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Prime Video's new action shows Ballard and Countdown are locked in a battle for supremacy on streaming charts. Both shows are recent crime dramas that cover similar ground. As other streamers like Apple TV+ have built a reputation for sci-fi shows, Prime Video is becoming known for action thrillers like Reacherand Cross.

Ballard is a spinoff of Bosch: Legacy, where Maggie Q's titular character is introduced in the series finale. Her own series sees her leading a cold case division at the LAPD. Countdown follows Jensen Ackles' Mark Meachum and a task force as they attempt to stop a weapon of mass destruction from going off in Los Angeles.

Per FlixPatrol, Prime Video's most recent hit action series are at the top of its Top 10 TV streaming charts. Ballard, which dropped all of its episodes on July 9, currently sits at the no. 2 spot on the list. Countdown, which...

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Clint Eastwood is a Hollywood institution all on his own, having directed and starred in so many iconic films. A list of Eastwood's best roles is bound to leave a few on the cutting room floor even though they're definitely still worth a watch, and that's the case with 2002's "Blood Work."

Eastwood directs the film based on Michael Connelly's novel of the same name. Eastwood also plays the lead character of special agent Terry McCaleb, who's a serial killer profiler who gets on a case where the murderer leaves behind taunting messages for him. It's essentially Eastwood's version of "Se7en,"and honestly, it's better than you might be thinking. It holds a 51% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but plenty of critics had something nice to say about it, like the Austin Chronicle's Marjorie Baumgarten: "The movie is nevertheless...

This week, Paramount+ viewers are diving into a diverse lineup of films, from action-packed thrillers to sharp comedies and even some animated specials. The streaming platform’s most-watched list reflects a mix of recent hits and timeless classics, offering something for everyone to enjoy over the weekend.

Whether you’re in the mood for gritty crime dramas, laugh-out-loud humor, or high-flying action, these movies are keeping audiences glued to their screens. Let’s break down the top ten films that have climbed the charts, starting from the bottom and working our way up to the number one spot.

10. Extract (2009) Miramax

This workplace comedy follows Joel, a factory owner played by Jason Bateman, navigating personal and professional chaos. With a stellar cast including Mila Kunis and Ben Affleck, the film’s quirky humor and relatable struggles make it a fun, light watch for those seeking a break from heavier genres.

9. The Lincoln Lawyer...

Bosch was a major hit for Prime Video, and the spinoff series Ballard,is already leaving its mark when it comes to viewership, upping the likelihood of receiving a season 2. Lasting for 7 seasons between 2014 and 2021, Bosch was one of Prime Video's most successful shows, becoming the streamer's longest-running original series.

Bosch, based on the Harry Bosch book series by Michael Connelly, was so successful that it spawned not one, but two spin-off shows. The first, titled Bosch: Legacy, ran for 3 seasons between 2022 and 2025 on Amazon Freevee and was a continuation of the original Bosch. One of the most prominent aspects of Bosch: Legacy was the fact that it introduced Detective Renée Ballard (Maggie Q) in the Bosch: Legacy finale.

Ballard season 1 premiered on Prime Video on July 9, 2025, and its ratings are through the roof. Critics also love it, with the show receiving a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score. According to FlixPatrol,...

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We've made you hip to the 15 best TV shows on Amazon Prime Video. But you want more. Most people might say, "You're being greedy! This company gives you free two-day shipping and 15 excellent TV shows? What the heck else do you want?"

But I'm not most people. I'm a benevolent culture curator. And I've scoured the thorough library of Prime Video to deliver you more. Whether you're into comedy, animation, detective shows (especially detective shows), or series that put any conception of genre into a blender, I've got you covered.

These are 15 Prime Video shows that justify a subscription, and none of these were mentioned in the previously linked article. These are all underseen, off-the-beaten-path selections; unique shows that will give you something different. Moreover, and most of all, they're a great proof of the deep bench of content provided by Prime Video,...

Titus Welliver, who led the Bosch franchise for seven years, is now part of another series that is dominating the streaming charts. Welliver has been active in Hollywood since 1990, but it took him ample time to gain prominence within the industry. Despite appearing in many movies and TV shows, he was not as well known earlier in his career.

Brooklyn South was the first show where he had true recognition, playing Officer Jake Lowery for a full season. From there, he would continue to strive for recurring roles, and he would find them in Deadwood, That's Life, Sons of Anarchy, and The Good Wife. Finally, in 2014, Welliver found a show that was perfectly suited for him: Bosch.

Welliver starred in the show from 2014 to 2022, before reprising his place as Harry Bosch in the spin-off sequel, Bosch: Legacy, from 2022 to 2025. Unfortunately, Bosch: Legacy came to an end in April, but Welliver...

Ballardstar Maggie Q explains why she isn't reading reviews for the series ahead of Season 2 renewal.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Q responded to the question of whether she had any sense of where the series was headed with, "I have no sense." Q explained, "This industry is not what it was before. It’s barely recognizable to me, and shows are so expendable. They can throw out a show in two seconds, and it doesn’t make a ton of difference that whole worlds and livelihoods are at stake."

