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The following contains spoilers from Season 1 of Ballard, now streaming on Prime Video.

Not three months after Titus Welliver wrapped his 10-season run as LAPD detective turned P.I. Harry Bosch, Maggie Q made her full-on debut as Renée Ballard, in her own eponymous Prime Video procedural. Did Ballard fill the Bosch-shaped hole in your TV schedule?

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Big viewers of the CW in the 2010's may have caught this reunion in Maggie Q's newest show Ballard, a spin-off of the wildly popular Bosch. In Ballard, Q reunited with her Nikita co-star Noah Bean. Q played the titular role of Nikita and Bean played Ryan Fletcher. When talking with Collider's Aidan Kelley at the premiere of Ballard, Bean reminisced about his time with Q on Nikita as well as the energy that she brought to the set of Ballard. He explains his character, Jake Pearlman, a city councilman, brings together the cold case team Detective Renee Ballard is now on as she navigates her new place in the LAPD. He says "it was like a total homecoming." As Bean explains, there were similarities as he worked on Ballard between his and Q's characters on both that show and Nikita.

"There was some similarities actually of our dynamic...

Ballard (TV Series 2025) is a cop drama in which the show expertly puts together the gritty realities of cold case investigations with the complex personal lives of those who pursue justice. This series introduces us to Renee Ballard, a tenacious detective who, after a long pursuit, finally nabs a criminal named Windel Jones. However, her triumph is quickly overshadowed by a departmental inquiry into her use of force, pushing her into the underfunded, basement-dwelling cold case unit.

Ballard’s determination shines through as she pushes to reopen a baffling John Doe case, a victim found with a baby who mysteriously vanished. The plot thickens with the arrival of LA City Councilman Jake Pearlman, who, wielding his influence as a unit funder, demands Ballard prioritize the murder of his sister, Sarah. As Ballard navigates these cases, she uncovers unsettling truths: a potential police cover-up in the John Doe case, a traumatic...

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,...

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...

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...

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,...

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,...

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...

Plot: Ballard continues to bring Michael Connelly’s bestselling novels to life, following Detective Renée Ballard 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 Harry Bosch, Detective Ballard navigates personal trauma, professional challenges, and life-threatening dangers to expose the truth.

Review: Bosch has been a mainstay on Prime Video since 2014 when the Titus Welliver-led procedural series began adapting the long-running novel series by Michael Connelly. After seven seasons and a three-season sequel, Bosch: Legacy, the original show came to an end back in April with an episode that introduced viewers to Renee Ballard.

Twice a month Joe Lipsett will dissect a new Amityville Horror film to explore how the “franchise” has evolved in increasingly ludicrous directions. This is “The Amityville IP.”

Eric Roberts appears early on in Shawn C. Phillips’ Amityville Bigfoot. He turns up at the derelict cabin that is purportedly a laboratory for Amityville Chemical and proceeds to dress everyone down for allowing Bigfoot to escape.

It’s not a great role and Roberts is very clearly playing Eric Roberts, but the over the top charisma (and chicklet teeth) of the slumming C-lister is enough to temporarily lift the latest Amityville film out of its doldrums and become something briefly interesting. Not necessarily something watchable, but at least a film that isn’t horrendously boring.

The same cannot be said for the non-Eric Roberts scenes. Phillips, a prolific Amityville contributor, takes a threadbare premise and, along with co-writer Julie Anne Prescott,...

Update (8/22/2024): Four more stars are joining Prime Video‘s upcoming Renée Ballard Bosch spinoff led by Maggie Q. According to Deadline, Ricardo Chavira, Noah Bean, Alain Uy, and Hector Hugo will join the ensemble in recurring roles, joining previously announced series regulars, Q, Courtney Taylor, John Carroll Lynch, Michael Mosley, Rebecca Field, Victoria Moroles, and Amy Hill. In the upcoming series, Chavera will play Detective Robert Olivas, Bean is set to portray Councilman Jake Pearlman, Uy is taking on the role of Nelson Hastings, and Hugo will play Captain Berchem. Update (8/13/2024): Prime Video’s upcoming Renée Ballard Bosch spinoff is adding more stars to its ensemble as new cast members join Maggie Q for the show. According to Deadline, new additions include Ozark‘s Michael Mosley, A Star Is Born‘s Rebecca Field, Teen Wolf‘s Victoria Moroles, and Magnum P.I.‘s Amy Hill. They join Q...

Exclusive: The new Bosch spinoff series centering on Renée Ballard is rounding out its cast, adding Ricardo Chavira, Noah Bean, Alain Uy and Hector Hugo in recurring roles. They join previously announced series regulars Maggie Q, Courtney Taylor, John Carroll Lynch, Michael Mosley, Rebecca Field, Victoria Moroles and Amy Hill.

The untitled series follows Detective Renée Ballard (Q), who is tasked with running the LAPD’s new cold case division — a poorly funded, all-volunteer unit with the largest caseload in the city. Ballard approaches these frozen-in-time cases with empathy and determination. When she uncovers a larger conspiracy during her investigations, she’ll lean on the assistance of her retired ally, Harry Bosch, to navigate the dangers that threaten both her unit and her life.

Chavira will play Detective Robert Olivas, a well-respected, charming and charismatic detective, who shares a complicated past with Ballard.

Bean will portray Councilman Jake Pearlman, a...