Amazon Originals Review: Bosch

Although a little rushed, the Amazon Original Bosch is a solid, slow-burn cop drama.

Review by Matt Cummings

Amazon Originals hit it big in 2015 with their comedy Transparent, winning tow Golden Globe awards and solid praise along the way. Seeking to extend their street rep as a legitimate distributor of programming is Bosch, based on the book series by Michael Connelly. And while it's an enjoyable slow burn, the series needs a bit more polish and a few more episodes.

LAPD Detective Harry Bosch (Titus Welliver) is no stranger to trouble: a decorated soldier, he's a shoot-first-cop-on-the-edge, with only a broken marriage to show for his personal life. But Bosch bleeds LA, and when the body of a 12 year-old boy is accidentally dug up, he takes a special interest in pursing the truth about his murder. Was it the serial killer Raynard Waits (Jason Gedrick) or the boy's foster child friend Johnny Stokes (Shawn Hatosy)? Together with his partner Jerry Edgar (Jamie Hector), Bosch seeks to solve two mysteries which eventually become eerily connected, while at the same time navigating the treacherous political waters surrounding Deputy Chief Irving (Lance Reddick) and Bosch's inappropriate relationship with a rookie cop (Annie Wersching).

Welliver is terrific as the titular lead, his deep bravado improving every scene he's in. He's got Bosch nailed down in the first 5 minutes of the season, and it's a hell of a run from there. The series allows Welliver to convincingly deal with Bosch's baggage and broken private life while looking the part of a detective on the edge. Hector is solid as Edgar, who's given his own story, a sense of style, and even a few moments to yuck it up with Welliver. He and fellow Wire colleague Reddick turn in excellent performances, Edgar playing the street detective wanting to close the bones case, while Irving plays in the political shadows, positioning himself to become Police Chief. Others, like Wersching and Amy Aquino, round out a talented cast that each get their moments in the sun, coming off as effective as any secondary character in a 22-episode network series.

And yet, Bosch feels as though it needed two more episodes to fully tell its tale. The arc feels too compressed, with a key development in episode 10 coming across as rushed and even unneeded. Granted, Bosch is a lightning bolt for trouble, with one solved case opening up two more, but no one is that unlucky. Amazon seems to have the right formula, tossing out the need for irrelevant "filler" episodes, but a few more to address the last 15 minutes of the final one wouldn't have hurt. Producer/Writer Eric Overmyer does a good job of bringing the Michael Connelly books to life, painting his characters as flawed people with secrets that everyone has but are forgiven here because they wear badges. Waits defines this series the best in the episode "Fugazi" telling Bosch that he has, "No family. No life. Just cases." How true that is.

Bosch won't light the world on fire by doing anything new, but its sense of purpose and smarts is apparent the moment you turn it on. With a great cast and only 10 episodes, you can't go wrong with this one. With a second season on the way next year, you'll have plenty of time to take this one in, although you might find yourself wanting just a bit more than it ultimately delivers.

Bosch is rated TV-MA for Sex & Nudity, Violence & Gore, Profanity, Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking, Frightening/Intense Scenes and is currently playing on Amazon Instant Video.

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