Key Takeaways
- Southland was a gritty LA cop show with personal character exploration, and it could inspire a potential Maddie/Vasquez spin-off.
- Exploration of Maddie’s trauma and Vasquez’s character could be key in a Southland-style spin-off.
- Guest appearances from Harry Bosch and Honey Chandler as mentors in a spin-off could enhance the show’s dynamics.
The original plan was to explore two Bosch: Legacy spin-offs in 2025, with one focused on cold case investigator, Renee Ballard, while Harry Bosch’s partner, Jerry Edgar, was set for a solo undercover FBI mission in Little Haiti, Miami. Ballard is nearing completion of filming its debut season which will air on Prime Video in the Fall of 2025, but Jerry Edgar’s spin-off was axed soon after Bosch: Legacy‘s cancelation. However, this doesn’t rule out future spin-offs, and one idea that could be explored is a Maddie Bosch and Reina Vasquez show, in the style of an underrated Los Angeles crime show called Southland.
Southland initially debuted on NBC back in 2009, but it was canceled after one season, and TNT picked it up, and it ran for a further four seasons before ending in 2013. It was a realistic take on what life is like for LAPD officers on the streets of one of the most unpredictable and dangerous cities in the world. It would be interesting to see Maddie and Vasquez’s partnership explored in a similar way in a Bosch: Legacy spin-off show.
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Southland Was A Gritty Los Angeles Set Crime Show And A Maddie/Vasquez Spin-Off Could Be Inspired By It
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Southland |
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Starring |
Michael Cudlitz, Shawn Hatosy, Ben McKenzie, Regina King and C. Thomas Howell |
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Number of Episodes |
43 |
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Created By |
Ann Biderman |
Southland was a gritty depiction of what life is really like for a cop in Los Angeles, and one of its strengths was a healthy mix of police drama and the exploration of the personal relationships of the characters. It was a consistently high quality show, despite experiencing some upheaval in the early days of production, after being canceled after only one season aired. The second season was already completed, but NBC nixed it, and TNT took over, and it was given the chance to really hit its stride. Ben McKenzie was coming off the huge success of The OC, and his role as new officer Ben Sherman, alongside his training superior, John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz) was similar to the dynamic between Maddie Bosch and Reina Vasquez.
When Bosch: Legacy hit screens in 2022, Maddie Bosch was the rookie cop in the LAPD, and she teamed up with Vasquez, and while these particular scenes didn’t quite possess the gritty nature of a show like Southland, there were some similarities, and potential for further exploration. Due to the unfortunate cancelation of Bosch: Legacy, it does raise the potential for spin-off ideas to be formulated. A Maddie/Vasquez offshoot series adopting the vibe of a show like Southland would work extremely well, as it could lean in on the realism of life in the LAPD.
Save Bosch: Legacy Petition Key Facts
- A petition to Save Bosch: Legacy can be signed HERE
- The Fans And Hollywood Need To Work Together To Save The Show
- Amazon Freevee is being shut down ahead of Bosch: Legacy’s final season.
Maddie Bosch’s Trauma And Her Life Away From Being A Cop Would Also Be Key Areas To Focus On In A Southland Style Spin-Off
Southland really honed in on the lives of the core characters when they weren’t wearing the iconic LAPD badge, and this would be an interesting angle to take if a Maddie/Vasquez spin-off was ever greenlit. Maddie’s trauma after being kidnapped by Kurt Dockweiler in Bosch: Legacy season 2 shouldn’t just be a one-season plot point. This traumatic event needs further exploration, but it likely won’t be fulfilled in only ten more episodes of Bosch: Legacy before it bows out. As for Reina Vasquez, there is so much fans don’t know about her character, but there is definitely more to dig into, and hopefully Bosch: Legacy season 3 will do that, but what happens after that in Vasquez’s arc? These two characters are worth the exploration, and a spin-off could definitely achieve this.
What is life really like for two cops when they aren’t patrolling the dangerous and unpredictable streets of Los Angeles? Who is Maddie Bosch in her life away from being a cop? Both valid questions that could really be explored in a gritty Southland-style spin-off series. There could also be the possibility of guest appearances from Harry Bosch and Honey Chandler, but as mentors rather than co-leads, like they are in Bosch: Legacy. Of course, in an ideal world, Bosch: Legacy would just continue alongside the Ballard series, and fans would get more of Maddie and Vasquez that way.
Sign The Petition To Save Bosch: Legacy HERE
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