Just finished the first season of Bosch and I’m wavering on committing to more.
For the unfamiliar it’s a police procedural from Amazon Studios starring Titus Welliver as the eponymous LA homicide detective Harry Bosch. Bosch is, as is the wont of hard-boiled TV detectives, a complicated figure and a rule breaker who can’t get out of his own way.
Welliver’s Bosch has an interesting back story as a troubled kid whose prostitute mother was murdered, after which Bosch cycled through an endless series of abusive foster homes and violent youth institutions. This gives Bosch a empathetic feel for the dregs of Los Angeles society he encounters in his work. He’s every bit the gung-ho Us vs. Bad Guys cop you’d expect from a show like this, but he shows enough heart to make him more interesting than most characters of this type.
As for the rest of the cast so far, the women really stand out for me, including his ex-wife Eleanor Wish (Sarah Clarke), a former FBI agent turned professional poker player; Lt. Grace Billets (Amy Aquino, who often plays the same role and plays it well); and rebellious daughter Maddie (Madison Lintz).
The storylines have been pretty standard fare. A serial killer who taunts Bosch because he feels a connection with the detective. A cold case involving a child murder where the suspects keep changing throughout the season. Various dust-ups and close calls in which Bosch risks his career by being a lone wolf in a department full of rules.
The writing is good not great, so Welliver really carries the series. If not for him, I don’t think I would have made it this far.
Still, the show started in 2014 and ran for seven seasons. So it either gets better enough at some point to warrant that long of a run, or someone in charge at Amazon had a soft spot for the series.
Then again, the most popular Amazon Studios series is the godawful Reacher, so just because something has been popular doesn’t mean it’s good.
I’m going to dive into season two because of Welliver — and the fact that Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine on Star Trek: Voyager) has a recurring role.