looks So Familiar

The "Reacher" three-part Season 4 premiere introduces presidential candidate, John Sampson, a guy who keeps bucking Jack Reacher's (Alan Ritchson) expectations by being more straightforward and less corrupt than you'd expect from a politician in a political thriller. It may turn out this is all an act, but three episodes in, it seems like Sampson's just as in the dark as Reacher on this new conspiracy. 

If Sampson looks oddly familiar to you, it might be because you're a fan of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Sampson's actor, Marc Blucas, played Buffy's love interest, Riley Finn, in Seasons 4 and 5. Riley was hardly fans' favorite boyfriend for Buffy, especially since he'd joined the show shortly after Buffy's intense romance with Angel wrapped up. Today, fans debate whether Buffy should've ended up with Angel or Spike, with Riley rarely considered a serious option. 

"I have more people hating me from 'Buffy' than I do liking me," Blucas told The Wrap in 2011. "You have two people that are tortured lovers and who are supposed to be together forever. And then Mr. Happy-Go-Lucky comes in and is like, 'I'm her new boyfriend!' There's no amount of positioning Joss [Whedon] could have done." While "Buffy" probably remains his most famous role, there's been far more to his career than that. 

In the first two decades following his "Buffy" role, Blucas largely had one-off guest appearances in countless TV shows. He did land a fairly major role in the 2010 action comedy, "Knight and Day," but the movie underperformed at the box office, despite having Tom Cruise front and center. 

Perhaps Blucas' biggest post-"Buffy" role was in the 2023 Netflix series, "My Life with the Walter Boys," where he plays family patriarch George Walter. The show isn't exactly considered prestige TV by most critics, but is undeniably popular and has already been renewed for a fourth season. It's managed to avoid being one of countless Netflix series canceled way too soon, if nothing else. 

"It was so nice to be a part of a show that is like, 'Let's start with innocence and travel with this group of people as they go through all those things,' instead of starting with some shocking, hugely depressing moment," Blucas said about the Netflix series during a press tour interview. It's nice that he enjoyed a lighthearted TV experience with "Walter Boys," as the first few episodes of "Reacher" Season 4 imply his new character's storyline might be heading somewhere incredibly dark.