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Ballard (TV series)

Ballard is an American police procedural television series created by Michael Alaimo and Kendall Sherwood, based on the Renée Ballard novel series by Michael Connelly, who is credited as co-creator and executive producer. A spinoff of Bosch (2014–21) and ' (2022–25), the show premiered on July 9, 2025, on Amazon Prime Video. It stars Maggie Q as LAPD Detective Renée Ballard. In October 2025, the series was renewed for a second season.

Premise

Set in Los Angeles, Ballard follows Detective Renée Ballard as she takes command of the LAPD's newly formed cold case unit of the Robbery-Homicide Division (RHD). Staffed primarily by volunteers and under-resourced, the unit is tasked with solving decades-old homicides. As Ballard reopens long-dormant investigations, she uncovers a web of corruption and cover-ups that reach deep into the police department itself. The series blends episodic cold-case mysteries with a season-long serialized arc involving a mysterious conspiracy.

Cast and characters

Main

  • Maggie Q as Detective Renée Ballard, determined, empathetic LAPD officer leading the cold-case unit
  • Courtney Taylor as Samira Parker, a former LAPD officer who is recruited by Ballard to join the Cold Case Unit, driven by her determination to uncover the truth after feeling overlooked in her previous role
  • Michael Mosley as Ted Rawls (season 1), a reserve officer assigned to oversee Ballard's work on cold cases
  • Rebecca Field as Colleen Hatteras, an enthusiastic volunteer
  • Victoria Moroles as Martina Castro, a legal intern
  • Amy Hill as Tutu, Ballard's grandmother
  • John Carroll Lynch as Thomas Laffont, a retired former police partner who returns to assist Ballard in running the cold-case unit. A seasoned detective and skilled interrogator, Laffont serves as a steady, supportive presence in Ballard's life.

Recurring

  • Noah Bean as Councilman Jake Pearlman, a shrewd yet well-meaning politician who takes bold steps to support the Cold Case Unit in hopes of solving his sister's murder.
  • Michael Cassidy as Aaron, a lifeguard who has an off-again on-again romantic relationship with Ballard.
  • Ricardo Chavira as RHD Detective Robert Olivas, a respected, charming, and charismatic detective with a history of assaulting strong women he worked with, like Ballard or Parker.
  • Alain Uy as Nelson Hastings, a shrewd and ambitious political figure. A longtime friend of Jake Pearlman that is willing to go to any lengths to support him.
  • Hector Hugo as Captain Berchem, a Robbery-Homicide (RHD) captain and a "cop's cop" who took a chance on Ballard. He is deeply committed to justice and cares fiercely about the integrity of his team.
  • Brian Letcher as Ken Chastain, Ballard's former partner.
  • Kevin Dunn as Gary Pearlman, Jake Pearlman's father.
  • Colin McCalla as Manny Santos, a police officer who begins dating Martina.
  • Brendan Sexton III as Anthony Driscoll, a former police officer affiliated with Manny Santos.
  • Jim Rash as Leo, Thomas Laffont's boyfriend.
  • Cat Novella as Claudia, a hairdresser who is friendly with undocumented workers in a cold case.
  • Sharif Atkins as Damani, a defense lawyer who comes into contact with Ballard during her casework.
  • Gabriella Bonet as Abril Cortes, the girlfriend of a murder victim the cold case unit investigates.
  • Alexandra Barreto as Janet Olivas
  • Rosanna Arquette as Jenny Ballard (season 2), Renée Ballard's estranged mother
  • Benjamin Bratt as Ryan Ainsley (season 2)
  • Ever Carradine as Lauren Sousa (season 2)
  • Hamish Linklater as Chris Alexander (season 2)

Special guest stars

  • Titus Welliver as Harry Bosch, a retired LAPD detective and private investigator, reprising his role from Bosch and '.
  • Troy Evans as Barrel, a retired LAPD detective, reprising his role from Bosch and '.
  • Gregory Scott Cummins as Crate, a retired LAPD detective, reprising his role from Bosch and '.
  • Jamie Hector as Jerry Edgar, an RHD detective, reprising his role from Bosch and '.
  • Stephen Chang as Maurice "Mo" Bassi, Harry Bosch's technology expert reprising his role from '.
  • Mimi Rogers as Los Angeles County District Attorney Honey "Money" Chandler reprising her role from Bosch and '.

Episodes

Production

Development

Ballard was announced in 2023 as the next expansion of the Bosch television universe. Michael Alaimo and Kendall Sherwood created the series, with author Michael Connelly as co-creator and executive producer. The show draws inspiration from his Renée Ballard novel series, including The Late Show (2017), The Dark Hours (2021), and Desert Star (2022). Ballard is executive produced by Connelly, Henrik Bastin, Michael Alaimo, Kendall Sherwood, Trish Hofmann, Jet Wilkinson, and Melissa Aouate. Jasmine Russ is co-executive producer, while Jamie Boscardin Martin and Trey Batchelor also contribute as co-executive producers. Additionally, Theresa Snider is co-executive producer. Sherwood and Alaimo serve as showrunners.

On October 6, 2025, the series was renewed for a second season.

Filming

Principal photography for the first season began in July 2024 and concluded in November 2024. Filming took place on location in Los Angeles to maintain continuity with the visual style of the Bosch franchise.

Release

All 10 episodes of the series were released on Amazon Prime Video on July 9, 2025.

Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating based on 22 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "A crisp procedural with a magnetic lead in Maggie Q, Ballard is a worthy sibling series to Bosch that comes with its own unique strengths." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 83 out of 100 based on 7 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

References

External links