"Studios always have options. But we have a writers room, and they've been writing away," Q continued. "The arc for the second season is very exciting. But I've had writers room hired before and then gotten canceled. So everyone's like, 'Maggie, of course!' I'm like, 'No, no, no.' There is no 'of course.' I am not a negative person at all.

Amazon's Prime Video has carved quite a niche for itself as the premiere outlet for what I affectionately call "Dad TV." These shows take place in a world of square-jawed, broad-shouldered dudes who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty to do what needs to be done. No one, and I mean no one, better captures this specific genre of TV than Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch. Starring the gruff "Deadwood" and "Lost" alum Titus Welliver, the series had a healthy seven season run on Prime Video, which is a rare accomplishment these days where streaming shows are lucky to get even two seasons.

Premiering in 2014, "Bosch" adapted a series of novels by "The Lincoln Lawyer" author Michael Connelly with hard boiled titles like "City of Bones" and "The Concrete Blonde." The series aired its final episode in 2020, but that didn't mean Amazon was getting out of the Bosch business. They almost...

Actor Titus Welliver is known for playing Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch in the shows Bosch and Bosch: Legacy, but his new crime drama, which boasts a 100% Rt score, has an exciting season 2 filming update. Based on the Harry Bosch books by Michael Connelly, Prime Video’s Bosch is considered one of the best modern detective shows. A large part of that comes down to the compelling performance of Titus Welliver.

Even before Bosch, Welliver was known for acting in police dramas and crime shows. He acted in CSI, Sons of Anarchy, and Deadwood, to name a few. This made him the perfect choice to play Bosch in Prime Video’s original series. AcrossBosch and Bosch: Legacy’s nine seasons, Welliver and the writers made Harry Bosch a complex and morally fascinating character. Sadly, his time as the main character of a series came to an end withBosch: Legacy’s divisive finale.

With its third season in the rearview mirror, it's safe to say that "The Lincoln Lawyer" won't be rolling to a stop anytime soon. The Netflix legal drama quickly found its footing staying relatively close to the course set by the novels by Michael Connelly (which also inspired the 2011 Matthew McConaughey movie of the same name) -- though it certainly helps that the series was created by David E. Kelley, a prolific television producer responsible for some of the best legal dramas ever made for the small screen.

As fans await the upcoming season 4, they don't necessarily have to spin their wheels. There are plenty of shows like "The Lincoln Lawyer" out there right now, many of which are available to stream alongside the series on Netflix. Whether you're looking for a protagonist as charismatic and complex as Manuel Garcia-Rulfo's Mickey Haller, another dark, growing tale of a lawyer fighting corruption,...

Maggie Q might be all smiles on the Ballard red carpet, but she’s no stranger to disappointment in the television industry — and she’s keeping her expectations in check, even as her new Bosch spin-off hits #1 on Prime Video. In a recent conversation promoting Ballard, which debuted July 9, the Nikita and Designated Survivor star shared her excitement — and wariness — about what’s next for her LAPD cold case detective series. The show marks a new chapter for the Bosch universe, but with Bosch: Legacy unexpectedly wrapping up after Season 3 despite strong viewership and critical praise, Maggie Q is understandably cautious.

“I have no sense [of the future],” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “This industry is not what it was before. It’s barely recognizable to me, and shows are so expendable. They can throw out a show in two seconds, and it doesn’t make a ton of difference that whole worlds and livelihoods are at stake.

With Ballard dominating the Prime Video charts since its July 9 debut, fans of Michael Connelly’s crime universe have one burning question: will there be a Season 2? While the official word from Amazon is still pending, series star Maggie Q has just given us the most encouraging update yet — and it sounds like wheels are already turning behind the scenes. In a new interview, Q confirmed that a writers’ room is already working on scripts for Season 2 and revealed a potential production window that should have fans feeling hopeful. “There are a couple indies that I’m really excited about, and they’re looking for financing,” she told The Hollywood Reporter, before adding: “If we get a season two of Ballard, I think we’ll be back in the fall to shoot.”

That means production could begin as early as fall 2025, less than a year after Season 1 premiered — a rare...

After the end of Bosch: Legacy, franchise vet Madison Lintz has landed her next big TV role.

Per Variety, Lintz is set to star in Eve Ronin, a television adaptation of Lee Goldberg's series of crime novels. She is also on board as an executive producer for the project, which doesn't yet have a network attached. No other cast members have yet been revealed. Other EPs include Craig Dorfman, Lorraine Toussaint, Derek Dudley, and Shelby Stone of ID8 Multimedia.

“I am beyond thrilled to bring Eve Ronin to life,” Lintz said in a statement about the project. “From the moment I picked up Lee’s books, I knew this was a character and a story I needed to be a part of. Eve’s determination, complexity, and resilience make her a dream role, and I am honored to take on this challenge on both sides of the camera.”

