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, “Ballard” is a thrilling ride from start to finish.
The 10-episode season begins amid a gun chase. Ballard runs full-force, shotgun in hand, down a darkened street. Following the culprit into a cleaners, she clocks him in the head with the butt of her gun, ending the pursuit. With the arrest, she and her newly formed team mark their first solved murder. The hodgepodge crew includes Ballard, Thomas Laffont (John Carroll Lynch), her old partner whom she’s dragged out of retirement; reserve officer Ted Rawls (Michael Mosley), assigned to keep an eye on Ballard, Colleen Hatteras (Rebecca Field) an overly enthusiastic but intuitive volunteer and Martina Castro (Victoria Moroles), a legal intern. A mere two weeks into operation, the Cold Case Division appears to be making progress, but not everyone is pleased.
With one case in the black, Ballard chooses the next one, John Doe #38, a man last seen on CCTV seven years prior carrying an infant at a bus station. However, Councilman Jake Pearlman (Noah Bean), whose political prowess helped establish the Cold Case Division, is unconcerned with this unnamed victim. Brash and disruptive, Pearlman wants Ballard and her team to focus on the 2001 strangulation of his sister, Sarah, which has remained unsolved. Determined to work her John Doe angles while keeping Pearlman at bay, Ballard approaches Samira Parker (Courtney Taylor), a former LAPD officer who was initially assigned the John Doe case just before she exited the force. Banding together with Samira, and with a bit of help from several familiar faces from the “Bosch” Universe, Ballard and her squad doggedly begin pursuing leads in both cases, uncovering shocking evidence and perilous paths.
“Ballard” works so well because Q is so deeply believable as Ballard. Though her commitment to justice is front and center, having been burned previously, the detective is under no illusion about the rot within the police force. Thoughtful and reserved, she keeps both her personal life and the clues about her cases close to her chest. As a result, “Ballard” offers viewers an honest look at corrupt policing and its effects, similar to HBO’s stellar miniseries “We Own This City.” Moreover, with Q and Taylor leading the charge as women of color, the series showcases what it means to be “other” in a homogeneous profession, one that tends to welcome only a specific type of person.
The crime drama is also superbly paced. While the John Doe case and solving Sarah Pearlman’s murder remain front and center as throughlines across the season, other forgotten investigations get their time to shine as the team chases forgotten links and questions witnesses’ ancient testimonies. Dogged and agile, Ballard isn’t afraid to bend the rules to get answers, determined to see a way forward when no one else can. Yet, as her grandmother Tutu (Amy Hill) tells her, she doesn’t always dare to face her own past. Moreover, with the superb writing, audiences will be thrilled to learn that even if certain storylines might seem predictable, things never quite pan out as expected.
Police dramas are one of the most saturated genres across network television, cable and streaming services. Though viewers generally love them, they rarely offer anything fresh. Full of mysteries, intriguing characters and some truly unexpected plotlines, “Ballard” quickly rises above as one of the best of the bunch. By the Season 1 finale, it’s quite clear that Ballard and her Cold Case Division are only just getting started.
All 10 episodes of “Ballard” are streaming on Prime Video.