Anthony's Film Review - Bosch (TV Series, 2014-2021)

Amazon Prime presents an outstanding TV adaptation of Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch novels...

In the genre of crime thriller novels, one of the most popular authors is Michael Connelly, a former journalist for the Los Angeles Times as well as newspapers in Florida. He is best known for a series of novels featuring fictional police detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch (named after the 15th-century Dutch painter) of the Los Angeles Police Department. As someone who has read all of his books, I can tell you why Connelly is a master of the genre. His writing style is smooth and crystal clear, showcases an incredible attention to detail, and presents realism that makes the story and characters feel so lifelike. In addition, Connelly has the amazing ability to throw in the biggest plot twists and surprises based on the tiniest of details. It's no wonder that his popularity has endured since the release of his first novel in 1992, with more than 25 books written over more than two decades, and counting.

For years, fans have wondered if there would be film adaptations of the Harry Bosch novels, along with discussion of which actors would best portray Bosch. That wish would eventually be granted, though in a different way that fans still greatly welcomed. As online video streaming platforms began developing their own original TV programs, the ecommerce giant Amazon jumped on the bandwagon as well. Its in-house Amazon Studios developed a pilot episode for Bosch and provided a screen test of it in 2014, with very positive results from fans. Hence, the Amazon Prime streaming service offered full seasons of Bosch starting in 2015. The series has had a successful run through 2021, spanning 68 episodes across seven seasons: 10 episodes per season for each of the first six seasons, plus eight episodes for the seventh and final season.

Given the nature of book media versus video media, changes are to be expected when adapting the Harry Bosch novels to a television series. For one thing, the Bosch novels present the story mainly in a limited perspective, focusing on the main character every step of the way. In contrast, the Bosch television series has an omniscient perspective, switching between scenes of the main character and scenes with other characters, including the antagonists. It may be different, but it still works very well. Also, each season of the series focuses on more than one active case, usually two cases. (Interestingly enough, Connelly's novels written since the launch of Amazon's Bosch show have taken that format, with Bosch or some other character going back and forth between two or even three cases.)

In the TV show, Harry Bosch is played by Titus Welliver. And I have to tell you: he is perfectly cast. If you've read the Bosch novels and then see the first scene with Bosch in the pilot episode, you can't help but feel that he has leaped from Connelly's pages. Like in the books, Bosch has a cold exterior, but he is nonetheless driven by a never-ending desire to bring justice and closure for murder victims. His philosophy is best summed up by a simple motto: "Everybody counts or nobody counts." Bosch is also the kind of cop who does not always do things by the book, especially if bureaucratic red tape in the justice system may interfere with his mission. People may either love him or hate him. However, given time, Bosch emerges as a real hero in the end.

Among supporting characters, one of the most prominent is LAPD detective Jerry Edgar (Jamie Hector), Bosch's trusted and reliable African-American partner. He is a character who appears in plenty of Bosch novels. Another two law enforcement characters from the novels regularly appear on this show: Lieutenant Grace Billets (Amy Aquino) along with Irvin Irving (Lance Reddick), who is first an LAPD Deputy Chief in the series before becoming LAPD Chief later on. There are also a few original LAPD characters whom I don't recall from the Connelly novels: Sergeant John Mankiewicz (Scott Klace), and a pair of detectives nicknamed Crate and Barrel (Gregory Scott Cummins and Troy Evans, respectively). Outside the LAPD, three female characters from the Bosch novels appear in multiple episodes: Honey Chandler (Mimi Rogers), an attorney who was originally in the Bosch novel Angels Flight; Bosch's ex-wife Eleanor Wish (Sarah Clarke); and Bosch and Eleanor's daughter Madeline (Madison Lintz), whom Bosch novel fans had seen grow from a little girl to a young woman over the course of several novels, and who on the TV show grows from mid-adolescence to young adulthood over seven seasons.

Given how each season presents at least one case to solve, each season uses at least one Harry Bosch novel as the basis for the plot. For example, the first season is based primarily on City of Bones, about the death of a young boy who went missing years before, and Echo Park, centering on a serial killer named Raynard Waits. The fifth season draws material from Two Kinds of Truth, which presents a case of illegal prescription opioids and a case in which a killer Bosch had caught once may actually go free. Then there's the second season based on Trunk Music, in which a murder victim is found in the trunk of his car and the investigation initially points to Las Vegas, and the fourth season based on Angels Flight, about the murder of a prominent attorney known for lawsuits against the LAPD. Even if some Bosch novels provide the main storylines of the series, certain moments in the show may be reminiscent of other Bosch novels, such as The Drop and Nine Dragons. If you are a fan of Connelly's Bosch novels, you will appreciate which books are used for the series and how they are portrayed here.

I mentioned earlier that some changes to storytelling format were made in order to adapt a book series as a television series. You'll also notice changes in some plot and character elements even as the show is based on several Harry Bosch novels. For example, the novel Trunk Music partly involves the Italian mafia, but is replaced with Armenian gangs in the show's second season. The changes from book to TV could involve modifications of the antagonists, certain key events, or character names. One thing I hadn't expected is the portrayal of Lieutenant Billets as a lesbian, which I don't recall from the Bosch novels she appears in. Also, there is a new plotline involving Jerry Edgar and some Jamaican crooks, something that Bosch novel fans may not recall reading. I'm not saying this as criticism at all. If anything, there is a nice freshness with the changes implemented, and the show is still very entertaining.

With a mosaic of characters having their own motivations and agendas, watching this show is essentially watching a world in action. Bosch is always focused on his investigations, yet he still has room to squeeze in quality time with his daughter Madeline because he really cares about her. Characters back at the LAPD station, like Billets, Mankiewicz, Crate, and Barrel, show us a lot of the day-to-day minutiae with cops who aren't out in the field. Perhaps one of the most interesting side characters to follow is Irvin Irving, because you can tell that he has political ambitions, with a willingness to do just about anything for the prestige of being LAPD Chief, or even possibly Mayor of Los Angeles. All of these stories take place in Los Angeles, a city that, like in the Bosch novels, could be considered a major character in and of itself.

From beginning to end, the series provides sharp drama, nail-biting suspense, and intense thrilling action. There is not a dull moment in this show, especially with fine performances by the cast and the beautiful cinematography that captures the mood of whatever setting the story is currently in. Bosch is really one of the best TV crime dramas ever. Fans of this television genre will love it, and certainly fans of the Bosch novels will, too. It's also a great example of how there is such a thing as good-quality television through a streaming service. If anything, the involvement of Amazon is perfect. It's a company that started out as an online bookseller, before branching to more general ecommerce, streaming video, and development of original programming. Michael Connelly is lucky to have taken this opportunity to bring his Harry Bosch novels to life in a TV series that we won't forget.

(Note: Shortly before the final season of this series was released on Amazon Prime, it was announced that a new Bosch series would be developed for and streamed on IMDb TV as a spinoff continuation. Even as the new series is expected to feature the return of several principal cast members and characters and to directly follow the last episode of Amazon Prime's Bosch, this review will continue to focus on the Amazon Prime series. If I ultimately review IMDb TV's Bosch series down the line, the review will be separate from this one.)

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Bosch, visit the Internet Movie Database.