The world of Bosch continues to grow with homicide detective Renée Ballard taking the lead in her own series, Ballard. Tasked with heading the LAPD’s new — though severely underfunded and underappreciated — cold case division, Ballard brings a fresh perspective to long-neglected investigations. Known for the sympathy, sensitivity, and steadfastness she puts into each case she works on, Maggie Q‘s Ballard is a compelling lead who seamlessly continues the legacy of the Bosch universe.

Inspired by Michael Connelly‘s bestselling crime novels centered around Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch (Titus Welliver), Detective Renée Ballard brings her unwavering sense of justice to the City of Angels. With strong source material and a beloved legacy behind it, the new series is well-positioned for success. Like the original franchise, Ballard promises the same gritty realism, procedural precision, and richly drawn characters that made Bosch and its sequels critical favorites.

Here’s a look at what we know so far about the series, including the cast and the characters they play.

When will Ballard premiere?

Bosch fans might want to mark their calendars for July 9, when all 10 episodes of Ballard drop on Prime Video, ready for a full binge-watch session.

Led by showrunners Kendall Sherwood and Michael Alaimo, Ballard’s story picks up directly after the Bosch: Legacy series finale, which aired in April.

“It is so exciting to bring Renée Ballard to the screen and to do it with Prime Video, my streaming partners for going on 10 years. This show will have the same authenticity and propulsive momentum of Bosch: Legacy. Fans of the books will love it,” said scribe and executive producer Michael Connelly in a statement.

How is Ballard tied to Bosch?

In the Season 3 finale of Bosch: Legacy, titled “Dig Down,” Ballard and Bosch join forces to solve an old case involving the “Flower Girl” serial killer. Their collaboration not only brings long-awaited justice to the victims and their families but also establishes Ballard as a worthy successor to Bosch.

Ballard carries with her a complicated history with the LAPD, which has tarnished her career through no fault of her own. In the books, it is explained that at the height of her career, Ballard served on the elite Robbery-Homicide Division (RHD). But after filing a sexual harassment complaint against her commanding officer, Lt. Robert Olivas, the department’s leadership closed ranks against her. Rather than addressing the misconduct, they retaliated and demoted her to the graveyard shift in Hollywood, known as “the late show.” It was during this period that she first crossed paths with Bosch, confronting him for “stealing her files.”

What will Ballard be about?

As Ballard begins, Ballard is in her “Redemption Era,” exiled to the Valley (the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles) and heading the newly formed Open/Unsolved Unit, LAPD’s largely forgotten cold case division. With a skeleton crew of volunteers and minimal support, Ballard is determined to make the most of what she has, pursuing justice for cases the department has ignored or, worse, intentionally buried.

The character of Renée Ballard is based on real-life LAPD detective Mitzi Roberts, who worked with Michael Connelly on the original Bosch series as a consultant. Roberts was once a lead investigator in the LAPD Cold Case Homicide Unit and was tasked with solving the murder of Elizabeth Short, a.k.a. the Black Dahlia, one of the biggest unsolved cases in Los Angeles history.

Who stars in Ballard?

Introduced in the finale third season of Bosch: Legacy as the dogged and determined detective, Maggie Q continues to portray the role of Detective Renée Ballard, who heads the cold case division of the LAPD. The character is also a recurring figure in Michael Connelly’s novels, including The Dark Hours, Desert Star, and The Waiting.

The show draws on the novels for her character and backstory as it creates a complicated portrait of the detective.

In addition to Maggie Q, the cast includes Courtney Taylor as Samira Parker, Ballard’s former protégé who returns to the force at her mentor’s request.

The official character description states: “A wary, impulsive, and tough woman with a burning desire for justice.” In her bio, it is stated that “five years after leaving the police force, Samira’s former mentor, Renee Ballard, convinces her to return to the LAPD’s Cold Case Unit, where she works to right the wrongs of the past and bring peace to families and victims, and in the process, Samira slowly restores her own sense of justice.”

John Carroll Lynch joins the cast as Thomas Laffont, who is described as one of the few allies for Ballard. In the official description, he is called “a retired former police partner who comes back to help Ballard run the Cold Case Department. A kind, seasoned detective and crack interrogator — he’s a rock for Ballard.”

Also appearing in the series is Michael Mosley as Ted Rawls, a “reserve officer who has reluctantly been assigned to cold cases to keep an eye on Ballard.” He is joined by Rebecca Field as Colleen Hatteras, said to be “an enthusiastic and eccentric volunteer who believes her ‘intuitions’ could be helpful in solving cases,” and Victoria Moroles as Martina Castro, “a sharp legal intern who is eager to prove her worth to the department.”

Amy Hill as Grandma Tutu, Hector Hugo as Captain Berchem, and Noah Bean as Jake Pearlman round out the cast.

And though he isn’t the star this time around, expect the now-retired-this-time-for-real Harry Bosch (Titus Welliver) to appear sporadically in the series, or at least in the first episode. He did warn us in the finale of Bosch: Legacy, “Maybe somewhere down the line we’ll get to work together again.”

Is there a Ballard trailer?

Yes, but not quite yet! There are teasers, but the trailer is to drop on set for June 10.

Ballard, premieres July 9, 2025, Prime Video