Prime Video’s Original 97% Action Thriller Hit Before Reacher
Long before Reacher became Prime Video‘s most valuable IP in the action thriller genre, another epic show ranked as the streaming service’s best offering in the genre. While Amazon Prime Video has a growing catalog of some of the best action thriller shows on streaming, only one show has been able to maintain a near perfect Rotten Tomatoes score of 97% in a seven-season runtime.
Reacher has been so critically and commercially successful on Amazon Prime Video that the streaming service is further expanding its scope with another season and a follow-up show. Considering Reacher‘s performance on the streamer, its future installments, too, will likely further cement it as one of the most compelling action thriller franchises of modern times.
However, Reacher is not the only action thriller show on Prime Video to achieve breakout success. Years before it premiered, another brilliant detective TV series on Amazon Prime Video set the gold standard for the genre. Even after its conclusion, the series remains one of Prime Video’s most highly acclaimed originals and continues to spawn new spin-offs.
Before Reacher And Jack Ryan, Bosch Was Prime Video’s Flagship Action Show
Harry Bosch looking serious in BoschImage by Yeider Chacon
Reacher and Jack Ryan allowed Prime Video to grow its dad show reign and become the biggest player in the genre. However, before the two book adaptations, Amazon Prime Video picked up Michael Connelly’s novels to deliver a long-overdue TV adaptation. After premiering in 2014, Bosch lasted for seven long years and experienced absolutely no dips in quality.
Even four years after the show ended its run, Bosch boasts an almost perfect Rotten Tomatoes score of 97% and is often touted as Prime Video’s best action thriller series. Although Titus Welliver has played many iconic roles on the big and small screen, audiences cannot help but associate him with Harry Bosch even to this day because of his brilliant portrayal of the character and the show’s cultural impact.
How Bosch Was Different From Other Crime TV Shows
Bosch (Titus Welliver) leaning out a car and staring at something in Bosch.
While most crime TV shows try a little too hard to reinvent the genre, Bosch seemingly plays it safe by relying on traditional tropes and storytelling devices. However, the perfection with which it executes these quintessential elements is what makes it stand out in the overcrowded genre.
On paper, Bosch is as straightforward and formulaic as a detective drama can be. It features everything from a hard-nosed detective protagonist to occasional displays of systemic issues in law enforcement. However, it is these aspects that give Bosch an old-school feel, which makes it easy to follow but not overly predictable.
Unlike Reacher, which only picks one Lee Child book each season, Bosch draws from several Michael Connelly books in every installment.
The titular Titus Welliver character is also perfectly portrayed as a morally righteous but humanly flawed character, which makes him incredibly relatable. The show also does an incredible job of making good use of its Los Angeles setting by spotlighting many lesser-known neighborhoods and locales.
Prime Video’s Bosch Franchise Is Still Going Strong
Ballard going under police tape
Although the main Bosch series ended its run after seven seasons, it was expanded with a spin-off, Bosch: Legacy, which lasted for three seasons before concluding its run. The most recent addition to the Bosch franchise was another spin-off, Ballard, which focused on the titular detective’s crime-solving endeavors and also briefly featured Titus Welliver as Harry Bosch.
Ballard, too, has seemingly performed well on Prime Video and has also earned unanimous acclaim from critics. This will likely prompt the streamer to renew it for another season. Even if Ballard does not return with another installment, it seems likely that Prime Video will keep finding new ways to grow the Bosch franchise, just like it is expanding Reacher‘s lore.
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