Summary
Bosch: Legacywasn’t the only victim of Amazon’s cancelation cull last year, with the much anticipated Jerry Edgar spin-off also being axed before cameras rolled on the spin-off series. This left theBallardspin-off as the only surviving show in Michael Connelly’s crime saga that was actually moving forward at Amazon. However,whenBallardcomes to an end, this might actually lead to the Jerry Edgar sin-ff being revived.
Amazon clearly weren’t keen on investing inBosch: Legacy, BallardandJerry Edgaras a huge open universe, with each show running concurrently. In fact,Amazon’s plan appears to consist of saving money by runningBallardon its own, and if it either flops or starts to cost them too much money, they can launchthe Jerry Edgar spin-offin its place.
Amazon Will Probably Revive The Jerry Edgar Spin-Off As The Replacement For Ballard To Save Money
Amazon axed the Jerry Edgar spin-off weeks aftercancelingBosch: Legacy, despite promising more to come in Michael Connelly’s crime saga, in addition totheBallardspin-off. Connelly tried to soften the blow of Jerry Edgar’s Little Haiti set solo show being shelved in an interview withThe Irish Starback in October 2024:
I don’t wanna say it’s on the backburner but Amazon is gonna see how Ballard does and then, hopefully, we’ll be able to bring Jerry back.
Connelly is right to an extent: Amazon will be waiting to see howBallardperforms before considering bringing Jerry Edgar back. However, there’s one caveat to this: there is no way they’ll run both shows at the same time.Amazon weren’t willing to runBosch: LegacyandBallardalongside each other, so they certainly won’t do this for Harry Bosch’s two sidekicks in their respective spin-off shows.IfBallardflops, Amazon could launch Jerry Edgar, and downgrade Maggie Q’s deal to guest spots in that show, just like they did withTitus Welliver’s contractonBallard. Alternatively, ifBallardperforms well, Amazon might give it three seasons, just like they did withBosch: Legacy, and launch Jerry Edgar in its place, and reset the costs associated with the Bosch-verse. An added bonus for Amazon is that the Jerry Edgar spin-off was going to be set outside of Los Angeles, so they’d save money by moving Michael Connelly’s universe away from its roots.
Save Bosch: Legacy Key Points
Amazon Have No Faith In The Expanded Bosch Universe
Amazon are treating the Bosch-verse as if they are sequels in a movie franchise, as opposed to an expanded universe.Boschwas launched in 2014, and it ran for seven seasons until it came to an end in 2021.Bosch: Legacybegan in 2022, and after three seasons, it will end in March 2025. In the Fall of 2025, theBallardspin-off will make its debut on Prime Video. On the surface,it looks like Amazon are expanding the Bosch-verse, but the real reason they are doing it this way is to cut costs.BoschandBosch: Legacycould have been one show, but by dressing the latter up as a spin-off, they managed to offload the majority of the supporting cast, and promised the fans two additional spin-offs featuring Renee Ballard and Jerry Edgar. The fans were expecting THREE shows to run alongside each other, butBallardis just the next sequel in the series, with a brand-new cast of characters, andguest appearances by Harry Boschto boost ratings.
Everybody Counts Or Nobody Counts
Bosch, Bosch: LegacyandBallardcould be followed by the fourth entry in the series: Jerry Edgar. They’ll be able to call on Harry Bosch, Renee Ballard,Crate and Barrel,Honey Chandler, Maddie Bosch and whoever else in reduced guest roles, while surrounding Jerry Edgar with a brand new supporting cast.No costs associated with shooting in Los Angeles, no big stars to pay huge salaries to, and they can claim they are ‘éxpanding’ the Bosch-verse.Michael Connelly promised guest stars in theBallardspin-offin the same 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. So I think going forward there’ll be some surprise appearances.
The cast ofBosch: Legacydidn’t need ‘freeing up’ to appear inBallard:Frances Neagley’s spin-offisn’t at the expense ofReacher, and the same goes for every other television universe out there. However, it appears Amazon are making an exception for the Bosch-verse. It’s very simple:Bosch: Legacy, Ballardand Jerry Edgar should all run alongside each other, with exciting crossovers and interlinking narratives. This is the idea Amazon sold to its customers, but they failed to mention the small print.
