The first novel in James Patterson’s Alex Cross series came out in 1993, followed by 34 more books in the years since, about a Washington, D.C., police detective with a Ph.D. in forensic psychology.

I needed the audience to invest in Alex Cross and I think one of the most searing ways to do that is to put your hero in jeopardy,” showrunner Ben Watkins tells The Hollywood Reporter of his longterm ...