Ballard premieres July 9 on Prime Video.
By Elazar Abrahams
There’s a solid idea at the heart of Ballard, Prime Video’s new detective series: a determined LAPD cop leads a newly resurrected cold case unit, tasked with solving long-forgotten murders while navigating bureaucratic resistance and department politics. That kind of setup should practically write itself, especially with source material from crime author Michael Connelly and the Bosch universe to back it up.
But the show never quite rises above being “just fine.” Despite the promise of high-stakes investigations and internal corruption, Ballard is oddly bland, with sluggish pacing, underwhelming filmmaking, and an overall lack of urgency that makes its ten episodes feel like a slow trudge through beige procedural TV.
Maggie Q does her best to elevate things as Detective Renée Ballard, a no-nonsense cop with empathy and drive who deserves a stronger show around her. She’s fully convincing in the lead role and commands the screen with steely focus. If nothing else, Ballard proves she can anchor a series like this. The show dips its toe into her backstory and emotional motivations, but rarely dives deep enough to make it land.
As someone unfamiliar with Bosch or its spin-offs, I can’t speak to how the returning characters and references play for longtime fans. Harry Bosch pops in from time to time, but Ballard largely feels like its own thing, neither relying on nostalgia nor building a fresh identity. It sort of exists in limbo.
Worse, the production feels flat. The cinematography is serviceable but uninspired, the script leans heavily on exposition, and the cases themselves aren’t particularly gripping. Netflix’s recent Dept. Q tackled a similar cold case squad premise with far more style and emotional weight. Even Prime itself did a much better job last year with Cross, which delivered a pulpy, propulsive detective thriller that Ballard can’t hold a candle to.
Ultimately, this isn’t a terrible show, just an unmemorable one. If you’re a completist for Connelly’s universe or a die-hard Maggie Q fan, it might be worth a look. But for everyone else, there are sharper mysteries and more engaging cops out there waiting to be streamed.
I give Ballard’s first season a C.
TV and City 