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For Sale Apr 13, 2026 at 3:45 PM

Bosch is a fantastic crime drama, and old-school in the best way possible

Posted by keepfighting90


I finished The Wire recently (GOAT-tier show just like everyone claims), and have been in the mood for another grounded, realistic cop show. Did some research and Bosch came very highly recommended. I've read and enjoyed a couple of Michael Connelly novels, but never any of the Harry Bosch series so I figured I'd give the show a shot. I was a little skeptical going in because Prime Video can be hit or miss, but I wanted to see Titus Welliver in a leading role after really enjoying him as the bad guy in Lost, and of course I had to see what my dudes Daniels (RIP Lance Reddick) and Marlo were up to in LA. I was instantly pulled in from the first episode, and binged the first 4 seasons in quick succession. While it obviously isn't on the same tier as The Wire (nothing really is), it's still a fantastic cop drama that's easily one of the best I've seen in years.  What I love the most about this show is how no-nonsense it is. It's paced really well, without really any wasted seconds or filler. The plot moves along well every episode, and the show still manages to spend some compelling, slow-paced downtime for character development and interactions. It never strays beyond exactly what it's trying to do, which is to present a compelling, smart mystery solved by a fascinating main character. It doesn't get into making the kind of social commentary The Wire does, or raise thorny questions around abuse of power like The Shield, but it's not really trying to either. It just feels pretty old-school in that way, without coming across as dated or stale. The structure and style are very familiar, but it's executed to perfection. And although the quality is consistently great, it does get better in small, incremental ways every season.  Titus Welliver is as great as I expected him to be. He's got a restrained, low-key charisma, can do deadpan, sardonic comedy well, and depth and vulnerability when needed. Jamie Hector is amazing as a good guy here, and Lance Reddick is of course the mf'in GOAT of playing stern police authority figures (seriously - Cedric Daniels, Captain Broyles from Fringe, this role - this guy was born to be the slightly aloof boss who seems disapproving but actually cares about you). An ace in the hole this show has is the atmosphere. The way it captures the look and feel of LA, especially at night, is incredible and adds a ton of mood and vibes. In fact, outside of Michael Mann movies, Bosch might have my favourite portrayal of LA on screen.  All in all, it's just an expertly-crafted cop drama, and outside of those elite-tier shows like The Wire and The Shield, you'd be hard-pressed to find anything better.  Oh and another factor that is worthy of consideration - the fanbase is amazing. In an age of crazy, unhinged fandoms of popular shows, this one is full of refreshingly mature, level-headed people. Maybe it's because it just inherently appeals to an older audience? I would assume that a large part of the audience are also fans of the books, which definitely has a more dad-and-uncle demographic from what I've seen. Whatever it is, it's great.