Goldberg added,...

In 2011, Matthew McConaughey starred as Mickey Haller in The Lincoln Lawyer. As the legal crime movie finds new success on streaming, fans may be surprised to learn about the connection between Mickey Haller and the hit Prime Video series Bosch.

Both The Lincoln Lawyer and Bosch are based on best-selling novel series by writer Michael Connelly. However, the connection doesn't stop there, as Connelly's Mickey Haller and Harry Bosch book series take place in the same shared universe, with Haller and Bosch depicted as half-brothers. Unfortunately, due to the rights held by different studios, this familial connection has not yet been replicated on screen, which is unfortunate given how popular the Bosch Universe is on its own. As for The Lincoln Lawyer, while the movie was a modest box office hit, grossing $87 million worldwide, it's currently climbing the charts on Paramount+. Per FlixPatrol, the 2011 movie is ranked No. 4 on the...

The Bosch universe might have taken a brief interlude following the recent conclusion of Bosch: Legacy on Prime Video. However, Ballard, featuring Maggie Q in the titular leading role, is doing a commendable job of carrying the banner forward.

Ballard dropped all its episodes together on Prime Video on July 9. One can’t help but appreciate the connections that have tied the final season of Bosch: Legacy and Ballard together. In all fairness, it can be held that the third and final season of Bosch: Legacy consisted of two such episodes that served as staging grounds for what may transpire on the debut season of Ballard.

The third season of Bosch: Legacy once again brought the case of the Flower Girls to attention. An unexpected turn of events led to the introduction of Renee Ballard as the new officer working in conjunction with Harry to lead the case to its conclusion.

Maggie Q might just be good vibes personified. The Hawaiian-born actress, known for kicking actual ass over four seasons of Nikita and on features such as Mission Impossible III, Live Free or Die Hard and The Protégé, isn’t just the opposite of intimidating over coffee in Beverly Hills. She’s showing pictures of her dogs in the custom-made tuxedos she commissioned for her recent wedding, sharing a recommendation for a budget-friendly veterinary dentist — canine teeth are quite expensive — and winning over the staff of the Four Seasons hotel where she’s spent a couple of days.

She’s in town to promote Ballard, her new Amazon Prime Video drama that premiered July 9. A spinoff of another spinoff (Bosch follow-up, Bosch: Legacy) and based on similar IP (it hails from blockbuster novelist Michael Connelly), it stars Q as the titular lead of the LAPD’s cold cases unit. In just days,...

Bosch: Legacy may have reached its end, but the world of Harry Bosch is anything but finished. In fact, fans of the long-running Prime Video franchise are already embracing its next chapter — Ballard, the brand-new spin-off led by Maggie Q as Detective Renée Ballard, has shot straight to the top of the streaming charts, currently sitting at #1 on Prime Video. The series picks up the baton from Titus Welliver’s iconic Bosch, continuing the gritty crime storytelling that has defined the franchise for nearly a decade. But while Ballard shares DNA with its predecessor, it isn’t simply Bosch 2.0 — and that’s exactly the point. Speaking to Collider’s Aidan Kelley at the show’s premiere, Maggie Q was clear about what sets her character apart.

“They’re very similar in so many ways. But obviously Harry Bosch is a bit more rogue. Ballard has to color more within...

Ballard On Prime Video(Photo Credit –Prime Video)

A few days ago, a spin-off of a widely acclaimed police procedural series quietly premiered on Amazon Prime Video, earning praise from critics and audiences. Despite the rave reviews, the gripping cop drama is still flying under the radar for many viewers. We are talking about Ballard, the Bosch spin-off starring Maggie Q in the lead role.

For the unversed, the original series Bosch featured Titus Welliver as Harry Bosch, an ex-Special Forces officer turned no-nonsense homicide detective in LAPD’s Hollywood division. He investigated complex murder cases, used his sharp crime-solving skills, and brought elusive culprits to justice.

Now, according to FlixPatrol, the Bosch spin-off Ballard has bagged the No.1 spot on Prime Video’s list of most popular TV shows. Read on to find out what it’s all about and why it deserves a spot on your Ott watchlist.

Prime Video‘s latest hit, Titus Welliver’s Bosch spin-off, Ballard, has officially dethroned We Were Liars. According to FlixPatrol, the series rose to the top of the platform’s streaming chart just days after its July 9 debut. The spin-off series from Michael Connelly’s acclaimed Bosch universe now holds a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes score. Maggie Q shines in a powerhouse performance, leading an underfunded LAPD cold case unit.

In Contrast, We Were Liars, which premiered June 18, now sits in second place after a strong but short-lived reign. Viewers are shifting from psychological thrillers to police procedurals. Ballard proves there’s still a huge appetite for morally complex crime dramas.

We Were Liars Gets Dethroned By Bosch Spin-off Ballard Maggie Q in Ballard (2025) | Image via Amazon MGM Studios

After the cancellation of Titus Welliver’s Bosch: Legacy, the spin-off series, Ballard continues Michael Connelly’s Bosch universe. It didn...

