Stephen King Called Prime Video’s Bosch ‘One of the Best Shows on TV’

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Stephen King often shares his thoughts on TV and movies online. He’s recommended shows like Mare of Easttown and is looking forward to Netflix’s upcoming Lord of the Flies adaptation in 2026. In 2020, he particularly praised a show on Prime Video, calling it one of the best on television.

Bosch, which premiered in 2015, quickly became a major success for Prime Video. The series featured Titus Welliver as Harry Bosch, a determined LAPD detective committed to finding justice for victims, even when it meant bending the rules. Stephen King praised Welliver’s performance, the strong ensemble cast, and the show’s captivating story, and his assessment was spot on.

Bosch Redefined the Police Procedural Genre

For much of the 2000s and 2010s, police dramas like Bones, Criminal Minds, Psych, Elementary, and NCIS were hugely popular on TV, typically featuring a new case each week. However, Prime Video’s Bosch was different. It told longer, more involved stories that unfolded over entire seasons and deeply affected the characters involved.

The character Bosch comes from a series of novels by Michael Connelly. The first book, The Black Echo, was released in 1992 and introduced readers to Detective Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch, a rebellious and independent investigator. So far, there are 25 novels featuring Harry Bosch, and Connelly has also written other books set in the same world, such as the Ballard series.

Prime Video’s Bosch took a different approach than a straight adaptation of the books. While some book fans don’t like changes to the original stories, Bosch successfully combined elements from several novels into each season. This is unlike Prime Video’s Reacher, which dedicates each season to a single book.

Unlike many TV shows adapted from books, Bosch didn’t just recreate the stories faithfully. It wove multiple storylines together into one big, connected narrative. This allowed the Prime Video series to keep viewers guessing while still honoring the characters that fans already knew and loved.

Bosch Had an Incredible Ensemble Cast

Stephen King praised the acting in Bosch as outstanding, and most viewers would likely agree. The Prime Video crime drama featured a remarkably talented cast, led by Titus Welliver in the role of Harry Bosch. Familiar faces included Jamie Hector and Lance Reddick (both known from The Wire), Amy Aquino (ER), Sarah Clarke (24), Mimi Rogers (The Rapture), and Paul Calderón (Boardwalk Empire), among others.

For many readers of the Harry Bosch books, actor Titus Welliver was the perfect choice to play the iconic detective. Bosch is a complex character – outwardly tough and reserved, but with a hidden emotional depth. Welliver’s nuanced performance skillfully captured both sides of this personality, making him a favorite among fans.

Bosch was a crime drama that really focused on its characters. While it followed police investigations, it was the connections between the characters and their personal stories that truly drew viewers in. The show featured complex, season-long mysteries with plenty of surprises, but what made Bosch special was how these cases affected Harry and the people around him.

Bosch didn’t just focus on Harry; the show also developed other characters well. We saw more of Harry’s ex-wife, Eleanor, and her return to the FBI, and Honey Chandler surprisingly became a key ally. These developments, and others, helped make the show’s world feel real and engaging. As the series went on, even more characters got their chance to stand out.

While Harry Bosch was the central character of the show, actors like Lance Reddick, Jamie Hector, and Paul Calderón became popular with fans. Reddick, who played Captain Irving, had a complex relationship with Harry – both supporting and challenging him – which added a lot of energy to the later seasons. Paul Calderón joined the cast as Jimmy Robertson in Season 3 and quickly became a standout as a cool and intelligent detective.

Throughout the show’s seven seasons, the most significant relationship was arguably between Harry and J. Edgar. As partners in the Hollywood Homicide division, their connection was a central theme, and despite their differences, they consistently worked well together.

J. Edgar became a more significant character in Bosch following a surprising plot twist in Season 3, and he continued to be a key player throughout the Prime Video series. The show’s excellent cast made Bosch a truly immersive experience, with viewers becoming invested in all the characters, not just the pursuit of justice.

Bosch Remains One of the Best Shows of the 2010s

Bosch changed the way police shows were made. It wasn’t just about solving crimes each week; the show also followed how cases affected the detectives personally and allowed them to develop over time. Unlike many other police dramas, Bosch didn’t ignore the lasting emotional impact of difficult cases – the detectives really felt the consequences of their work.

As a huge fan of crime dramas, I have to say Prime Video’s Bosch really changed the game. It proved you could have a police show that felt genuinely realistic, with characters you actually cared about, all while still serving up compelling mysteries and shocking cases. And the best part? The world they built is still going strong with Bosch: Legacy (now Ballard), with Titus Welliver reprising his role as Harry Bosch – it’s clear this iconic detective isn’t going anywhere anytime soon!

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2026-06-10 14:38