The first season of Bosh: Legacy left audiences on one hell of a cliffhanger. Officer Maddie Bosch (Madison Lintz, The Walking Dead), abducted after getting too close to solving her first big case, and her father Harry (Titus Welliver, Suits) left reeling in the aftermath. The new season didn’t rush to resolve that conflict, but it’s not the focus of the season either, though it does provide a powerful and emotionally driven through line. While the stakes are never higher than they are for the first two episodes, the entire season proves why Bosch, in any form, continues to be one of the most interesting and true to life police procedurals ever done.
Things begin at a frenetic pace, with unbelievable tension and no time to come up for air before finally reaching a resolution to Maddie’s harrowing situation at the close of Episode 2, “Zzyzx.” In many ways, Season 2 belongs to Madison Lintz, and considering the title of the spin-off, that makes perfect sense. She’s molded her character over the last decade and shown incredible growth as an actress in the process. There are several remarks about how much she’s like her Dad, and it’s true in a lot of ways. The character is tough as nails, smart, willing to push boundaries if it’s the right thing to do, and she’s also a little cold at times to those closest to her. Her close relationship with her partner Reina (Denise G. Sanchez, The Good Place) provides rare moments of vulnerability.
As she tries to put her ordeal behind her, she’s clearly no longer a rookie in any sense of the word. She confronts her attacker (David Denman, Mare of Easttown), her emotions towards her late mother, and her fears and doubts in relationships with those around her, as she quickly advances within the department. Her speech during the sentencing hearing in “Dos Matadores” is just one shining example of the brilliant way the writers and directors of the series have helped build a layered character through her experiences and let Lintz portray her with strength.
Make no mistake, Titus Welliver remains as captivating as ever as former detective turned private investigator Harry Bosch. His character certainly begins the season with the sole focus of finding his daughter, and those first two episodes find him wavering between complete despair and utter determination. Welliver is always tremendous in this role he was born to play, but when there are personal stakes, he’s able to really lean into his performance. Bosch is usually able to keep a somewhat level head, even when he’s a bit ramped up, but with his daughter’s life in the balance, he’s anything but calm and collected. Luckily, he has personal and professional relationships with people in the right places.
As far as spin-offs go, Bosch: Legacy this is about as close to the original show as you can get. Some characters were lost, or take a backseat, but throughout the season, it’s great to see familiar faces like Edgar (Jamie Hector, The Wire), Crate (Gregory Scott Cummins, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Barrel (Troy Evans, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective), and Sgt. Mankiewicz (Scott Klace, The Pursuit of Happyness), continue to pop up to lend a hand to Harry and look out for Maddie. It helps to keep the story grounded within the familiar setting we’ve known for so long, and each of them is great in the scenes they are given.
The leading storylines of the season see Harry brought in by Defense Attorney Honey Chandler (Mimi Rogers, Ginger Snaps) to assist on a murder case leading to a pair of dirty detectives (Max Martini, 13 Hours and Guy Wilson, Days of Our Lives), while also under FBI investigation from their involvement in the pipeline explosion last season. Handling the dirty cops provides some intense shootouts, but, by comparison, it may be the least interesting bit of the season and drags out a bit further than you would prefer if given the choice to live a little longer in how things began.
What does prove to be compelling are the power dynamics at work as Agent Williams (Anthony Michael Hall, The Breakfast Club) and his FBI team, tries to back Mo (Stephen A. Chang, Shameless) into a corner with an elaborate sting operation. After Chandler and Bosch thwart other attempts to gain leverage over them, Mo seems like an easier target. He’s been a great addition to the series, as one of a few lead newcomers, and while Chang has been great as a “tech guy,” this season he gets to take a huge step forward playing a more layered character. Setting up the expectation that worlds may be crashing down on everyone, is handled well, even if you have faith that Bosch and his team ultimately have the upper hand. In truth, Bosch’s literal house is more likely to collapse first.
It’s been a great relief that with the move to Freevee, there hasn’t been a noticeable drop off in show quality, and there are more than enough Michael Connelly novels to sustain these characters for a good while. While Bosch was never a series with the most expensive marketing behind it, it did manage to build a loyal following through word of mouth, and fans have continued to support Legacy. All episodes are available to stream for free (with ads), and Season 3 will have another highly emotional arc to resolve whenever it comes around.