It looks like Mickey Haller’s charm is finally about to meet its match. As Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer speeds toward its highly anticipated fourth season, one thing’s certain: Haller is about to be backed into a legal corner like never before — and according to star Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, the person doing the cornering is an absolute powerhouse.

Constance Zimmer has joined the cast as Dana Berg, a ruthless prosecutor lifted straight from Michael Connelly’s The Law of Innocence — the novel that Season 4 is adapting. Dana isn’t just any adversary. She’s tenacious, sharp, and has zero interest in playing fair, earning herself the ominous nickname “Death Row Dana.” And this time, Mickey Haller isn’t defending the accused. He is the accused.

“Constance, oh my goodness, we had so much fun,” Garcia-Rulfo told Collider's Christina Radish. “It was such a pleasure to have her. I really mean that.

For The Lincoln Lawyer star Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, there's one dream collaboration that keeps coming up — and it involves another big name from the Michael Connelly universe. In an exclusive conversation following his press run for Jurassic World Rebirth, Garcia-Rulfo told Collider's Christina Radish he’s 100% on board with the idea of a crossover between Mickey Haller and Harry Bosch (Titus Welliver).

“That would be amazing,” he says with a grin, clearly excited by the possibility. “Because I always wanted to meet Titus, he came to visit one day on set and it was perfect. It was so cool. I would love to work with him, but I guess it’s impossible. It would be amazing though.”

That’s the unfortunate reality: The Lincoln Lawyer is a Netflix series, while Bosch and Bosch: Legacyare Amazon Prime Video properties. Still, it hasn’t stopped fans — or Garcia-Rulfo — from imagining what it...

After being out of the picture for much of Season 3 of Netflix's The Lincoln Lawyer, Maggie McPherson is about to have a big role in what's being billed as the show's most personal yet. Neve Campbell was promoted to a series regular earlier this year when Season 4 was officially ordered, and it all but assured that the attorney would remain close by her ex-husband Mickey Haller's side as he fights the murder charges against him. It's the perfect time for a comeback, as Maggie has long been a fan favorite and an emotional anchor for Mickey, given the history the characters share. Series star Manuel García-Rulfo promises that their ever-evolving relationship will be front and center in the upcoming run, too.

In the wake of his recent role in Jurassic World Rebirth, García-Rulfo recently sat down with Collider's Christina Radish for a larger profile exploring his journey to stardom.

The Bosch franchise continues. The police procedural drama aired for seven seasons between 2014 and 2021, and the franchise continued with two spinoff sequels.

Bosch: Legacy was canceled this year after its third season, but fans got a continuation of the franchise with Ballard. The new series follows Detective Renée Ballard, played by Maggie Q, and the spinoff premiered on July 9. After debuting with perfect reviews,Ballard rose on the charts until it reached the top in just two days, per FlixPatrol.

Ballard debuted in third place on its first day and started charting in over 30 countries immediately. The new series didn't take long to gain traction, as it dethroned Jensen Ackles' Countdown and John Cena and Idris Elba's action film Heads of State, and topped the charts in the Top 10 overall. It also put its mark on the Top 10 TV shows charts. The new Bosch spinoff series jumped two spots in the Top 10 overall charts,...

Mockingly referred to as “your dad’s favorite show”, Bosch was a long-running hit for Prime Video followed by the sequel series Bosch: Legacy, which ran for three seasons. Bosch: Legacy recently ended its run and included Maggie Q in the finale as the title character in her own series, Ballard. Based on the novels by Michael Connelly, Ballard brings a new perspective to the shared universe inhabited by Harry Bosch but with a new point of view

Ballard follows Detective Renée Ballard (Q) as she leads the LAPD’s new and underfunded cold case division, tackling the city’s most challenging long-forgotten crimes with empathy and relentless determination. As she peels back layers of crimes spanning decades, including a serial killer’s string of murders and a murdered John Doe, she soon uncovers a dangerous conspiracy within the LAPD. With the help of her volunteer team and retired detective...

With Ballard now streaming on Prime Video, the next chapter in Michael Connelly’s crime universe is officially underway. While Maggie Q’s Renée Ballard is front and center, she’s backed by a new ensemble cast — including veteran stars Amy Hill and John Carroll Lynch, who opened up to Collider's Aidan Kelley on the red carpet about their roles in the spin-off and how their characters help shape this new era of the Bosch franchise.

For Amy Hill, the series marks her return to Prime Video following her role as Tūtū in Disney’s 2025 live-action Lilo & Stitch. In Ballard, Hill plays — wait for it — Tūtū, the grandmother to Maggie Q's Ballard. There's no Disney crossover here, folks, don't worry.

“I feel like my character really brings the soft side of Maggie Q,” Hill told Collider on the red carpet. “No matter how badass you are, there's a lot of...

