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Key Takeaways
- Bosch: Legacy season 3 introduces Renee Ballard, who might take over from Bosch eventually.
- Season 3, based on Connelly’s books, will air in 2025 & expand the Bosch-verse.
- Bosch’s retirement could lead to Ballard taking over, extending the TV universe.
Bosch: Legacy season 3 will introduce cold case investigator Renee Ballard into the story before the character appears in her own spin-off series, with Maggie Q taking on the titular role on screen. Ballard and Harry Bosch will team up to investigate some grisly murders, with Titus Welliver also appearing in the Ballard spin-off in a recurring role. Michael Connelly initially created the character of Renee Ballard in the book series to take over from Bosch, but both characters are still going strong. However, this could change in the future, in both the books and the television universe.
Bosch: Legacy season 3 will air sometime in 2025, with filming now completed. The upcoming season will be based on Michael Connelly’s books The Black Ice and Desert Star. The latter book also provides the basis for the debut season of the Ballard spin-off, which is currently in the filming stages of production. The Bosch-verse will be expanding even further with the Jerry Edgar spin-off, which hasn’t yet gone into production.
Renee Ballard Was Created To Take Over In The Books
Michael Connelly has always been mindful of how to keep his successful Bosch-verse going, with the inevitability of Harry Bosch eventually stopping his crime solving skills. In both the books and the television series, Bosch has already retired from the LAPD. He now works as a private investigator, and so is still using his abilities to solve murders. Connelly originally created the character of Renee Ballard to potentially keep the series going after Bosch stops knocking on doors. In an interview with the Alta California Book Club in 2022, Connelly elaborated on his reasons behind the creation of the character of Renee Ballard and making sure Bosch doesn’t stay around longer than what would be logical:
I write in real time. So Bosch ages. I said twice in the early books that he was born in 1950, not knowing I would have this longevity. I had to think about how to realistically keep him going, which has always been my priority.
If he was born in 1950, then Bosch is now 74 years of age — getting a bit old for the detective life. Sooner or later, a new protagonist will have to step into the spotlight. Connelly based the character of Renee Ballard on a real LAPD detective called Mitzi Roberts, and has often described her as being ‘fierce.’ The author says that this personality trait matches up with Bosch’s ‘relentless’ need to solve crimes, making them the perfect crime partnership.
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The Renee Ballard Book Series |
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The Late Show (2017) |
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Dark Sacred Night (2018) |
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The Night Fire (2019) |
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The Dark Hours (2021) |
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Desert Star (2022) |
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The Waiting (released on November 5, 2024) |
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Resurrection Walk (2023) (brief appearance) |
Ballard Could Take Over After Harry Bosch Retires
The character of Harry Bosch is still investigating crimes in Michael Connelly’s book series, and the same goes for the television version of the character in Bosch: Legacy. However, Renee Ballard was introduced sooner than expected in Bosch: Legacy season 3, and is soon to receive her own spin-off series. This paves the way for viewers to see the Bosch television universe continuing long after Harry Bosch fully retires.
However, that is not to say that Harry Bosch will be retiring anytime soon. There are plenty more of Michael Connelly’s books still left to adapt into future seasons of Bosch: Legacy. Bosch’s LAPD days are over, but Connelly has kept the character going in his book series, focusing on his semi-retired life as a private investigator. In the books, Bosch often helps solve cases with Renee Ballard, and this is the direction the television universe is going in as well. Bosch: Legacy is now heading into its third season, and the original Bosch series based on the crime fighter’s LAPD days lasted for seven action-filled seasons. Taking this into account, Bosch: Legacy could keep going for just as long as the parent series, and possibly even longer.
When it does come time for Harry Bosch to go into full retirement, Renee Ballard will still be in her prime. She could continue solving cold cases for many more seasons. Titus Welliver, the actor who portrays Harry Bosch, is 64 years of age now, but he has expressed his desire to keep playing the ex-detective for as long as possible. Welliver explained his stance in an interview with The Messenger, expressing his connection to the role:
I’ll do it as long as they’ll have me. Look, there’s tremendous artistic and intellectual sustenance with this character that constantly challenges me. I know this character like I know myself now. Harry’s a lot older than I am in the books, and he’s still out there working cases. He doesn’t move as fast as he used to, but he’ll still throw down if somebody comes after him. That’s the beauty of the character.
This is good news for fans of Bosch: Legacy. There are a lot more stories to come involving the iconic crime fighter, after more than a decade already on television screens. However, when Titus Welliver is finally done playing Bosch, Maggie Q’s Renee Ballard spin-off will be fully established and ready to keep the Bosch-verse going for as long as fans want to tune in.
