Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week.
Although Amazon Prime Video’s crime drama “Bosch” ended its seven-season run in June 2021, the story of Harry Bosch (Titus Welliver) continues in the sequel series, “Bosch: Legacy,” premiering Friday on Amazon Freevee, formerly IMDb TV, the free, ad-supported streaming service available via smart TVs, Roku, FireTV or Chromecast streaming devices.
After turning in his badge and leaving the LAPD, Bosch is now a private investigator working with onetime rival Money Chandler (Mimi Rogers) while Bosch’s daughter, Maddie (Madison Lintz), follows in her father’s footsteps and has become a rookie cop.
“Bosch: Legacy” opens with a “previously on drawn” drawn entirely from the original “Bosch” series, which is conveniently available in its entirety on Amazon Freevee.
So, why not make another season of “Bosch” that incorporates Bosch’s new career? Why create a whole new show and change platforms?
TV shows get more expensive the older they get. By creating a new series instead of a new season, some costs can be reset. The show also trimmed some secondary cast members while the story still (mostly) follows the template created by author Michael Connelly in his “Bosch” books.
Executive producer Henrik Bastin, who has been with the original “Bosch” since its inception, said it was a joint decision between the show’s producers and Amazon Prime Video executives to bring the original “Bosch” to a close. Then, execs from sister company Amazon Freevee expressed interest in the sequel series.
“Can we make a show that is different enough to feel that it’s justified? To not just be a second version of ‘Bosch,’ but inventing new storylines and tonality and stuff like that? ” Bastin said in a phone interview last month. “And we just felt like, yes, we can do this and we want to do this.”
If “Bosch” grew into an ensemble with Welliver as the definitive lead of the series at its outset, “Bosch: Legacy” is more of a three-hander, Bastin said, giving equal weight to Bosch’s, Money’s and Maddie’s stories.
“That, structurally, is different,” Bastin said. “It’s also a slightly different Harry Bosch. This is a man who has lived his entire life in very structured environments. Now, he’s retired, and I think anyone who is highly invested in your job, and you quit, that puts you in a place of suspended animation. He’s like, ‘What am I going to do with my life?’ But at the same time, I think anyone who has been a fan of the series is going to embrace this. It’s really the (‘Bosch’) DNA from the get-go. ”
One significant change in “Bosch: Legacy” is that following an earthquake, Harry’s Los Angeles hillside home becomes unlivable.
“We actually talked about, we need to change something, otherwise it’s just gonna feel like the second ‘Bosch,'” Bastin said. “Bosch’s house is so intimately connected to him. … Let’s shake things up. If you lose that place that is so significant for him, it’s something that, again, changes his life. It’s where he retreats, where he feels safe. But he hasn’t given up on the house, so we’ll see if he returns. “
Perhaps the character who sees the biggest change from “Bosch” to “Bosch: Legacy” is Maddie.
“I’ve gained, like, about 20 pounds of muscle, so that’s the biggest change there,” Lintz said in an April phone interview. “In the old version (of the show), I never got to do any of the action. This year, I think I got the short end of the stick when it comes to this physical stuff: a lot of night shoots, a lot of running. ”
Lintz said in “Bsoch: Legacy,” Maddie and her father are on more equal footing even though she still goes to him for counsel.
“But she does it in a way that won’t make him worried about her,” Lintz said, “which is what he did (with her) for every single season of the original series.”
You can reach TV writer Rob Owen at [email protected] or 412-380-8559. Follow Rob on Twitter or Facebook. Ask TV questions by email or phone. Please include your first name and location.