After a decade of Titus Welliver’s grumpy detective anchoring Prime Video’s Bosch universe, the baton has officially been passed. With Bosch: Legacy wrapping up its third and final season, the franchise isn’t slowing down — it’s pivoting. Enter Ballard, a new spin-off starring Maggie Q as Detective Renée Ballard, a character pulled straight from Michael Connelly’s bestselling novels. She operates in the same world, solves the same kinds of brutal crimes — but make no mistake: she’s a different kind of detective. So, who is Renée Ballard? According to the actor who plays her, she’s not Bosch 2.0. She’s something else entirely.

At the Ballard red carpet premiere, Maggie Q told Collider's Aidan Kelley that while her character shares Bosch’s famous commitment to justice, their methods — and the worlds they operate in — aren’t one-to-one. “They’re very similar in so many ways,...

After ten seasons of Bosch and Bosch: Legacy, Prime Video’s gritty LA crime franchise is officially entering its next phase — and the real-life inspiration behind Ballard says it’s still sinking in. Mitzi Roberts, the veteran LAPD detective who inspired Michael Connelly’s Renee Ballard character, was on hand at the Ballard red carpet premiere, where she spoke exclusively to Collider’s Aidan Kelley about what it’s like seeing a version of herself brought to life onscreen. “It’s surreal. Very humbled. Hasn’t kind of sunk in yet,” Roberts admitted. “But I’m just thrilled with the reviews that we’ve been getting.”

Roberts has been an integral part of the Bosch franchise behind the scenes for over a decade. She worked as a technical consultant on the original show and now carries that expertise into Ballard, which she says retains the gritty realism of the original while shifting perspective.

After ten seasons, Bosch has closed the case. But Prime Video isn’t done with Michael Connelly’s L.A. crime universe just yet. The baton has been passed to Ballard, a fresh spin-off starring Maggie Q as Detective Renée Ballard — a sharp, driven, and no-nonsense cop built to carry the torch into a new era. With Bosch: Legacy ending earlier this year, the pressure is on Ballard not just to continue the legacy, but to carve out one of its own. The series follows Renée Ballard, a former robbery homicide detective reassigned to run a cold case division. She’s paired with Thomas Laffont, played by John Carroll Lynch, as the team seeks to give forgotten cases a second chance, a theme that ran from Bosch's first season all the way through to its final episode. So — could Ballard last as long as Bosch? That’s the million-dollar question,...

The Bosch universe on Prime Video has recently expanded with a spinoff titled Ballard, and it's already emerging as a streaming hit. Maggie Q leads Ballard's cast as an LAPD detective who originated in Michael Connelly's Renée Ballard book series. The character often encounters Harry Bosch, the lead figure at the center of two Amazon shows.

Titus Welliver reprises his role as Harry Bosch in Ballard in a guest role, with other notable characters played by John Carroll Lynch, Courtney Taylor, and Michael Mosley. Ballard season 1 primarily follows Maggie Q's character leading a new Cold Case Division that ends up uncovering major corruption linked to the LAPD.

Ballard season 1 currently holds a 100% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, indicating that the Bosch replacement show is a must-watch for Prime Video subscribers. Though the series debuted on Wednesday, July 9, Ballard is already #2 on Prime Video's top shows within a day of release,...

With Bosch: Legacy concluding after three seasons — and effectively closing out a decade of storytelling in the Boschuniverse — Prime Video is turning its attention to a new lead detective: Renée Ballard. Played by Maggie Q, the character is already generating buzz for bringing a new look to Michael Connelly’s long-running LA crime saga. And if Maggie gets her way, she might just team up with another of Prime Video’s biggest stars in Season 2: Reacher’s Alan Ritchson.

Collider's Aidan Kelley caught up with Maggie Q on the red carpet at the Ballard premiere, where the actor teased her hopes for the show’s future. Asked about the potential for a second season, she confirmed there were already “little rumblings of some story arcs” and hinted at a wider vision for what Ballard could be — including crossovers. “Oh, that would be fun actually,” Q said of the idea.

Amazon Prime’s Ballard works so well not just due to the brilliant narrative and bold reflection of societal horrors faced by women in the workplace—especially in law enforcement—but also because of its stellar cast. While Maggie Q is simply phenomenal as the lead detective, the makers have imbued all the supporting cast with enough personality to make them feel like living, breathing characters with their personal struggles, aspirations, virtues, and vices. While some members of the cold case division might come off as archetypal, the superb dynamics between them and teamwork make for such an exciting watch. Aside from them, there are obvious cameos from larger Bosch universe characters, who appear in a limited capacity but might have a bigger role in the second season of Ballard.

Renée Ballard Played by Maggie Q

Actor Maggie Q has starred in several acclaimed action movies during her more than two-and-a-half-decade-long acting career,...

Detective Renée Ballard made her debut on Prime Video with a pulse-pounding first season, and fans are already hungry for more. Ballard, a Bosch spinoff, ended on a rather edge-of-your-seat cliffhanger and audiences are already hoping for a possible second season. Based on Michael Connelly’s novel series of the same name, the show premiered on July 9, 2025, and has instantly established itself as a worthy addition to the Bosch universe.

