The budget remark was meant as a jab at the production. Amazon is not known for being cheap when budgeting for their shows. As to subtitles, both previous seasons of this show had subtitles for the non English-speaking characters. and I see it rather frequently. the NCIS shows and Madam Secretary are the two most recent that I have watched.

that would have been a great idea. it would have given years of stories and conflict that are baked in. reference the movies that already were made as you progress through the timeline. The world building is there, it just takes someone willing to commit to it. I imagine they could have done most of the same character's stories and arcs in a modern timeline without losing the character.

You are absolutely right, but the problem isn't the lack of detail or nuance. the problem is making unnecessary changes that make believable characters unbelievable. for example: In this universe there are 3 VERY capable combat operators. and throughout the stories Ryan is the analytical planner. he figures out what is going on and sends in one of them, with a team of operators to solve the problem. Ryan is not someone good in combat, he is good with information not guns.

that's kind of a thing with all of Clancy's work. it was so close to believable that at one point, he got a visit from the folks at Langley asking who his sources were. the stories and characters were close enough to be real. making them more than that is where the fans of the books become disappointed.

I heard it was good, but not like the original character. haven't had the heart to watch one of my favorite characters get ruined.

you are right. Amazon has the right to all of Clancy's books, so going back to spy thriller and bringing in the other characters and story threads seems like a natural plan. my hope was something like. S3 opens up with Jack catching the trail of something going on in Russia, reaches out to the resident spook in Moscow, her name is Foley. they start working the Intel. find out we need to get into an (insert very secure place), and we send in Sam Fisher to retrieve the info. season finally has Mr. Clark comes in to do the actual shooting.

S1: Introduce a new actor as Jack Ryan, and bring in the original character's origin story updated to happen in the modern day. S2: Let's make him an action hero instead. will it make sense? not really, but the actor is good as an action hero. S3: What country can we make be the bad guys without hurting overseas views? Russia? we can't afford Russian talent? then just hire whatever we can afford.