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Ballard is a new criminal drama series debuting on Amazon Prime Video on July 9, 2025. Maggie Q plays LAPD Detective Renée Ballard, who oversees a new Cold Case Division. This volunteer crew investigates ancient unsolved murder cases.
The program is a spinoff of Bosch and Bosch: Legacy, and it follows the tale in the same universe. Titus Welliver returns as Harry Bosch. The show combines one-case-per-episode storylines with a broader season-long mystery. Set in Los Angeles, Ballard focuses on justice, police work, and unearthing the truth about long-buried murders.
The series stars Maggie Q, starts with Desert Star, when she is in charge of a cold case unit—better suited for television narratives—and skips over the first four Renée Ballard books. This strategy retains important aspects of Ballard's past while enabling deeper character arcs, ensemble dynamics, and connections to Bosch.
More about why Maggie Q starrer Ballard skips 4 books
The Renée Ballard books by best-selling novelist Michael Connelly served as the inspiration for the series. However, the first book in the series is not where the program begins. Rather, Desert Star, the sixth novel, is where it starts. This decision was made remembering the format of a television program.
As per the storyline, Ballard works alone during night shifts, investigating smaller, stand-alone crimes in the first four books, according to Michael Connelly, also an executive producer on the program.
Though these tales make good novels, they are difficult to adapt into a serialized program with a large ensemble cast. Ballard could establish herself as a team leader and solve bigger, more complicated cases—better suited for television—by beginning with Desert Star.
Speaking to Screen Rant, author and executive producer Michael Connelly explained:
“There’s a big transition in the Ballard novels where she goes from being a detective to running cold cases.”
Beginning with Desert Star, the series can present Ballard as a leader, directing a team and taking on larger cases—ideal for a program with ensemble storytelling and season-long arcs. That also allows for a mix of new and familiar characters, such as Titus Welliver's return as Harry Bosch.
Though the first four volumes are not explicitly adapted, Ballard's background from those earlier works is not overlooked. The show also benefits from the perspective of LAPD Detective Mitzi Roberts, who inspired Ballard's role. She was a member of the writers' room, contributing to a more realistic portrayal of LAPD processes and internal culture.
More about Ballard
Maggie Q plays LAPD Detective Renée Ballard in this spin-off from Bosch and Bosch: Legacy. Ballard is in charge of a recently established cold case division entrusted with uncovering long-forgotten homicides. Ballard discovers a wider conspiracy inside the LAPD. She also looks into several crimes that date back decades, including ones connected to a serial murderer.
Courtney Taylor, John Carroll Lynch, Michael Mosley, Rebecca Field, and Victoria Moroles are among the ensemble cast members of the ten-episode series. Returning as retired detective Harry Bosch, Titus Welliver assists Ballard in juggling her emotional tragedy and professional difficulties.
The series combines procedural narrative with a season-long mystery while remaining loyal to the harsh, realistic tone of the Bosch universe.
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