Although it might be used derisively in certain quarters, it can’t be argued that the so-called “Dad TV” subgenre to have become increasingly prominent among Prime Video and ad-supported offshoot Amazon Freevee’s raft of originals always rank among the streaming service’s biggest and most popular shows, with Bosch: Legacy further proof.
The original series ran for seven seasons on the former platform, while the initial run of episodes for the sequel/spin-off brought in more viewers in the first 28 days following its premiere than any other previous run starring Titus Welliver as the title character. Unsurprisingly, then, Legacy has already been renewed for season 3, with the first two installments dropping this Friday, Oct. 20, with the remaining eight arriving on Fridays.
Picking up from where the most recent finale’s cliffhanger left off, everyone’s favorite hangdog former LAPD detective-turned-private eye is on the hunt to find his daughter after Madison Lintz’s Maddie was kidnapped by a mystery assailant sporting a lucha libre mask. More self-contained than usual from Bosch, the opening pair of episodes play more like a self-contained movie, so much so that Amazon announced plans to screen the double-header in theaters.
It makes for both a solid reintroduction to the world of Bosch: Legacy and a potential entry point for newcomers who might be overawed by the prospect of powering through a combined total of eight seasons and 78 episodes before dipping their toes into its hard-boiled waters, with shades of Taken inevitably peppered throughout as Harry pulls out every trick in the book – some clean, some a little dirty – in order to ensure Maddie’s safety.
Police procedurals are everywhere you look on both network and streaming television these days, and while there isn’t anything particularly unique or remarkable about either Bosch or Bosch: Legacy, that’s one of the reasons why it’s remained so popular for so long, with the expanded franchise guaranteed to run for at least 10 seasons, and likely even more beyond that.
Just like its protagonist, it has no airs or graces when it comes to reinventing the wheel, with Welliver’s consistently strong but increasingly layered performance summing up its old-fashioned throwback appeal, creating an ideal scenario where the leading man and executive producer isn’t just representative of the character he plays, but the world he inhabits and the methods he uses to navigate it.
Episodes 3 through 10 settle back into the groove, though, with Harry and longtime enemy-turned-ally Honey Chandler (Mimi Rogers) partnering up to dig through the depths of the Los Angeles criminal underworld to unravel a case that threatens not just their personal and professional existences, but those of virtually everybody around them dating right back to the earliest days of Bosch.
As a result, season 2 of Legacy has more cameos from familiar faces than usual, and they act as more than just fan service (although there’s plenty of that), but as a means of tying the latest storyline into the overarching tapestry that first started being stitched together when the very first episode premiered all the way back in February of 2014.
It was never intended to win any awards, but you get the sneaking suspicion it hasn’t ever been interested. Slow-burning, intense, atmospheric, and deftly balancing gritty law enforcement tropes with family drama, citywide conspiracies, and even lashings of jet-black comedy as its various subplots overlap and intertwine to reach a resolution that’s only predictable in the conclusion it reaches – but not necessarily the way it gets there – Bosch: Legacy is the small screen equivalent of comfort food for anyone that’s developed a soft spot for Harry and company over the last decade.
It does all the things you want it to do, and throws in some curve-balls along the way, but staying true to itself and the formula that’s worked so well for so long is definitely an asset that Bosch: Legacy shows no signs of abandoning anytime soon. Sure, it might fit the “Dad TV” remit to a tee, but that doesn’t mean you need a pair of khaki cargo shots and grass-stained white New Balance sneakers to enjoy it.