The unresolved storylines and a budding conspiracy inside the LAPD, there is a possibility for a 2nd installment. While FandomWire’s Ballard review positions the show as a decent watch, let’s dissect what Connelly has to say about Season 2.

Is Ballard Season 2 Happening?

Ballard premiered its first season on Prime Video on July 9, 2025. It has not even been a day since the show’s release, but there’s significant buzz around the series possibly getting a second season already.

Prime Video’s “Bosch” spinoff series is here, and you’ll probably recognize quite a few faces in “Ballard.” But, if you’re struggling to place them, we can help you out.

Now streaming, and based on Michael Connelly’s bestselling novels, “Ballard” centers on Detective Renee Ballard, the fearless new leader of LAPD’s cold case unit. The thing about this unit is, it’s made up entirely of volunteers, and has no money being funneled into it to help.

Still, those volunteers are pretty good. Here’s who you’ll recognize among them.

Maggie Q in “Ballard.” (Greg Gayne/Prime Video) Reneé Ballard (Maggie Q)

Reneé Ballard leads the LAPD’s new cold case division, and is the protagonist of our story. She’s played by Maggie Q, who you might recognize from the “Divergent” franchise, “Designated Survivor” and more.

Courtney Taylor (Zamira Parker) in Ballard. Patrick Wymore...

[This story contains mild spoilers from the first two episodes of Ballard.]

Sometimes when you’re not looking for something, forces of nature beckon you to the opportunity you didn’t know you needed. That’s what happened to Maggie Q with Ballard.

In the Bosch spinoff, which released all of its 10-episode first season on Wednesday, Q plays Detective Renée Ballard in the next phase of the Prime Video universe. She says she believes that fate was at work when she got sent the scripts to play the Ballard lead, who was introduced in the finale of the first Bosch spinoff that recently concluded, Bosch: Legacy with star Titus Welliver.

“I was on a flight to New Zealand and was sent the first six or seven scripts,” Q explains to The Hollywood Reporter. “I said to my agents, ‘I will let you know when I land what I think.’ It was a 14-hour flight and sadly, most things you read,...

If you have come across the Ballard Season 1 ending on Prime Video, you’ve likely been left with many questions. You might still be processing that ambiguous final scene. In the Ballard Season 1 ending, Maggie Q‘s Renée Ballard is arrested for murder. When we thought everything was solved, our protagonist was facing serious implications.

In the final 10 minutes of Ballard season 1, Renée Ballard confronts Robert Olivas. He is, in short, a disgraced former LAPD Officer. The man has direct ties with corruption. After confronting him in a raging outburst, she leaves.

But hours later, Olivas is found dead, executed with a single shot from a police-issued firearm. The final image of the season shows Renée in handcuffs as she’s arrested for his murder.

In this Ballard Season 1 ending explained, we’ll unpack that shocking final moment. Dig into what it could mean for season 2.

Was Ballard Framed?

Fans...

There are few films more transformative than Matthew McConaughey's The Lincoln Lawyer, which recast the Texas native as a dramatic actor and made way for success in films like Inception and Dallas Buyers Club. Now, the film is at it again, finding new life on streaming services as audiences rediscover the hit that took McConaughey from romcoms to the Oscars.

Released in 2011, The Lincoln Lawyer follows McConaughey as Mick Haller, an attorney working out of a Lincoln who's hired to represent a client accused of assaulting a prostitute. Beyond prompting a hit Netflix series, McConaughey's legal drama has also found its place at the top of streaming charts dominated by recent films like Novocaine, showcasing its timeless, career-defining power.

The Lincoln Lawyer Is In Paramount's Top 10 The Film Isn't Your Usual Streaming Hit

In The Lincoln Lawyer, Mick Haller is tasked with representing Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe), the...

The new Bosch spinoff series, Ballard, debuts with a surprising Rotten Tomatoes score, getting higher critical praise than all of Titus Welliver's shows. Prime Video's Ballard TV show happens after the events of Bosch and Bosch: Legacy, focusing on Maggie Q's Detective Renée Ballard leading the LAPD's struggling new cold case division. All episodes were released Wednesday, July 9.

According to Rotten Tomatoes, critics are offering high praise for the series after its debut on Prime Video; the Bosch spinoff has a 100% based on six reviews as of writing. This score is above the overall score for the original Bosch, which has a 97% from critics when considering the average for all seasons, and equates to Bosch: Legacy.

What Ballard's Rotten Tomatoes Score Says About The Spinoff Another Acclaimed Entry In The Bosch Universe

Ballard continues a positive trend that was set by its predecessor, earning critical acclaim from initial reviews.

