At a glance, Harry Bosch and Renee Ballard don’t have a lot in common.
But as fans found out when the third and final season of Bosch: Legacy recently came to an end, both detectives have had to overcome death and darkness in their respective jobs.
“They form this bond working together and she recognizes aspects of herself in Harry,” explained Titus Welliver, the star who has brought to life the eponymous character for 11 years. “Harry sees Renee as a younger version of himself. Her tenacity is something he recognizes. It’s just like the relationship in Michael Connelly’s books. She tells Harry, ‘When you look into the darkness deep enough, it can penetrate you.’”
And in some ways, the darkness is a part of Harry Bosch, Welliver added.
“Harry’s aware of that,” he said. “It’s not like he discards that or is offended by what she says. He accepts that with equanimity and that is the credo. All cops say that to each other in one way or another. ‘Be safe.’ It’s an echo to what Harry says to Maddie all the time.”
Welliver is excited about star Maggie Q’s turn as LAPD Detective Renee Ballard, a role she started on Bosch: Legacy and is continuing on the new series Ballard. The drama premieres July 9 on Prime Video and follows the title character as she oversees a cold-case division within the department. Rounding out the cast of Ballard are Courtney Taylor, John Carroll Lynch, Michael Mosley, Rebecca Field, Victoria Moroles, Amy Hill, Ricardo Chavira, Noah Bean, Alain Uy, and Hector Hugo.
New York Times best-selling fiction author Michael Connelly, whose novels inspired the series, is an executive producer on Ballard. Henrik Bastin, Michael Alaimo, Kendall Sherwood, Trish Hofmann, Jet Wilkinson, and Melissa Aouate are also executive producers.
Jasmine Russ serves as co-executive producer under Fabel Entertainment. Jamie Boscardin Martin and Trey Batchelor are also co-executive producers, as is Theresa Snider, who serves as a co-executive producer for Hieronymus Pictures.
Thankfully for fans, the beloved Bosch character will be a part of Ballard as well. As for the star of Ballard, Welliver anticipates the procedural’s premiere so that viewers can fall in love with her, too.
“Maggie Q is fantastic in the role and her performance is strong enough to stand alone,” Welliver shared. “She’s an equally compelling character as Harry Bosch. We have many mutual friends in common but had never met or worked together until now. And from the minute we met, we became fast friends.”
He added: “Maggie is a pure professional, extraordinarily well prepared, and a very generous actor. She’s so fun to work with and hilariously funny. That’s always been the vibe on our set. Despite the fact that we work long, crazy hours, nobody loses their sense of humor. Because my attitude, from the beginning, has been, ‘If it’s no fun, there’s no point in doing it.’”