Bosch’s ability to blend the pulse of an action thriller with the slow-burn unraveling of a noir is exactly what makes it one of the best crime drama shows of all time. Over seven seasons, it has become a definitive binge-watch, and it has the near-perfect 97% Rotten Tomatoes rating to prove it.
Bosch Is The Best Police Procedural To Binge On Prime Video
There are no shortage of Prime Video detective series, butBosch stands above the rest. Every Bosch season is structured around overlapping cases, mixing murder investigations with political corruption and LAPD infighting. It’s a series that satisfies both the episodic pleasures of a procedural and the serialized depth of long-form storytelling.
It wouldn’t be nearly as good without Titus Welliver in the lead performance. Don’t expect some flashy detective with gimmicks or classic noir catchphrases. Instead, he’s a weary truth-seeker who refuses to compromise, even when it costs him dearly—and it does. That grounded realism setsBosch apart and every cliffhanger pushes into the next episode like a great crime novel that’s endlessly bingeable.
What Makes Bosch Different From Other Crime Procedurals
Titus Welliver as Bosch at a war graveyard
Many of the best procedural TV shows reset each week, butBosch seeds story arcs, with cases that unfold over multiple episodes, giving space for false leads and moral ambiguity. The writing leans into the gray areas that real detectives live with, so there’s a slower approach to solving cases compared to crime procedurals that wrap it up in 45 minutes.
Just as important is Los Angeles itself, which functions as more than a backdrop. From the Hollywood Hills mansions to the underbelly of Skid Row, the show avoids a glossy Los Angeles backdrop. Instead, it captures the city’s contradictions, making the setting feel inseparable from the story, with deception and corruption lurking in the shadows.
And unlike other murder mystery shows that move on after the “whodunit” is solved,Bosch explores the motivations behind deadly crimes. Season one’s premise involves Bosch trying to solve the murder case of a young boy while standing trial himself, for murdering a serial killer.
Beneath those two complex premises is a moral test for Bosch, which forces him to reckon with his own traumatic past. That complexity is the beating heart of what makesBosch unique from the rest.
Should You Watch Bosch: Legacy After Bosch?
Renee Ballard and Harry Bosch in Bosch: Legacy season 3, episode 10
After seven seasons, the franchise continued with Bosch: Legacy, a three-season sequel that follows a retired Bosch still doing his thing as a private investigator. His daughter, Maddie, joins the LAPD and is thrust into the danger Harry once faced. It’s a fresh dynamic that pushes the story forward while avoiding the gimmick of an unnecessary sequel series.
Bosch: Legacy explores the generational contrasts between Harry’s cynicism and Maddie’s idealism while still upholding the same quality of tightly wound mysteries that the original delivered. It’s an absolute must-watch forBosch fans, and it’s the perfect springboard for the next spinoff series,Ballard, with Maggie Q in the lead.
Alex Zakrzewski, Ernest R. Dickerson, Patrick Cady, Aaron Lipstadt, Adam Davidson, Daisy von Scherler Mayer, Kevin Dowling, Neema Barnette, Tim Hunter, Zetna Fuentes, Christine Moore, Jim McKay, Laura Belsey, Matt Earl Beesley, Phil Abraham, Roxann Dawson, Sarah Pia Anderson, Stephen Gyllenhaal, Tara Nicole Weyr, Thomas Carter, Hagar Ben-Asher
Writers
Jeffrey Alan Fiskin, Tom Bernardo, Elle Johnson, John Mankiewicz, Shaz Bennett, Alex Meenehan, Katie Pyne, Osokwe Vasquez, Lolis Eric Elie, Jessica Kivnik, Mitzi Roberts
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