Carlton Cruse, co-creator of the show ‘Jack Ryan’, has expressed surprise at how elements of the show’s storyline from its second season appear to echo recent real-world events in Venezuela.
Clips from that season began circulating widely on social media after the United States launched military strikes against Venezuela over the weekend, a development that saw Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife taken into US custody.
The viral clips feature protagonist Jack Ryan, played by actor John Krasinski, and have led to speculations that the show may have predicted future events like The Simpsons has often done.
Are there parallels between the show and the attack?
In a scene, Ryan emphasised that Venezuela “is arguably the single greatest resource of oil and minerals on the planet” and questions why the nation was facing such a deep humanitarian crisis.
The episode portrayed a storyline in which a corrupt Venezuelan leader cripples the economy and dramatically worsens poverty, setting the stage for international intervention.
Although the clips are from a season that aired in 2019, Cruse acknowledged to Deadline that some viewers have spotted eerie similarities between the show’s depiction and the current situation unfolding in Latin America.
“What always surprises you as a storyteller is how often real-world events catch up to fiction,” Cruse said, noting that the intention behind the storyline was not to predict the future but to ground the narrative in plausible geopolitical dynamics. Cruse added, “The goal of that season wasn’t prophecy, it was plausibility. When you ground a story in real geopolitical dynamics, reality has a way of making it rhyme.”
‘Wanted to build a credible thriller’
Cruse also emphasised that both he and co-creator Graham Roland were focused on building a credible thriller. They drew inspiration from long-standing tensions involving Venezuela’s strategic significance, where economic instability, democratic ideals and global interests have intersected for years. Their aim, he explained, was to create a compelling, character-driven story rooted in those dynamics rather than to make any overt political statement.
Are there any differences?
In the ‘Jack Ryan’ narrative, the Venezuelan president is ultimately removed from power, after losing an election, following a US mission to the presidential palace. While this differs from the real world’s unfolding events, fans and commentators have been struck by the similarities between the show’s fictional crisis and the actual geopolitical developments.