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Ballard is a police procedural crime drama series developed by Michael Alaimo and Kendall Sherwood. Based on Michael Connelly‘s Renée Ballard novel series, the Prime Video series serves as a spin-off to Amazon Freevee’s Bosch: Legacy series. It follows LAPD Detective Renée Ballard as she is put in charge of a cold case unit and discovers an unsolved serial killer case. Ballard stars Maggie Q, Courtney Taylor, Michael Mosley, Rebecca Field, Victoria Moroles, Amy Hill, and John Carroll Lynch. So, if you loved the investigative drama, complex mystery, and compelling characters in Ballard, here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Dept Q. (Netflix) Credit – Netflix

Dept Q. is a Scottish crime thriller drama series developed by Scott Frank and Chandni Lakhani. Based on the Department Q book series by author Jussi Adler-Olsen, the Netflix series follows Carl Mørck,...

Today sees the launch of Ballard, Prime Video's latest thriller series starring Maggie Q as Detective Renée Ballard, and we couldn't be more excited to return to Los Angeles to solve more cold cases. To mark the occasion, Collider has your exclusive first look at the Ballard cast having a little fun before the crime-solving starts. In our brand-new clip, stars Maggie Q, John Carroll Lynch, creator Michael Connelly, and more are put to the test in a game of Who Said It?—where they try to guess which Ballard character said some of the show’s best lines. Let’s just say: not everyone passed the quiz.

The hilarious guessing game is just a taste of what fans can expect from Ballard, the upcoming Bosch spin-off that’s already making waves for how boldly it redefines the franchise. After Prime Video shocked fans by canceling Bosch: Legacy following its third season,...

Amazon Studio’s acclaimed adaptation of Michael Connelly’s novels, Bosch and Bosch: Legacy, set a pretty high standard for small-screen crime drama, something that is respected pretty well with Ballard, the latest addition to the Bosch universe, which revolves around the titular LAPD detective and her cold case unit. Ballard shines as a crime procedural by highlighting the female experience in a rickety, toxic system that has normalized preying on the vulnerable. The grim, pensive tone owing to the realistic treatment of the female perspective is balanced perfectly by an engaging dynamic presented between the eponymous sleuth and her colleagues, close ones. Despite the influence of Bosch being an ever-present factor, Ballard has its own unique identity; the criminal cases the series explores act as reflections of Renee Ballard’s inner turmoil. Like old-school crime dramas, the series lets viewers feel the emotional beats without rushing to a conclusion,...

Detective Renée Ballard (Maggie Q) first showed up on screen in the series finale of “Bosch: Legacy,” where she and Harry F—king Bosch (Titus Welliver) reluctantly worked on a case together. But even if you’ve not seen an episode of “Bosch,” you’ll get oriented to “Ballard” right quick. It’s one of the great TV procedurals in recent years, a feat of plotting, character, performance, and using the medium to poke at a society that breeds it.

Q’s detective is working in a literal and figurative basement in the hierarchy of the LAPD, trying to crack the coldest of cases after an accusation of misconduct rankled the wrong feathers up the chain of command. With an island of misfit toys — that is to say, volunteer law enforcement that are retired, reserve or just civilians — Ballard does her diligence to ensure justice for the people whose cases have long been forgotten,...

It’s a big week for the Bosch universe. While fans say goodbye to Titus Welliver’s iconic detective after Bosch: Legacywrapped its final season earlier this year, the next chapter has officially arrived. Ballard premieres July 9 on Prime Video, and the verdict is already in: it’s a winner. The Bosch spin-off is boasting a rare 100% Rotten Tomatoes score from its first batch of reviews, with critics praising Ballard for carving out its own identity. That’s no small feat when you’re stepping out of Harry Bosch’s very long shadow—and doing it without the man himself.

But here’s the twist: while Ballard kicks off a new era on Prime Video, another Connelly creation is enjoying a surprise resurgence elsewhere. Matthew McConaughey’s 2011 legal thriller The Lincoln Lawyer—based on Michael Connelly’s novel of the same name—has just hit Paramount+ and cracked the U.

Based on the beloved novels by Michael Connelly and adapted for television by Kendall Sherwood and Michael Alaimo, Prime Video’s “Ballard” — a spinoff of “Bosch” and “Bosch: Legacy” — is one of the best police procedurals on TV. Set in Los Angeles, “Ballard” follows Detective Renée Ballard (an outstanding Maggie Q). Recently ousted from the Robbery and Homicide division for blowing the whistle on a popular cop, Ballard finds herself sequestered in the basement, in command of LAPD’s newly formed Cold Case Division. As the only full-time staffer in the severely underfunded unit, Ballard must rely on her own experience, moxy and a motley crew of volunteers to weed through the countless long-forgotten, decades-old homicides. However, when Ballard is tasked with solving the murder of a politician’s sister, she uncovers some truly devastating twists and a shocking web of corruption that threatens to bury her. Smartly acted, beautifully paced and genuinely engaging,...

