Sometimes it feels like if you’ve watched one thriller about a police officer or investigator, you’ve seen every possible version. There’s the strong-willed, clever main character who exchanges banter with a colleague they may or may not have romantic feelings for. They walk around from crime scene to crime scene, holding take-out cups of coffee and seeing puzzle pieces that others don’t. They reach breakthroughs at the end of episodes, making it easy to watch the next one.
Prime Video’s Bosch franchise is one of the most distinctive stories about an intelligent detective character. Titus Welliver played Harry Bosch in the original show’s seven seasons and the spin-off series Bosch: Legacy. The upcoming spin-off Bosch: Start of Watch will focus on a younger version of the character.
There’s another show in the same universe that deserves recognition, too, and it earned an impressive 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Bosch spin-off Ballard tells the story of Renée Ballard (Maggie Q), who is in charge of the cold case unit in the Robbery-Homicide Division of the LAPD. With just 10 episodes in its captivating first season, Ballard is still worth talking about.
‘Ballard’ Is an Intriguing Take on the Classic Detective Character
Ballard has a fairly perfect opening scene, mixing humor with action and showing the main character at work. As she chases a suspect into a store and she and the suspect shoot at each other, her determination is clear, along with her mental and physical strength.
When a co-worker jokes, “I thought cold cases were gonna be safer,” she comments that it’s “wishful thinking.” That’s all we need to know, but a clever dialogue exchange in the next scene emphasizes her tough, self-sufficient personality even more. After a co-worker remarks “Most cops would take the day off after the night you had,” she quips, “You’re still getting to know me.”
In some ways, Ballard is the quintessential TV detective character. She’s “not a team player,” as another character describes her reputation, and she has no time for romance or fun. (Or maybe she doesn’t make time for those things since she loves her career so much. That might be more accurate.)
Ballard still feels unique, though, and she’s such a strong character that the show’s 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating makes sense. She feels other people’s emotions strongly and genuinely cares about the people whose murders and disappearances were never solved. The series explores a common trope of the detective who works hard to distract themselves from a traumatic past. However, Maggie Q’s performance feels complex enough that she is never boring or a carbon copy of those in other detective thrillers.
You want to keep watching all 10 episodes to find out if Ballard solves the murder of a Congressman’s niece, along with other cold cases. Ultimately, though, the show is so binge-worthy because she’s such an engrossing character to watch.
Ballard also has more light-hearted moments that set it apart from the original series Bosch (which is often grim) and also help flesh out the main character arc. Whether Ballard is enjoying a beer while staring out at the water with her grandma Tutu (Amy Hill) or going surfing, we see her attempting to make the most of her limited free time. These brief scenes are a helpful reminder that everyone needs to take a beat from their busy lives, even if they aren’t tasked with solving such harrowing crimes.
The show’s setting leaves room for both heavy emotions and some clever jokes. No one wants to work on this cold case unit, and Ballard isn’t given enough of a budget to hire employees, just volunteers. One of the funniest moments is when she tells Colleen (Rebecca Field) not to say that she’s psychic in the first episode.
The series also explores more meaningful ideas. The main character wants to dive into tragedies that people have forgotten. She knows that these people and their stories still matter. That brings up an interesting question about two kinds of people: those who are curious enough to keep searching for meaning and truth, and those who follow the crowd and move on. The story also suggests that closure is never possible, which is a difficult reality.
Episode 1 also ends on a smart cliffhanger that connects it back to the Bosch franchise and is a nice addition for anyone who has been watching since day one. The integration of Titus Welliver’s famous character Harry Bosch is just a bonus, though, as the show lets Ballard stand on her own.
‘Ballard’ Is Returning for Season 2 on Prime Video
A thriller miniseries is a nice weekend binge, but following an intelligent character for several seasons is also a satisfying experience. Thankfully, the story of Maggie Q’s protagonist isn’t over yet.
In October 2025, Deadline reported that Prime Video renewed Ballard for a second season, which made sense given the high ratings. It took the number four spot on Nielsen’s weekly streaming originals top 10 the week of July 21, 2025 and was viewed for 619 million minutes. It also racked up 2.5 billion viewing minutes from July 9 to the end of July 2025.
According to Deadline, Hamish Linklater was cast in Season 2 as Chris Alexander, who is described as smart but eager to be in control, which suggests he could be a villain. Given Linklater’s impressive performances as a strange priest on Mike Flanagan’s Midnight Mass and the evil figure Richard Warren on Widow’s Bay, this is exciting news.
Watch this if
- You enjoyed Bosch and want to see more of this franchise.
- You want a fresh detective story.
Skip this if
- You don’t want to watch a spin-off.
- You don’t like dark storylines.
Will you watch this?
Considering how Season 1 ends, it would have been terrible to never see Ballard again; that would have been another frustrating example of a streaming series concluding on an accidental cliffhanger. This smart detective definitely needs more screen time.
- Release Date
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July 9, 2025
- Network
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Prime Video
- Directors
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Jet Wilkinson
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Courtney Taylor
Samira Parker
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
