Bosch (TV series)

Bosch is an American police procedural streaming television series produced by Amazon Studios and Fabrik Entertainment starring Titus Welliver as Los Angeles Police detective Harry Bosch. The show was developed for Amazon by Eric Overmyer, and the first season takes its inspiration from the Michael Connelly novels "City of Bones" (2002), "Echo Park" (2006), and "The Concrete Blonde" (1994). It was one of two drama pilots that Amazon streamed online in early 2014 (together with "The After"), and viewers offered their opinions on it before the studio decided whether to place a series order. Season 6 was released on April 16, 2020, a day earlier than originally announced, following a five-day #BoschStakeout marathon and live tweet during the COVID-19 pandemic. The series was renewed for a seventh and final season on February 13, 2020. A spinoff for IMDb TV was announced on March 3, 2021.
Plot.
Season 1.
As the pilot opens, Bosch is tailing a suspect. Eventually cornering him in an alley, Bosch shoots the suspect when he reaches in his pocket. The incident is shown later in the episode in two separate flashbacks. When seen from Bosch's point of view, it appears that there is something in the suspect's hand that falls in a puddle. When the incident is recounted by the plaintiff's lawyer during a wrongful death suit, there is clearly nothing in the suspect's hand and Bosch is shown planting a gun. Whatever really happened, Bosch is cleared by the department. The show fast-forwards to two years later when Bosch is being sued by the suspect's family in a wrongful death civil suit.
Restless because he has been on restricted duty during the trial and anxious to do more active detective work, Bosch convinces two other detectives to trade shifts with him so he can work their weekend shift, much to the chagrin of his partner. On Saturday, Bosch is called out on a case which turns out to be a suicide, and a second case wherein a doctor reports his dog found a human bone in the woods.
The latter investigation turns up more bones and the coroner determines the skeleton is that of a small boy who was horribly abused and beaten, then buried in the woods. The boy has been dead since at least 1989 and could have been anywhere from 10 to 12 when he died, but because severe abuse stunts children's growth, the victim's exact age is uncertain. The details of the boy's mistreatment – more than 40 broken bones, some healed and others relatively recent – and death are so grisly that Bosch has to step away from the coroner's recitation to go into the restroom to splash water on his face and sit down on a commode for a moment to regain his composure.
The second episode introduces Raynard Waits, a serial killer who confesses to the murder in the bones case and has a strange fascination with Bosch. After Waits escapes custody he begins to taunt Bosch as Bosch aims to both catch Waits and prove he had nothing to do with the murder of the boy.
Season 2.
Picking up six months after the events in Season 1, Bosch returns from a suspension. He investigates the murder of a Hollywood producer who appears to have mob connections. His investigation of the producer sends him to Las Vegas, where he also finds out that all is not well with his teenage daughter and ex-wife. Bosch's investigation almost threatens the life of his family as he is also brought into another case that leads to a ring of dirty cops. New evidence appears on the death of his mother, which causes him to investigate the circumstances leading to her murder.
Season 3.
Bosch is haunted with new leads to pursue on his mother's murder case. The season opens with a graffiti-tagging street urchin being in the vicinity where a homeless veteran, Billy Meadows, is murdered. Bosch also finds himself a suspect in the murder of Ed Gunn (a person who fits the MO of his mother's killer), doggedly pursued by veteran Detective Jimmy Robertson. Concurrently, Bosch is monitoring an ongoing criminal trial involving a powerful Hollywood movie mogul who is under house arrest. Under the director's employ is a former 20+ year police detective who proves to be a meddlesome and worthy adversary against Bosch and LAPD. Also, Bosch's personal life takes on new challenges with his daughter, Maddie, living in LA with him, along with a budding romantic relationship with the deputy DA. Adding to the complexity is the introduction of a serial murderer known as the Koreatown Killer (KTK).
Season 4.
Civil rights attorney Howard Elias is representing a black man who is accusing LAPD of police brutality, but Elias is murdered. Elias had a history of representing citizens who sue the LAPD, and the case produces racial strife in LA and elevated tension between the LAPD and citizens. Police Chief Irving assigns Bosch to head the task force to get to the bottom of the Elias murder and assigns a pair of IA investigators to watch Bosch's team, which includes Edgar, Robertson, and Robertson's detective trainee. Bosch's ex-wife is pursuing a gang of Chinese nationals, one of whom is under an FBI investigation. The investigation leads to her being murdered in a drive-by shooting seconds after lunch with Harry. Bosch gains a vital clue into his mother's murder after the long-retired detective of his mother's case is killed.
Season 5.
A murder conviction is brought into question from an old case Bosch worked, possibly affecting other past convictions and endangering his career. An embittered former girlfriend accuses Bosch of planting evidence and believes a claim of new DNA evidence purporting to tie another criminal to the crime. Bosch hires former foe Honey ("Money") Chandler to defend him against charges of planting evidence. Bosch and Jerry are up for the murder of a pharmacist who has, through his son, been involved in dispensing opiates. During their investigation they determine there is a significant opiate dealing network, possibly controlled by Russian and Armenian gangsters. Bosch goes undercover to learn more about their organization. 
