When Jay Reeves talks about Nemesis, he is measured about it, but the pride is right there. The Netflix crime drama climbed to number one on the platform and has had viewers finishing it in a single sitting. For Reeves, who plays rookie cop Jamel Brinkley alongside a cast that includes veterans of The Wire and Power, the response has meant everything.
What it felt like stepping into Nemesis
Reeves did not have to reach far to find his character. Playing Jamel Brinkley, a rookie cop navigating a world built on tension and rivalry, mirrored exactly how he felt walking onto the set for the first time. “Going into Nemesis, that’s exactly what I felt like,” he said. The dynamic between the cops and the criminals was not just scripted. It carried over into how the cast operated off camera. “My family felt like the cop force, the police force, but the enemies, the nemesis, were Y’lan and Tre and everyone else.”
The show follows Isaiah Stiles, played by Matthew Law, as he becomes consumed by his pursuit of Coltrane Wilder. Reeves describes it as a cops and robbers story with enough twists to keep viewers locked in from start to finish. “It’s full of explosions, relationships, and just a good time.”
Why Nemesis hits different from Power and The Wire
The comparisons to Power and The Wire were inevitable. Nemesis shares cast members with both, and Reeves spent much of his time on set working alongside Domenick, a key figure from The Wire. “He was the cop I was with the most, so I got to learn from him,” Reeves said. But he is quick to point out what sets Nemesis apart. “It takes place in LA, and LA feels like a character within the show. You get the lingo, and I think that’s how Nemesis stands apart from these other shows.”
The response since it dropped has backed that up. The series shot to number one on Netflix and has held strong in the top 10. “A lot of my friends have watched it in a day,” Reeves said. “I’m glad it’s been received the way we thought it would.”
The performance that stayed with him
Ask Reeves about his favorite character and he does not hesitate. It is not his own. It is Nightmare, Isaiah’s father, brought to life by Moe. “Moe is a fantastic actor, and watching him bring this character to life was something else,” he said. “He’s actually the guy who shoots me, spoiler alert, but he is just amazing. I think he had the most fun out of all of us.”
The only advice that matters
For anyone watching and wondering how to break through, Reeves keeps it direct. “Do the work,” he said. “Everyone says, oh, just do the work, get the job, but it is hard, and that’s why they pay the big bucks.” The key, he says, is refusing to push things to tomorrow. “Do it today, because tomorrow you’re gonna get another one. If you keep that mentality, it’ll push you forward.”
It is the same standard he holds himself to. Between projects, he describes himself as a walking line learner, cycling through scripts with barely a breath between them. “As soon as we’re done, I’m back to the line.”
What is coming next
Nemesis is not the finish line. Reeves has a project with Tyler Perry called Doing Life dropping on Netflix, and he is vocal about what working with Perry does for him as an actor. “He pushes me and makes me a better actor. When I go to other projects after working with him, I’m always ready to go.” Beyond that, he is keeping the door open. The work, as always, comes first.
Follow Jay Reeves on Instagram and TikTok at @jayreeves7.