It stars Titus Welliver as Harry Bosch, who's now doing private detective work after leaving the LAPD, Madison Lintz as Madeline "Maddie" Bosch, Harry's daughter and now rookie LAPD officer based from the Hollywood Station and Mimi Rogers as Honey Chandler, defense attorney who decided to defend a homeless man accused of murder by the LAPD. It adapts plot threads from Michael Connelly novels The Night Fire, Dark Sacred Night, and The Wrong Side of Goodbye.
In the first season, the Bosches work the street on their respective sides with Harry being recruited by Honey help look into a case that could involve The Mafiya while checking on a case for a recluse aerospace businessman millionaire on whether he had a child out of wedlock that he wasn’t made aware of. Maddie gets into patrol shifts, working with various experienced officers and encounter various realities in the streets of LA.
The show was renewed for another season prior to the first season being streamed online. The second season started streaming on October 20, 2023.
It was also renewed for the third season before the fall premiere of the second season.
This series provides examples of:
- Bavarian Fire Drill: Bosch gets out of being shot by armed security in an oil refinery used by Carl Rogers by using Creighton's business card to pose as a Trident Security officer doing a surprise audit.
- The Cameo:
- Most of the cast of Bosch does not appear as Amazon basically worked that show into Bosch: Legacy as a cost-cutting move. But Jamie Hector makes a few appearances as Jerry Edgar. In season 1, Bosch turns to Jerry to stash some sensitive information from the Whitney Vance investigation. In the first two episodes of season 2, he and Joan Bennett oversee the investigation into Maddie's abduction.
- The second season features more cameo appearances from members of the Bosch cast. DaJuan Johnson and Jacqueline Obradors reprise their roles as Rondell Pierce and Christina Vega, and are handling the police investigation into James Allen's murder. While in the season finale, Lance Reddick makes a posthumous cameo as Irvin Irving, when Honey asks him to endorse her campaign to be district attorney.
- Clear My Name: Honey decides to take the case of Jeffrey Herstadt, a homeless man the LAPD are trying hard to paint as responsible for the stabbing death of a respected doctor.
- "Friends" Rent Control: In "Inside Man", Bosch is seen at his LA house overlooking the cliff, trying to get repairs in place to make it safe from earthquake damage. It's hinted from the episode that he still lives there if he's not busy.
- Jury and Witness Tampering: The show opens with Carl Rogers getting off on a mistrial after the Russian mobsters he's affiliated with intimidate Willy Datz (the Vegas mobster who hired the hitman that killed Franzen, Franzen's mistress, Fowkkes, and Judge Sobel, and attempted to kill Chandler and Maddie) into recanting his testimony.
- Morton's Fork: At the end of "Plan B", Chandler offers Rogers one. As his plan to steal more gas to pay back the Bratva has been stopped by Bosch, he can either turn himself in for everything he did in the previous series, or be killed by the Bratva for failing to repay them. Rogers tries to Take a Third Option, but it fails.
- Mythology Gag:
- "Plan B" has Harry mention the tunnels in Tora Bora where he'd previously encountered planted explosives, after infiltrating the Drysdale oil refinery.
- "Chain of Authenticity" has Honey telling the California Attorney General that she has the scars to prove it, referring back to the attempt on her life carried out by Charles Kipps on orders from Carl Rogers.
- "Zzyzx" has Maddie meeting with Coltrane. He happens to be the dog used by Amazon to promote the show online.
- Police Procedural: The genre centers on Maddie as she learns the ropes of being an LAPD officer by learning what it’s like from various training officers.
- Private Intelligence Agency: Trident Security eavesdrop on Harry after his initial meeting with Whitney Vance of Advance Engineering via aerial drones despite the fact that TS arranged for the meeting.
- Spotting the Thread: How Bosch figures out Ida is behind almost everything. His first clue is the realization that Whitney Vance couldn't have written the amended will because he personally saw the man barely able to handle a pen writing his name to a check. He then has Ida sign a fake affidavit and it'll be a snap comparing the handwriting to discover Ida wrote the will on Vance's orders, then forged his signature at the end.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: When Los Angeles is hit by a minor tremor in "The Wrong Side of Goodbye", some cracks appear on some parts of Harry's house. He is warned by an inspector that he needs to look at the foundations or have his house torn down and reconstructed.
- Tracking Device: Season 2 has a tracker installed on Harry's SUV by corrupt LAPD detective Don Ellis and Kevin Long. When Mo asks him about getting rid of it, Harry tells him not to so that he can fool them during their surveillance ops.
- Two Lines, No Waiting: While Harry is involved with various PI cases and hired by various clients (including Honey), Maddie works through the LAPD and tries to be an officer the force can count on while having the legacy of being the daughter of parents who have careers in law enforcement and also struggles with the various cases that she encounters as a uniformed officer.
- Wham Episode:
- In "Always/All Ways", Harry races to Maddie's apartment to see signs of someone breaking into her apartment by destroying the mesh screen.
- In "Inside Man", Chandler was visited by FBI agents for an investigation into Roger's death as a potential witness. At the same time, Maddie's seen packing a gun for self-defense before she goes to sleep.
- "A Step Ahead" has Chandler announcing plans to run for Los Angeles County District Attorney. Maddie got a phone call from Preston Borders. He told her that he "took care of it". Maddie presses Harry on what it means.
