Based mostly on the beloved novels by Michael Connelly and tailored for tv by Connelly and Michael Alamino, Prime Video‘s “Ballard” — a by-product of “Bosch” and “Bosch: Legacy” — is likely one of the greatest police procedurals on TV. Set in Los Angeles, “Ballard” follows Detective Renée Ballard (an impressive Maggie Q). Lately ousted from the Theft and Murder division for blowing the whistle on a preferred cop, Ballard finds herself sequestered within the basement, accountable for LAPD’s newly fashioned Chilly Case Division. As the one full-time staffer within the severely underfunded unit, Ballard should depend on her personal expertise, moxy and a motley crew of volunteers to weed by means of the numerous long-forgotten, decades-old homicides. Nonetheless, when Ballard is tasked with fixing the homicide of a politician’s sister, she uncovers some really devastating twists and a surprising net of corruption that threatens to bury her. Neatly acted, superbly paced and genuinely partaking, “Ballard” is an exciting trip from begin to end. 

The ten-episode season begins amid a gun chase. Ballard runs full-force, shotgun in hand, down a darkened road. Following the offender right into a cleaners, she clocks him within the head with the butt of her gun, ending the pursuit. With the arrest, she and her newly fashioned crew mark their first solved homicide. The hodgepodge crew contains Ballard, Thomas Laffont (John Carroll Lynch), her previous accomplice whom she’s dragged out of retirement; reserve officer Ted Rawls (Michael Mosley), assigned to keep watch over Ballard, Colleen Hatteras (Rebecca Discipline) an excessively enthusiastic however intuitive volunteer and Martina Castro (Victoria Moroles), a authorized intern. A mere two weeks into operation, the Chilly Case Division seems to be making progress, however not everyone seems to be happy.

With one case within the black, Ballard chooses the subsequent one, John Doe #38, a person final seen on CCTV seven years prior carrying an toddler at a bus station. Nonetheless, Councilman Jake Pearlman (Noah Bean), whose political prowess helped set up the Chilly Case Division, is unconcerned with this unnamed sufferer. Brash and disruptive, Pearlman needs Ballard and her crew to give attention to the 2001 strangulation of his sister, Sarah, which has remained unsolved. Decided to work her John Doe angles whereas holding Pearlman at bay, Ballard approaches Samira Parker (Courtney Taylor), a former LAPD officer who was initially assigned the John Doe case simply earlier than she exited the power. Banding along with Samira, and with a little bit of assist from a number of acquainted faces from the “Bosch” Universe, Ballard and her squad doggedly start pursuing leads in each circumstances, uncovering surprising proof and threatening paths. 

“Ballard” works so properly as a result of Q is so deeply plausible as Ballard. Although her dedication to justice is entrance and middle, having been burned beforehand, the detective is underneath no phantasm concerning the rot inside the police power. Considerate and reserved, she retains each her private life and the clues about her circumstances near her chest. In consequence, “Ballard” provides viewers an trustworthy have a look at corrupt policing and its results, much like HBO’s stellar miniseries “We Personal This Metropolis.” Furthermore, with Q and Taylor main the cost as girls of colour, the collection showcases what it means to be “different” in a homogeneous occupation, one which tends to welcome solely a selected kind of particular person. 

The crime drama can be beautifully paced. Whereas the John Doe case and fixing Sarah Pearlman’s homicide stay entrance and middle as throughlines throughout the season, different forgotten investigations get their time to shine because the crew chases forgotten hyperlinks and questions witnesses’ historical testimonies. Dogged and agile, Ballard isn’t afraid to bend the principles to get solutions, decided to see a means ahead when nobody else can. But, as her grandmother Tutu (Amy Hill) tells her, she doesn’t all the time dare to face her personal previous.  Furthermore, with the very good writing, audiences will likely be thrilled to be taught that even when sure storylines may appear predictable, issues by no means fairly pan out as anticipated. 

Police dramas are some of the saturated genres throughout community tv, cable and streaming providers. Although viewers typically love them, they not often supply something contemporary. Filled with mysteries, intriguing characters and a few really sudden plotlines, “Ballard” rapidly rises above as probably the greatest of the bunch. By the Season 1 finale, it’s fairly clear that Ballard and her Chilly Case Division are solely simply getting began.

All 10 episodes of “Ballard” are streaming on Prime Video.