Ballard (TV series)

Ballard
Promotional poster
Also known asBosch: Ballard
Genre
Based onRenée Ballard series
by Michael Connelly
Developed by
  • Michael Alaimo
  • Kendall Sherwood
Showrunners
  • Michael Alaimo
  • Kendall Sherwood
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10
Production
Executive producers
  • Michael Connelly
  • Henrik Bastin
  • Michael Alaimo
  • Kendall Sherwood
  • Trish Hofmann
  • Jet Wilkinson
  • Melissa Aouate
Production companies
  • Hieronymus Pictures
  • Fabel Entertainment
  • Alaimo Productions
  • Bitter Root Productions
  • Amazon MGM Studios
Original release
NetworkPrime Video
ReleaseJuly 9, 2025 (2025-07-09)
Related

Ballard is an American police procedural television series created by Michael Alaimo and Kendall Sherwood.[1][2] A spinoff of Bosch (2014–2021) and Bosch: Legacy (2022–2025), the show premiered on July 9, 2025 on Amazon Prime Video. It stars Maggie Q as LAPD Detective Renée Ballard, a character based on Michael Connelly's Renée Ballard novel series, published since 2017 and taking place in the same literary universe as Harry Bosch.

Premise

Set in Los Angeles, Ballard follows Detective Renée Ballard as she takes command of the LAPD's newly formed cold case unit of the Robbery-Homicide Division (RHD). Staffed primarily by volunteers and under-resourced, the unit is tasked with solving decades-old homicides. As Ballard reopens long-dormant investigations, she uncovers a web of corruption and cover-ups that reach deep into the police department itself. The series blends episodic cold-case mysteries with a season-long serialized arc involving a mysterious conspiracy.

Cast and characters

Main

  • Maggie Q as Detective Renée Ballard, determined, empathetic LAPD officer leading the cold-case division.[3][4]
  • Courtney Taylor as Samira Parker, a former LAPD officer who is recruited by Ballard to join the Cold Case Unit, driven by her determination to uncover the truth after feeling overlooked in her previous role.[5]
  • Michael Mosley as Ted Rawls, a reserve officer assigned to oversee Renée Ballard's work on cold cases.[6]
  • Rebecca Field as Colleen Hatteras, an enthusiastic volunteer[7]
  • Victoria Moroles as Martina Castro, a legal intern[7]
  • Amy Hill as Tutu, Ballard's grandmother[7]
  • John Carroll Lynch as Thomas Laffont, a retired former police partner who returns to assist Ballard in running the cold-case division. A seasoned detective and skilled interrogator, Laffont serves as a steady, supportive presence in Ballard's life.[8][9]

Recurring

  • Noah Bean as Councilman Jake Pearlman, a shrewd yet well-meaning politician who takes bold steps to support the Cold Case Unit in hopes of solving his sister's murder.[10]
  • Michael Cassidy as Aaron, a lifeguard and serves as Renée Ballard's on-again, off-again romantic interest.[11][12]
  • Ricardo Chavira as RHD Detective Robert Olivas, a respected, charming, and charismatic detective with a complicated history with Renée Ballard.[10]
  • Alain Uy as Nelson Hastings, a shrewd and ambitious political figure. A longtime friend of Jake Pearlman is willing to go to any lengths to support him.[10]
  • Hector Hugo as Captain Berchem, a Robbery-Homicide (RHD) captain and a "cop's cop" who took a chance on Ballard. He is deeply committed to justice and cares fiercely about the integrity of his team.[10]

Special guest star

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date [15]
1"Library of Lost Souls"Jet WilkinsonMichael Alaimo & Kendall SherwoodJuly 9, 2025 (2025-07-09)
2"Haystacks"Jet WilkinsonMichael Alaimo & Kendall SherwoodJuly 9, 2025 (2025-07-09)
3"BYOB"Patrick CadyThania St. JohnJuly 9, 2025 (2025-07-09)
4"Landmines"Patrick CadyJulissa CastilloJuly 9, 2025 (2025-07-09)
5"What's Done in the Dark"Tori GarrettBrandi NicoleJuly 9, 2025 (2025-07-09)
6"Beneath the Surface"Nefertite NguvuLiz Hsiao Lan AlperJuly 9, 2025 (2025-07-09)
7"Fork in the Road"Jon HuertasJohn CovenyJuly 9, 2025 (2025-07-09)
8"Last Call"Sarah BoydGaleesa Murph & Thania St. JohnJuly 9, 2025 (2025-07-09)
9"Collateral"Logan KibensRalph GiffordJuly 9, 2025 (2025-07-09)
10"End of the Line"Sarah BoydMichael Alaimo & Kendall SherwoodJuly 9, 2025 (2025-07-09)