Maddie Bosch works as an intern in the LA DA's office. A young attorney mentions a case against her father. Maddie observes bad intent from the CIU investigator, Bosch's former girlfriend and relays the instinct to her dad. 
Chief Irving is frustrated by Bosch's lack of communication about the murder, the old case with newly discovered evidence and his undercover work. Lt. Billets covers nicely for Bosch, risking her own position. Irving is approached by Mayor Vargas' political consultant with the news that he could be a serious contender in the next mayoral election.
Season 6.
The sixth season of Bosch premiered on April 16, 2020.
Production.
Amazon Studios announced on October 31, 2013 that "Bosch" had been given the green light for production. The hour-long pilot stars Titus Welliver as Harry Bosch, and co-stars Annie Wersching, Amy Price-Francis, and Jamie Hector. Henrik Bastin of Fabrik Entertainment was the producer, and Jim McKay directed.
According to Connelly, "a fair [number] of changes" were made "to the world of Harry Bosch" "in making the shift from page to screen." In the television series, Harry "is 47 years old and a veteran of the first Gulf War in 1991," when he was a member of a Special Forces team clearing tunnels, but "he has now been a police officer for twenty years, with a one-year exception when he re-upped with the Army after 9/11, as many LAPD officers did. He came back to the force after serving in Afghanistan and again encountering tunnel warfare."
On November 4, 2013, the 13-day shoot began in Los Angeles, while Connelly kept a daily set journal.
The pilot premiered on Amazon Prime in February 2014, to allow customers to vote to decide whether or not more episodes should be made. In March 2014, Amazon announced that they had commissioned "Bosch" for a full series.
All ten episodes of the first season of "Bosch" were released for viewing on Amazon Video on February 13, 2015. Portions of the first episode were changed from the pilot, including the addition of Mimi Rogers to the cast to replace Amy Price-Francis as plaintiff's attorney Honey Chandler and the addition of a scene in which Bosch testifies in court and is questioned about his background by Chandler.
On March 18, 2015, "Bosch" was renewed for a second season. On July 16, the series was nominated for the Outstanding Main Title Design award at the 67th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, along with "Manhattan", "", "Daredevil", "Halt and Catch Fire", and "Olive Kitteridge"; the award was won by "Manhattan".
On April 1, 2016, "Bosch" was renewed for a third season. On October 16, 2016, "Bosch" was renewed for a fourth season. On February 13, 2018, "Bosch" was renewed for a fifth season. On November 14, 2018, "Bosch" was renewed for a sixth season.
On February 13, 2020, the series was renewed for a seventh and final season.
Home media.
In Australia (Region 4), the first four seasons have been released on DVD and distributed by Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Australia Pty Limited.
Reception.
Season 1.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has a rating of 83% based on 30 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "An uneven boilerplate police drama is sharpened by gritty atmosphere, solid acting, and some rousing, suspenseful turns." On Metacritic, the season has a weighted average score of 71 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Cory Barker of "TV.com" wrote that the series is "rock-solid and generally enjoyable without ever making much of an attempt to push boundaries," and praised Amazon Studios for "producing a show based on a book that somehow reproduces the experience of reading." Neil Genzlinger of "The New York Times" wrote that the series is part of a long "list of brooding, taciturn small-screen police detectives," yet "Bosch" "proves gripping" due to good "plotting and pacing".
Noel Murray of "The A.V. Club" remarked that "the best thing about "Bosch" is how well it captures Connelly's Los Angeles," while noting that "the series' biggest stumbling block is that it's stubbornly slow-paced". Brian Lowry of "Variety" wrote that "the series has the texture and tone of an old-fashioned detective yarn," but "the transition from page to screen… proves too talky in places and clunky in others". Hank Stuever of "The Washington Post" called Welliver's performance "nicely built out of smirks and smolders". Brian Moylan of "The Guardian" praised the "film noir" feeling of the show and considered it a step above "NCIS", but he did not like the similarities to many other police shows, calling the series "samey".
Later seasons.
On Rotten Tomatoes, season two has an approval rating of 100% based on 14 reviews, with an average rating of 7.67/10. The site's critical consensus reads: ""Bosch" hones its pulpy strengths in a superlative sophomore season, executing its procedural formula with a no-nonsense panache that befits its title character." On Metacritic, the season has a weighted average score of 76 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Season three has an approval rating of 100% based on 10 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The critical consensus reads: ""Bosch"s third season maintains the series' mastery over mystery, deftly interweaving story strands as sprawling as a Los Angeles intersection." Season four also holds an approval rating of 100% based on 10 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The critics consensus reads: ""Bosch" continues its steady thrills in a fourth season that successfully navigates topical controversies." Seasons five and six also hold approval ratings of 100%.
Spin-off.
A spin-off of "Bosch" with Titus Welliver reprising his role as Harry Bosch was ordered by IMDb TV in March 2021. Madison Lintz will return as Harry's daughter, Maddie, and Bosch recurring character defense attorney Honey "Money" Chandler, played by Mimi Rogers, will also be a main character. In the new series, Bosch, now retired from the LAPD, will work as an investigator for Chandler. The series will be produced by Welliver, Henrik Bastin, Erik Overmyer, Pieter Jan Brugge and writer Michael Connelly, who also produced "Bosch".