Bosch season eight… sorry, Bosch: Legacy picks up where season seven of its origin series left off. While technically a “reboot”, this series rarely feels like it, which is what I imagine most viewers are hoping for. Titular character Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch (Titus Welliver) is no longer an LAPD detective, but he’s still a detective. His daughter Maddie (Madison Lintz) is no longer seeking justice as a legal aid, but she’s still seeking justice. The show no longer releases on Amazon Prime, but it does on Freevee, which is Amazon-owned. All in all, it’s still the same old show, and while that’s not a negative per se, it does feel like a missed opportunity.

After quitting from the LAPD, Bosch is now a full-time private detective. While he spends some of this season investigating the murder of a doctor, for the most part, he dedicates himself to the search for the heirs of Whitney Vance (William Devane), a billionaire approaching his final days. Going against convention, Vance is shown to be a seemingly decent fellow, despite being stupid-rich. He has made a number of terrible mistakes, though, including abandoning the love of his life in 1952, who he knew was pregnant with his child. Acting for the first time in years, Devane gives an appropriately regretful and soulful performance as Vance that audiences should resonate with. His performance, combined with tactful scripting, had me quickly invested in this storyline.

That being said, it was a bit disappointing observing Harry Bosch investigate such a ho-hum kind of case, given that his previous field of expertise was murder. Sure, the Vance inheritance case eventually gets tricky, as one would expect with billions on the line. Yet, for one too many episodes, Bosch mostly just talks to people, acting as the human form of 23andMe, albeit in reverse. Titus Welliver is still fantastic as Harry, bringing the anger and determination that fans of the series have come to expect, but like in the lesser seasons of Bosch, it’s just not enough a lot of the time. Thankfully, the Vance investigation does become pretty rowdy in the latter episodes of the season, meaning that the earlier slog could be seen as worth it, if you prefer slow burns.*

While Harry Bosch is still the out-and-out main character here, there are two other characters who receive a noteworthy amount of story and screen-time. The first I’ll mention is Honey “Money” Chandler (Mimi Rogers), who’s still quite shaken after being shot and nearly killed just one season ago. Yet, that doesn’t keep her from fighting high profile legal cases as a defense attorney, and it remains a blast to watch her doing her thing. However, her main storyline involves her seeking revenge against the man who had her shot, Carl Rogers (Michael Rose). This subplot provides a lot of the thrills throughout the season, involving Russian gangsters and illicit theft, which is clutch given the aforementioned slowness of Bosch’s inheritance stuff.

Still, this is Bosch and not Chandler, so she only does so much before asking for Harry’s help. Obviously, this is a savvy writing move for a number of reasons. Firstly, it connects Harry and Honey’s stories, which gives Harry something to do with higher stakes in the early episodes. Secondly, it creates a scenario in which Harry is overwhelmed with cases, meaning that he needs to call in a few favors. What better way to incorporate some old Bosch faces into Legacy? And thirdly, we viewers finally get consistent, sustained scenes of Bosch and Honey together. Mimi Rogers continues to be a powerful acting presence next to Welliver, and it’s nice to see them finally achieve the on-screen rapport that was only teased in prior seasons.

The third primary character on Bosch: Legacy is Maddie, who’s now a probationary LAPD officer, following in her father’s footsteps (hence the Legacy part of the title). I’ve consistently enjoyed Madison Lintz’s performance as Maddie, a character who’s occasionally irritating but always well-intentioned, and that enjoyment continues into this series. Like Harry, Maddie’s storyline starts off a bit leisurely, but it’s never boring, largely because of the burgeoning alliance unfolding between her and her training officer, Reyna Vasquez (Denise G. Sanchez). These characters work so well together, with Sanchez giving a scene-stealing performance as the ornery but nurturing mentor.

One of the best things I can say about Maddie/Vasquez’s scenes is that they reminded of Southland, the perpetually underappreciated cop show that ran from 2009-13. Like that show, Bosch: Legacy attempts to portray the daily grind of LAPD patrol officers, and it’s done quite successfully. Still, this is fiction, which means eventually Maddie gets caught up in a case of her own, even though she’s not a detective (yet). As much as I would’ve liked more down-and-dirty sequences of street policing, I understand that Maddie is her father’s daughter and needs more to do. It’s all well-written, but I can’t shake the feeling that the writers missed an opportunity to explore a side of Bosch not previously explored.

In fact, that’s the overriding feeling I had while watching all ten episodes of Bosch: Legacy. This was a chance for an override, or a reworking of things. I appreciate that this series is focused on a smaller set of players, allowing for better characterization of the leads. That’s a positive alteration. However, why not do more to change things up a little? If Bosch is now a private eye, then maybe his plotline should be a little darker, like a traditional LA noir story, for instance. I know I shouldn’t criticize this show for what it isn’t, but I can’t help but feel they squandered an opportunity to take a few risks.**

In the end, whether or not you’ll enjoy Bosch: Legacy isn’t that difficult to figure out. If you liked Bosch, then you’re going to like Legacy because at its core, it’s the same show. Yes, you might see Harry’s new career path as a downgrade, but given that the character’s grit and integrity remains, you’ll likely get over it. All of the actors, especially the three leads (and Devane), are still putting 100% effort into their performances. The writing and structure, while familiar, remains highly bingeable. The direction, while uninspired, is always coherent. Bosch, and now Bosch: Legacy, is simply rock-solid entertainment. I’ll gladly continue on to season ni… sorry, season two.

If I had to score it, I’d give season one of Bosch: Legacy a 7/10.

Notes:

* Without spoiling anything, there is one twist in the Vance case that bothered me, as it was unnecessarily confounding. Not confounding in a “I don’t get it” kind of way, but rather, in a “Wait, some of the stuff that came before doesn’t make sense now” kind of way. I hate it when writers, whether intentionally or not, craft storylines that force certain characters to miss things they wouldn’t normally miss in order to preserve the big reveal. It’s just poor writing, and frankly, rather manipulative for a show that’s normally so trustworthy.

** Then again, this is an Amazon Prime fictional series we’re talking about. As much as I often enjoy their shows, they almost always play it safe, which is a sound strategy. And okay, I know it’s on Freevee now, but that’s just Prime with commercials.