Streaming shows come and go with reckless abandon, so it takes a herculean effort and a dedicated audience to ensure that one character emerges above all others to become the longest-running protagonist in the history of the entire medium, a lead that Harry Bosch is only going to keep extending.
As well as headlining seven seasons of the self-titled series on Prime Video, sequel/spin-off hybrid Bosch: Legacy returned for its sophomore run on Amazon Freevee yesterday, with Titus Welliver’s hangdog detective already confirmed to return for what’s going to be his 10th stint in the spotlight across two separate projects on a pair of platforms owned by the same company.
Author Michael Connelly – who also created The Lincoln Lawyer that’s proving so popular for Netflix – was asked by The Hollywood Reporter what sets Bosch apart from the rest of the streaming pack, and he put it all on the shoulders of the viewers.
“A couple of things: One is authenticity. We just go out of our way to try to create this world as accurately as we can, and we have a lot of help with that from real detectives and prosecutors. And I think we trust our audience. We think our audience is pretty smart, and that they crave authenticity and stick with it when they see it. And I think that’s a big part of it. Also, there seems to be some kind of fascination with Los Angeles.
And we’re a rare show. It takes eight days to film an episode. We’re usually only on stage two days, then we’re out in the city that we’re trying to present and bring to life. And a lot of people shorthand it as a love letter to Los Angeles. I’m not sure that it is, but we are definitely seeing Los Angeles in all of its glories and negative attributes. I think that’s of interest to viewers. The final thing is that of our performances. Our casting has been magnificent. There’s been no issues, no clunkers or anything like that… And I think people come back for character.”
With Bosch guaranteed to hit double figures, it’ll take some effort for another character to match that run, and that’s without even considering the chances of Legacy stretching on for anywhere near as long as its predecessor, either.