"Reacher's" Alan Ritchson Says Losing Aquaman Spin-off was his Career's "Best Loss"

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Alan Ritchson Explains how Losing "Smallville" Spin-off Became the "Best Loss" for his Career
by Kathleen Perricone
July 23, 2026


Alan Ritchson’s big break in Hollywood opened a door that quickly slammed shut, yet there was a heroic ending.

In 2005, the "Reacher" star made his acting debut as Arthur Curry aka Aquaman on "Smallville", the WB’s Superman series about Clark Kent’s formative teen years.




Ritchson’s single episode set a ratings record, prompting network execs to offer the unknown actor his own superhero spinoff — an opportunity that washed away with the subsequent WB-UPN merger.

“What happened behind the scenes for me was the best loss that I could have ever asked for,” he revealed to Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. “It was a blessing in disguise.”




When Ritchson first stepped foot on the set of "Smallville", a year after he competed on "American Idol", “I didn’t know what I was doing at all,” he admitted.

To help him, the network hired an acting coach who “would fight all the time” with the show’s director. “I was wholly confused the entire time... I didn’t know what I was doing, coasting on instincts.”

That natural intuition kept his head level amid Aquaman negotiations when WB execs assured Ritchson “you’re going to be the next big thing.”




Once the networks merged into The CW, “The president of UPN took over and he looks at the slate of shows they’re developing and he’s like, ‘who the hell is this guy with no resume getting his own show,’” Ritchson recalled to Horowitz. “Long, long story short they ended up coming back actually at one point because they couldn’t find anybody else.”

Ritchson was cut from Aquaman a second time when soap star Justin Hartley was cast as the young superhero with marine telepathy. A pilot episode was shot, but ultimately never aired.




The rollercoaster taught Ritchson a valuable lesson about “losing what felt like a sure thing.”

“Until you’re in front of the camera… until it’s done and in the can and in front of audiences, nothing is a sure thing in this business,” he told Horowitz. “I learned to hold so loosely to every opportunity that came to where I would never get too excited, you know… It just [helped] me navigate this business in a more grounded way. And I learned that right out of the gate with a real tough loss.”

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