Production

Development

Ballard was officially announced in 2023 as the next expansion of the Bosch television universe. Michael Connelly serves as co-creator and executive producer alongside Michael Alaimo and Kendall Sherwood. The show draws inspiration from Connelly's novels, including The Late Show (2017), The Dark Hours (2021), and Desert Star (2022).[16][17]

Ballard is executive produced by Michael Connelly, Henrik Bastin, Michael Alaimo, Kendall Sherwood, Trish Hofmann, Jet Wilkinson, and Melissa Aouate. Jasmine Russ serves as co-executive producer under Fabel Entertainment, while Jamie Boscardin Martin and Trey Batchelor also contribute as co-executive producers. Additionally, Theresa Snider serves as co-executive producer for Hieronymus Pictures.[18] Sherwood and Alaimo serve as showrunners.[19]

Filming

Principal photography for the first season began in July 2024 and concluded in November 2024. Filming took place on location in Los Angeles to maintain continuity with the visual style of the Bosch franchise.[20][21]

Release

All 10 episodes of the series were released on Amazon Prime Video on July 9, 2025.[22]

Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating based on 10 critic reviews.[23] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 82 out of 100 based on 5 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[24]

References

  1. ^ Billington, Alex (June 10, 2025). "Maggie Q is a Cold Case Detective in 'Ballard' Series Official Trailer | FirstShowing.net". www.firstshowing.net. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
  2. ^ Cohn, Paulette (June 10, 2025). "Everything to Know About the New 'Bosch' Spinoff Series 'Ballard' Starring Maggie Q". Parade. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
  3. ^ McPherson, Chris (July 5, 2025). "Maggie Q Reveals How 'Ballard' Plans to Avoid the 'Bosch' Nostalgia Trap [Exclusive]". Collider. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
  4. ^ Petski, Denise (May 9, 2024). "First Look At Maggie Q As Renée Ballard In 'Bosch: Legacy' Crossover Episode; Jet Wilkinson To Direct Ballard Spinoff Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  5. ^ Otterson, Joe (July 12, 2024). "'Bosch' Renee Ballard Spinoff Casts Courtney Taylor". Variety. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
  6. ^ Cordero, Rosy (August 13, 2024). "Renée Ballard Series Adds Michael Mosley, Rebecca Field, Victoria Moroles & Amy Hill". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
  7. ^ a b c Otterson, Joe (August 13, 2024). "'Bosch' Renee Ballard Spinoff Adds Amy Hill, Michael Mosley, Rebecca Field, Victoria Moroles to Cast". Variety. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
  8. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (July 30, 2024). "John Carroll Lynch Joins Amazon's Renée Ballard Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  9. ^ Porter, Rick (July 30, 2024). "Amazon's 'Bosch: Legacy' Spinoff Adds John Carroll Lynch". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  10. ^ a b c d Petski, Denise (August 22, 2024). "Renée Ballard Series Adds Ricardo Chavira, Noah Bean, Alain Uy, Hector Hugo To Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
  11. ^ O'Brien, Jon (July 8, 2025). "Are We in a New Golden Age of Cold Case TV?". IndieWire. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  12. ^ Odom, Dani Kessel (July 9, 2025). "Ballard Cast & Character Guide: Get To Know The Faces Of The Bosch Spinoff". ScreenRant. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  13. ^ Fang, Sam (July 1, 2025). "After Bosch: Legacy Cancelation, New Spinoff Creator Reveals How Much Titus Welliver Will Appear". CBR. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  14. ^ McPherson, Chris (July 1, 2025). "'Bosch' Spin-Off Creator Clarifies Titus Welliver's Role After 'Legacy' Cancellation". Collider. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  15. ^ "Shows A-Z - Ballard on amazon". The Futon Critic. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  16. ^ Moore, Trent (June 30, 2025). "'Ballard': 8 things to know about the 'Bosch: Legacy' spinoff". www.aboutamazon.com. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  17. ^ Britt, Ryan (June 17, 2025). "'Ballard' Streaming Release Date Will Be Different From 'Bosch' In One Big Way". Men's Journal. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  18. ^ Staff, Amazon (April 22, 2025). "See Maggie Q in action in the new trailer for 'Ballard,' the 'Bosch: Legacy' spin-off coming to Prime Video in July". www.aboutamazon.com. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
  19. ^ Maxwell, Erin (June 10, 2025). "'Ballard': Everything We Know About 'Bosch: Legacy' Spinoff So Far". TV Insider. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  20. ^ JaneD (July 23, 2024). "First Day Of Filming Ballard In Venice Beach". Michael Connelly. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
  21. ^ "Ballard". Production List | Film & Television Industry Alliance. August 26, 2024. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
  22. ^ Petski, Denise (May 22, 2025). "'Bosch' Spinoff 'Ballard' Starring Maggie Q Sets Premiere Date At Prime Video". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
  23. ^ "Ballard: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  24. ^ "Ballard: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
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