Amazon Prime Video subscribers have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Ballard, a new spinoff starring Maggie Q as Detective Renée Ballard. But does it live up to the hype?
Fans love Bosch and its spinoff, Bosch: Legacy, for their sharp detective stories, character development and realistic portrayal of Los Angeles.
This new show is already a hit, and Watch With Us is here to tell you what makes it so compelling. Read on to learn why Ballard is about to become your next TV obsession.
It’s an Ambitious Franchise Move From Amazon Prime Video
Maggie Q and Titus Welliver in ‘Bosch: Legacy’ Amazon Prime Video
Renée Ballard first appeared on Bosch: Legacy when she tracked down Bosch (Titus Welliver) seeking information about one of her LAPD cases. Maggie Q instantly made an impression onscreen as a determined, powerful detective fiercely committed to justice.
Just like the original Bosch series, Ballard is based on a series of detective novels by Michael Connelly. This spinoff shows that Amazon is building out the Bosch interconnected universe, promising more complex mysteries and storytelling ahead. (In Connelly’s novels, characters routinely pop in and out of each other’s stories.)
Amazon Prime Video may not have intentionally meant to drop two fantastic detective shows so closely together, but we’ll take it. Ballard debuted on Prime Video last week, and it’s already No. 1 on Amazon’s charts. BBC’s Sherlock hasn’t hit the same highs on Prime Video, but that British mystery series is a masterpiece thanks […]
By continuing to grow its own police procedural universe, Amazon Prime Video is positioning itself as a competitor to franchises like the One Chicago universe or NCIS. They’re also testing how well a Bosch spinoff can succeed without the man himself. So far, the answer seems to be: pretty well.
It’s a Police Procedural That Deals With Relevant Issues
At the start of Ballard, the eponymous detective is ousted from the Robbery and Homicide Division for blowing the whistle on a popular cop. She’s reassigned to the LAPD’s cold case unit — a tiny, underfunded department focused on solving the cases everyone else has given up on. She’s the only full-time staffer in a division made up mostly of volunteers.
But what starts as a punishment becomes an opportunity for Ballard to utilize her formidable intelligence and detective skills to help those who need it most. Ballard is well aware of the corruption and internal problems within the force, which sometimes block justice instead of delivering it.
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Before long, Ballard and her scrappy team — Courtney Taylor (Abbott Elementary), Michael Mosley (Scrubs), Rebecca Field (The Client List) and Victoria Moroles (Liv and Maddie) — uncover a conspiracy that forms a season-long arc. However, each episode also delves into a cold case that has slipped through the cracks of the justice system. Ballard stands out from other cop shows by weaving these flaws into the very fabric of the series — not as a one-off “very special episode,” but as an ongoing theme.
The Cast of ‘Ballard’ Differs From Your Average Crime Drama
Maggie Q and Courtney Taylor in ‘Ballard.’ Amazon Prime Video
As an Asian American female detective, Ballard is a loner out of necessity. Few of her colleagues understand the obstacles she faces — in fact, they’re often the source of those obstacles. But when she recruits former detective Samira Parker (Taylor), a Black woman, into the cold case department, both women discover the power of having an ally who truly understands their experiences.
Ballard’s other key relationship is with her grandmother and roommate, Tutu (played by the always-welcome Amy Hill). Their heart-to-hearts give Ballard space to reflect, even if she keeps her walls up — much to Tutu’s dismay.
By centering the stories of these women, Ballard opens new doors in the crime procedural genre — not just representing women of color, but making them the heart of the narrative.
Watch Ballard season 1 now on Amazon Prime Video.