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29 Comments

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themango65 Apr 13, 2026 +13
Love Bosch, the books are excellent too.
13
myassholealt Apr 13, 2026 +1
Are the books heavy on romantic side stories? I need more easy reading to supplement the heavier stuff I read, but I really don't want to waste any time on anything that has any romance type subplots. That's not what I'm looking for.
1
j_killz1997 Apr 13, 2026 +3
There are some romantic side stories but it's not too much. In one or two books it was maybe a bit annoying but the books are otherwise really enjoyable, especially as audiobooks (except that the narrator changes a lot).
3
NortonBurns Apr 13, 2026 +18
If you like Bosch & The Wire, then your next binge should be The Shield. Contemporary with The Wire, runs 7 seasons for one continuous plot arc (though obviously smaller arcs within that.) I first saw it right after I'd first seen The Wire (we were late to both so could watch them start to finish), and we were struggling to decide which one was 'the best show of all time'. First thing I ever saw with Walton Goggins, and I've been a fan ever since. [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0286486](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0286486)
18
keepfighting90 Apr 13, 2026 +10
The Shield is one of my favourite shows, have rewatched it multiple times. One of the best series finales ever.
10
halihikingman Apr 13, 2026 +6
Also highly recommend Southland. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southland_(TV_series)
6
therealrenshai Apr 13, 2026 +6
The way the shield ends is really up there for series finales.
6
Impossible_Quote_505 Apr 13, 2026 +4
The Shield is great the way it balances a procedural with a long running arc with both styles colliding and crossing over
4
Queny Apr 13, 2026 +9
My all time favorite cop show. Another great thing about this show is that they don’t try and cram wacky crime lab characters down your throat. It seems like every cop show is required to have a crime lab technician that has to be as far from normal as humanly possible. That, and the fact that the show avoids the impossible and outlandish CSI shit like street cameras capturing crystal clear license plates from 3 miles away, or the fact that they catch a criminal because they find mud on a shoe that only comes from a one square mile area four counties away. The show depicts just good, old-fashioned police detective work with believable characters.
9
jVCrm68 Apr 13, 2026 +5
Also had kick-ass theme music
5
uncia11 Apr 13, 2026 +1
I downloaded this and the Madmen intro song.
1
DJC_Kowalski Apr 13, 2026 +6
I loved Bosch. However when they move to Prime and did Bosch:Legacy, I wasn't a fan. His daughter did nothing for me, and I missed the cast that was missing.
6
Timmaigh Apr 13, 2026 +6
I am with you regarding Bosch, i kind of hesitated to watch it, until i finally did last year, and it was excellent show. Additionally, it kinda made me like LA, which i was never that much fond of - i mean based on how it was portrayed in other shows and movies. Anyway, i watched like 60 different shows last year (no kidding) and Bosch was easily top 5 alongside Andor S2 and few others. If you liked it, dont forget to watch Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix as well. While its not quite the same, i mean Bosch has bit of that "wiresque" feel to it, while this one feels more "mainstream" and less realistic, i thought it was pretty entertaining as well.
6
just_chilling_too Apr 13, 2026 +2
Written by the same author too https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Connelly
2
barriekansai Apr 14, 2026 +6
Hell, in the books, they're half-brothers. Same father. Hieronymus Bosch being the product of a rich, old, super-famous lawyer's fling with a prostitute, and Mickey Haller being the product of the old lawyer's marriage.
6
Stellar_Duck Apr 14, 2026 +1
Isn't there essentially a Cisco in each show for this reason? Just that one is called Hector, presumably for rights reasons. I find that pretty funny.
1
lipp79 Apr 13, 2026 +3
I like it because Harry isn't exactly Mr. Squeaky Clean either. I like a character with grey areas.
3
Lawdoc1 Apr 13, 2026 +2
It is also realistic to see a cop/detective portrayed that way.
2
I-Have-Mono Apr 13, 2026 +2
I waited way too long to watch it (especially as an Angeleno) — then could not STOP. Must watch for many different categories of TV fans, IMO.
2
lulu_l Apr 13, 2026 +1
it was indeed great, even the new one was decent. Luther with Idris Elba is somewhat similar.
1
noreasterroneous Apr 13, 2026 +1
Would love a physical media collection of Bosch and Legacy.
1
Loud-Zucchini-6197 Apr 14, 2026 +1
Angel’s Flight is ICONIC. That season was everything
1
LowKeyRatchet Apr 14, 2026 +1
Bosch is one of my all time favorites. I agree with everything you said about the look/vibe/acting.
1
SynthD Apr 14, 2026 +1
You may have come across Treme in your research, as it has writers in common with The Wire and Bosch. It’s as good as the other two, may be better than Bosch.
1
DataDude00 Apr 13, 2026 +1
Pretty great show overall. My biggest beef with it is that it was poor at overall world building. Not sure if it is because they never had a script / idea for the next season or weren't sure if they would get renewed but I remember that basically every season introduces a whole bunch of macguffin backstory out of nowhere that becomes the whole driver of the season plot. The worst is probably S4 or S5 with the Haitan warlord guy. After a bunch of seasons of never mentioning it suddenly Jerry's Haitan heritage becomes this huge focal point of the show to the point of him committing crimes as a cop Also the spinoff with his daughter was pretty bad and low budget feeling compared to the main show
1
Reasonable-Turn-5940 Apr 13, 2026 +6
Each season is based off of a different book. So it doesn't really flow from one season into another season like a lot of shows. They would cover the plot of the book for one season, then do a different book the next. But not always in the same order as they were released in real life. That's why in the first season they mention Bosch selling rights to his story for a movie. That movie they talk about is the title of one of the Bosch books, but the events of that book don't take place until a later season.
6
DataDude00 Apr 14, 2026
Yeah I am just saying they could have made some references to Jerry's heritage in s1 or s2 to build towards the plot in s5 but it just comes out of nowhere and he basically becomes obsessed with something you had no idea about after watching his character develop for multiple seasons
0
Alaric4 Apr 14, 2026 +1
I think the one with the warlord was season 6 and I don't think Jerry's arc came from the books. I don't think he's even in the source novels for that season. I assumed the story might be partly inspired by the fact that Jamie Hector has Haitian heritage. A smaller detail the series pulls from actor backgrounds is Irvin playing the piano. Lance Reddick earned a degree in classical music composition before training as an actor.
1
qtx Apr 13, 2026 -5
He looks too much like Epstein.
-5
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