Summary
- Amazon canceled Bosch: Legacy ahead of the third season without informing Michael Connelly.
- Connelly sold the rights to Harry Bosch, but the spin-off misled him about the Bosch-verse expansion.
- Amazon’s conduct with ending Bosch: Legacy was underhanded, prompting skepticism and a Save Bosch: Legacy petition.
Amazon canceled Bosch: Legacy ahead of its third season, which is set to air next month. The Renee Ballard spin-off has been in the pipeline for a while, and the supposed plan was to expand Michael Connelly’s crime universe, rather than Harry Bosch passing the torch to Maggie Q’s crime-fighting cold case investigator. Amazon clearly had a succession plan in mind, but failed to inform Michael Connelly.
Michael Connelly sold the rights to Harry Bosch to Amazon over a decade ago, but he wouldn’t have agreed to the Ballard spin-off if he knew it would be at the expense of Harry Bosch’s solo stories in Bosch: Legacy. Amazon’s approach to the Bosch-verse is extremely underhanded, especially when it was Connelly’s superb books that led to Bosch and Bosch: Legacy.
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The Renee Ballard Spin-Off Was Sold To Michael Connelly As An Expansion Of The Bosch-verse But This Was Misleading
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Ballard Season 1 |
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Starring |
Maggie Q, Courtney Taylor, John Carroll Lynch, Michael Mosley, Rebecca Field, Victoria Moroles, Amy Hill, Ricardo Chavira, Noah Bean, Alain Uy, Hector Hugo and Titus Welliver |
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Based on the books by |
Michael Connelly |
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Directed by |
Jet Wilkinson |
The words ‘Amazon’ and ‘misleading’ go hand in hand nearly as well as Harry Bosch and Renee Ballard. Michael Connelly’s plan was to see his iconic characters feature in an epic expanded crime universe on Prime Video. However, Amazon had other ideas, and they didn’t share them with Connelly and the rest of the creative team. If they had, Connelly probably wouldn’t have handed over the rights to the character of Renee Ballard. Connelly had already parted with the rights to Harry Bosch, but after ten years of collaboration with Amazon, it’s hard to blame him for trusting that they’d respect his long-term vision for his crime world.
Connelly and Titus Welliver stood behind Amazon when questions were raised about their conduct when they announced the end of Bosch: Legacy. Amazon has never called it a cancelation, but sources within the production have a very different version of events. However, Amazon has silenced the cast and crew, and the fans’ Save Bosch: Legacy petition has been hampered by it.
Save Bosch: Legacy Key Points
- Sign the petition to Save Bosch: Legacy HERE
- Spread the word by sharing the link on ALL social media platforms (X, Threads, Blue Sky, Facebook and Instagram.
- Post REVIEWS of BOSCH: LEGACY on Prime and IMDB, explaining why you love the show and that you want at least ONE MORE SEASON to finish the story
Michael Connelly Trusted Amazon And They Let Him Down When The Bosch-verse Was About To Expand
Back in September 2024, Michael Connelly put on a brave face and released a statement to announce the end of Bosch: Legacy on his Instagram account:
I’m happy to announce that the third season of Bosch: Legacy will premiere on Prime in March. I think it’s our best yet. It will also be the last season, bringing to a fitting close a 10-season run with this character.
Michael Connelly was ‘not’ happy to announce the end of Bosch: Legacy, but his continued involvement with Amazon on the Ballard spin-off left him powerless. However, Connelly was very honest in a later interview with The Irish Star:
We didn’t get the word Bosch: Legacy was not going to go on until we were well into producing Ballard, but that kind of frees up some of our Bosch characters.
Michael Connelly and Amazon have collaborated for over a decade, but the legendary author was let down ahead of the most important year for the Bosch-verse. Amazon didn’t like the increasing costs associated with the production of Bosch: Legacy, and Michael Connelly’s contract clause was holding them back, so they scrapped the show. In an interview with CBS Saturday Morning, Connelly said:
I want it in writing, in a contract that every shot in this show would be shot in Los Angeles, because Los Angeles is as big of a character as Harry Bosch is. And they agreed to that, which now they would never do. Now they are smart.
It’s a pity Michael Connelly’s contract didn’t protect him against Amazon using the Renee Ballard spin-off to phase out Bosch: Legacy.
Sign The Petition To Save Bosch: Legacy HERE
More
Amazon Should Hand The Bosch: Legacy Rights Back To Michael Connelly
Amazon canceled Bosch: Legacy, but Harry Bosch’s solo stories aren’t done yet so why don’t they hand the rights back to Michael Connelly?