Prime Video’s new detective show, Ballard, blends together traits of Bosch and The Lincoln Lawyer, making it a perfect choice for fans of both. Since its release in 2014, Bosch has remained one of the best detective shows available on streaming. The show set itself apart because of its incredible stories, based on the books by Michael Connelly, and the top-notch acting.

This has led to two spinoff shows, the newer of which is Ballard. The show explores the life and work of Detective Renee Ballard, who’s working on the underfunded cold cases unit. Despite being a spinoff of Bosch, the show actually draws plenty of inspiration from Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer, blending together the Michael Connelly shows in the perfect way.

Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer & Prime Video’s Ballard Share Themes & Include Similar Characters

Ballard Feels Intrinsically Linked To Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer

Although Prime Video’s Ballard is meant to be a spinoff of Bosch, the series has more narrative similarities with the Netflix series The Lincoln Lawyer, which is also based on books by Michael Connelly. Ballard and The Lincoln Lawyer heavily explore social justice topics and the faults in the legal system.

While themes like corruption also appear in Bosch, the show rarely tackles socio-political issues or the factors that influence crime. It feels very removed from reality despite being gritty and dark. However, Renee Ballard’s job as a cold case detective and Mickey Haller’s work as a defense attorney put social justice issues directly at the forefront of the narrative.

Ballard and The Lincoln Lawyer both show the sunnier and beachier side of Los Angeles.

Mickey Haller and Renee Ballard also feel very similar in that they’re extremely competent and top of their field, but they both experienced career setbacks due to factors they didn’t ask for. Mickey has the disease of addiction, which he has to manage to stay in recovery. Meanwhile, Renee experienced sexual assault from Olivas and faced retaliation when she reported it. Renee Ballard also has an emotional connection to her car, like Mickey Haller.

On top of that, the cast of Ballard feels similar to The Lincoln Lawyer in that they represent the wide range of people who exist in Los Angeles. The City of Angels is filled with people of all different races, ethnicities, ages, and genders. At times, Bosch feels like an old boys club, despite having a few women as lead or recurring characters.

Finally, Ballard and The Lincoln Lawyer both show the sunnier and beachier side of Los Angeles, as Renee Ballard and Mickey Haller both find comfort in surfing. This leads to a brighter color palette compared to the dark downtown LA vibe of Bosch.

Prime Video’s Ballard Has The Same Tone & Pacing As Bosch

Bosch & Ballard Take Inspiration From The Noir Genre

Even though Ballard has narrative similarities to The Lincoln Lawyer, it isn’t necessarily optimistic and fast-paced like the Netflix show. Instead, the tone and pacing of the new Prime Video show feels similar to Bosch and Bosch: Legacy. The entire Bosch universe, including Ballard, has traits of the noir genre.

Ballard lacks the noir visuals of Bosch, but it is equally pessimistic and mildly fatalistic in tone. Harry Bosch and Renee Ballard are disillusioned with the system in which they work, despite their passion for solving mysteries, which impacts the overall feeling of their shows. They both know that the police system is broken.

The shows also share the slowburn pace of film noir, with bursts of fast-paced action. This gives Bosch and Ballard a character-driven, pensive feel, rather than being driven by the story. This is a significant difference from The Lincoln Lawyer, which is faster paced with moments of contemplative stillness.

While she shares similarities with Mickey Haller, Renee Ballard also has traits found in Harry Bosch. Renee is emotionally closed off, viewing vulnerability as a weakness in the same way that Harry does. The protagonists of the original show and spinoff have a nihilistic and cynical outlook on life, making it difficult for them to let people in.

Harry Bosch and Renee Ballard also have a strong sense of justice that drives their work. They’re not satisfied with just showing up, going through the motions at work, and going home. They want to give people answers.

Harry Bosch Appears In Voiceovers & A Few Ballard Scenes

Bosch Will Be Able To Appear In Prime Video’s New Detective Show

Ballard feels like the perfect balance between The Lincoln Lawyer and Bosch, but there is one major difference between the connections. Mickey Haller will never be able to show up in Ballard, and Renee Ballard will never make an appearance in The Lincoln Lawyer, despite existing within the same book universe.

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Unfortunately, the Bosch TV universe is owned by Prime Video, while Netflix owns the rights to the Lincoln Lawyer. Unless the two streaming giants make some kind of deal to borrow characters (which will almost certainly never happen), they will never be able to crossover.

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However, that will never be an issue with Bosch and Ballard. Bosch: Legacy’s divisive finale was essentially a backdoor pilot for Ballard, and Ballard is being branded as a Bosch spinoff. That laid the groundwork for Harry Bosch to play a role in the new show. Although they use him sparingly, Ballard takes good advantage of this connection.

In Ballard season 1, the story introduces Harry Bosch in a very natural and organic way. The DNA from one of Renee Ballard’s cases was also found at one of Bosch’s old crime scenes. Titus Welliver reads the case information through voiceover. Then, he appears in a few scenes to help out Renee, though Ballard makes the smart choice to use him sparingly.