Summary
Fans are preparing to say goodbye to Harry Bosch’s solo stories in the third and final season ofBosch: Legacy, which is set to air on Prime Video in March 2025. However, this won’t be the last time fans will see Harry Bosch as he’ll appear in three episodes of theBallardspin-off’s first season.It seems strange that Titus Welliver will only be appearing in a recurring role, as Harry Bosch is a co-lead with Renee Ballard in Michael Connelly’s recent books.
Ballardseason 1 will be based on Connelly’s book,Desert Star, withBosch: Legacyalso being partly based on this book, as well asThe Black Ice. Renee Ballard is obviously the lead character in the spin-off, but she’s only ever featured in one solo book, soit’s a bit baffling why the show isn’t actually a joint Ballard and Bosch series, especially asBosch: Legacyhas now been canceled.
Fans were super excited about the expansion of the Bosch-verse with the upcomingBallardspin-off series, but that was beforeBosch: Legacywas canceled in September of this year. TheHarry Bosch guest spots inBallardinitially felt like a bonus feature to compliment his solo stories inBosch: Legacy. A bit more Bosch for your buck, so to speak. Well, this clearly isn’t the case, andnow fans are facing up to reality: Harry Bosch is now a side character in his own universe.Amazon knew for a while that they planned to ditchBosch: Legacyafter season 3, so surely they could have planned to migrate Harry Bosch over toBallardas more than just Ballard’s lapdog. If this is the future, they might as well just bring Bosch’s dog, Coltrane, over to theBallardseries to help solve the cold cases.
Knock On Doors
BoschandBosch: Legacyare relatively faithful to the books, with each series adapting two ofMichael Connelly’s literary masterpieces. Of course, things change, and they aren’t limited to a direct adaptation of the source material. However,there are some things that should never change and one of those is Harry Bosch’s central role in the story.When fans thoughtBosch: Legacywould crossover with Ballard, and the shows would act like a one-two punch every year, it made sense that Harry Bosch’s role inBallardwould be smaller, as their stories would overlap. NowBosch: Legacyis ending,Ballarddoesn’t appear to be following the main idea of Connelly’s more recent books, which are billed as joint Bosch/Ballard adventures.
Save Bosch: Legacy Key Facts
Bosch: Legacy’s Cancelation Should Make Harry Bosch’s Role In Ballard Even More Important, But He Is Being Sidelined
Renee Ballard’s first appearance in Michael Connelly’s book series was inThe Late Showback in 2017. This was Ballard’s own story, but it was the first and last time she was the main solo lead.Ballard’s next five book appearances were joint stories alongside Harry Bosch.So, ifBallardis to run as long asBoschandBosch: Legacy, surely Harry Bosch needs to get top billing alongside her in order to faithfully adapt the main beats of the story. It sounds likeBallardis going to have a similar problem toThe Lincoln Lawyeron Netflix, where other characters have to be used to replace Harry Bosch’s role in the story (in this case, due to issues with the rights being owned by Amazon). However, Amazon shouldn’t have this issue withBallard, as they own Harry Bosch. So,common sense would suggest they should just do a joint Bosch/Ballard series.Titus Welliver’s schedule has been freed up after the cancelation of Bosch: Legacy, so why not?
Renee Ballard and Harry Bosch’s Joint Book Appearances
Reading between the lines, based on Amazon’s strategy with other shows on their platform, it appears there has been a shift in focus as to the kind of shows they think they should be making, as opposed to what the loyal fans want to see. So,this algorithm Amazon uses, which apparently tells them they must make shows aimed solely at a younger audience, is probably why a show likeBosch: Legacyhas been canceled.Two of the co-leads are over 60 and this just doesn’t fit in with their quota. Therefore, a joint series with Ballard and Bosch just doesn’t fit their agenda either, and that seems to be why Titus Welliver has been relegated to a minor role, and the show is simply calledBallard.