First there was Bosch, then Bosch: Legacy. Now the world of Michael Connelly is expanding again with Ballard, the newest series to hit Prime Video based on the crime fiction of the author. Taking a lead from its predecessors, Ballard has plenty of links to Bosch – including featuring the man himself (played by Titus Welliver) in several episodes. However, while speaking to MovieWeb’sGeorge Edelman, Connelly reflected on which of his other characters he believes could be the next Bosch replacement for crime fans.

Harry Bosch has been the most prominent character in Connelly’s extensive library of novels, from his first appearance in 1992’s The Black Echo through to The Waiting in 2024, which also features the protagonist of the new series, Renee Ballard, played by Maggie Q. For Connelly, though, there is another character would has appeared several times in his work that could also deserve their own time to shine.

Amazon Prime’s adaptation of the Bosch universe gets a new expansion in the form of another significant Michael Connelly character, Renee Ballard, getting her own solo series, with the recently released Ballard. Earlier this year, when Bosch: Legacy ended with its third season, in the series finale, the veteran investigator came across the driven LAPD cold case detective, Renee, played by Maggie Q, and jointly investigated a case, with their interaction setting the tone for her solo series. Of course, with both the sleuths operating in LA, it was quite apparent that sooner or later Renee would cross paths with Bosch and other key players—but it remained unknown in what capacity. As the first season of Ballard drops, it becomes clear that Renee is running the show, and the plot has incorporated Bosch’s involvement in an organic way so as not to disrupt the narrative flow.

Spoiler...

Ballard is a spin-off of the hit Amazon Prime show Bosch, and both series are adaptations of Michael Connelly’s best-selling novels. Just like in the books, Ballard and Bosch repeatedly cross paths in the series as well, and Bosch fans will be glad to learn that their favorite detective plays a crucial role in Ballard. The series is centered around Renee Ballard, an LAPD detective who was assigned to the cold-cases department after she dared to speak out against her colleague following an attempted assault. Ballard operated from the basement of the station and had barely a handful of volunteers and reserves to help her solve the cases. But that didn’t demotivate Ballard; instead, she felt all the more driven to prove her haters wrong. The team took on several cases throughout the series; some were solved quicker than the others.

Spoiler Alert

Who was Anthony Driscoll?

Robert Olivas...

Amazon Prime’s Ballard will definitely remind you of Netflix’s recent hit show, Dept Q, and drawing a comparison between the two is only natural. The plot is pretty much the same—a detective is tasked with investigating cold cases with limited resources, and as we know by now, the team usually consists of a ragtag bunch of misfits. Their idiosyncrasies not only add depth to the story but also bring in multiple perspectives and introduce side plots that are equally intriguing. The difference between Dept Q and Ballard is definitely in their treatment, which in a way reflects the worldview of the central characters.

What is all the more interesting is that both shows are adapted from book series—Dept Q is based on Jussi Adler Olsen’s Danish book series, and Ballard is adapted from the Renee Ballard series by Michael Connelly. If you’re a Bosch fan,...

How long is Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer series expected to last? As lead Manuel Garcia-Rulfo sees it, it can go on a while. He admitted to Variety that when he did the first season, his first series regular TV job, he hadn’t imagined the success it would have. “I’m like, ‘It’s going to be one, and that’s it,'” he said. “I never imaged it was going to have the success that it has. People love it.” That’s something he noticed while filming Jurassic World: Rebirth. “I don’t know,” Garcia-Rulfo admitted of how many more seasons The Lincoln Lawyer will have. “We’ll see. I was talking to [Michael Connelly] a few days ago, he was on set, and he’s still writing, he’s still writing for more Lincoln Lawyer and ...

The last time we saw LA's best defense attorney, Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), he was a man in a whole world of trouble. With the body of his client, Sam Scales (Christopher Thornton), found in the trunk of his Lincoln convertible, Haller is in for a rollercoaster ride in Netflix’s The Lincoln LawyerSeason 4. Created for television by David E. Kelley, The Lincoln Lawyer is based on the novels by Michael Connelly and Season 4 is set to adapt The Law of Innocence, a beloved novel in the book series. The groundwork has been laid for what is sure to be an emotionally torturous time for Mickey as he works towards proving his innocence. Garcia-Rulfo has recently revealed why the coming season is a favorite of his.

The past three seasons of The Lincoln Lawyer have seen Mickey as the attorney. Season 4 will showcase him as the defendant, and it's likely...

Bosch: Legacy may have aired its last episodes in March, but a spin-off starring Maggie Q as Ballard will hit screens very soon. Ahead of the release, the show's creator shared an exciting update about where things are headed.

Speaking with Screen Rant, author Michael Connelly, who created the Bosch series and the upcoming Ballard spinoff, said he's confident the show is going to perform well. "We don't have a green light yet [for Season 2], we're going to see how the show does. We are very confident that the show is going to do well, because if you've seen it, you know that it's going to appeal to people. So, hopefully we'll get a second season, and then we'll be off."

In addition to being hopeful about a second season of Ballard, Connelly reminisced about the early days of Bosch and hinted at there being many stories for the new spinoff to explore.