Should You Be Watching â€˜Boschâ€™?

Stream Bosch

Just what the world needs: another cop show. After backing the groundbreaking Golden Globe-winning comedy, Transparent, Amazon Originals granted detective drama Bosch ten episodes, which at first, seemed rather unoriginal. But yesterday, after finally setting aside time to give Bosch a shot, the verdict is in: you should definitely be watching this show.

Brazen LAPD homicide detective Harry Bosch (played by Titus Welliver) is on trial for shooting a civilian and allegedly planting a gun at the crime scene. Amidst the trial, Bosch is handed a cold case involving a serial killer who prayed on young boys nearly 25 years ago and could still be at large. After learning of the brutal abuse one boy in particular suffered, Bosch is forced to confront his inner demons stemming from a horrific childhood.

At times, Bosch plays along with the staple cop show tropes: brooding leads, quippy dialogue, an ominous score. The difference from your run-of-the-mill detective drama, however, is the The Wire-style faith we have in a deeply flawed protagonist stuck in a dysfunctional system of government. Harry Bosch and Jimmy McNulty could be brothers from another mother, and Bosch's entitled independence — from his partner, from his department, and occasionally from the law in general — is reminiscent of the tireless will to do "good police work" we saw from McNulty and the his team all those years ago on HBO.

Among other reasons Bosch feels more like a sequel to The Wire and less like a CSI or Criminal Minds-type of crime drama (in addition to sharing a few of the same directors and producers) is the familiar faces including Jamie Hector and Lance Reddick, who you probably know better as Marlo Stanfield and Lieutenant Cedric Daniels, respectively. Instead of wheeling and dealing drugs as he did in The Wire, Hector is on the other side of the law in as Harry's younger, dutiful partner, Jerry Edgar. Don't classify Edgar as a rookie, though, as his innate inquisitive nature suggests he's far from it. Reddick, on the other hand, is back in his familiar role of commanding officer with just as many curse words flying and wide-eyed death stares — though we're still waiting for his signature line, "This… is bullshit." (Perhaps in the episodes to come.)

Bottom line: if you enjoy quality crime dramas that are also character pieces like The Wire, True Detective, and The Killing, chances are you'll get hooked on Bosch rather quickly. And so you know, all ten episodes are free to stream with your Amazon Prime membership.

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