'I suppose it's too late to say that I have a very bad feeling about this?' Photos: Handout
What are crime drama fans doing right to get two "Dept Q" series in the same year?
Ballard, the latest adaptation of Michael Connelly's (Bosch, The Lincoln Lawyer) books, has more than a passing similarity to the set-up of that Matthew Goode series from earlier this year.
Consider: a disgraced detective who doesn't play well with others is consigned to a basement office with a motley group of non-cops (a retired detective, a police reservist, a volunteer and an intern, initially) and a stack of cold case boxes. (As for the "Q" connection, well...)
It should be noted that in the first Connelly novel featuring Detective Renee Ballard (Maggie Q), she was not kicked out of the Los Angeles Police Dept's Robbery-Homicide division.
Instead, she was banished to the graveyard shift while keeping her spot on the team, albeit for the same reason she winds up in the TV show's makeshift cold case unit.
'You bring the cold cases, we bring the heat.'
The main reason for the unit even existing is because of pressure from LA Councilman Jake Pearlman (Noah Bean, Nikita mini-reunion alert!), who wants the cold case of his sister's murder solved for the family to get closure.
With a 10-episode first season available to stream all at once – one of those rare departures from Prime Video's typical weekly release schedule – we can view it at leisure or binge it, depending on our preference.
Chances are that it will be the latter, given the intrigue involved here, not just for the primary case but the far-reaching consequences of another case involving a John Doe murdered at a seedy motel.
Being from the same literary and TV universe as Bosch and Bosch: Legacy, Ballard follows a similar pattern of character and story beats. (In fact, Ballard herself showed up in the closing segments of Legacy's final season, ICYMI.)
The familiarity is comforting, as is the parade of familiar faces from the earlier shows as they help us get acquainted with this new cast of characters.
Given the stresses of Ballard's situation and the cases, plus some unresolved trauma from a family tragedy, Maggie Q gives us a convincing lead character who is visibly restraining herself, but not so much that she doesn't occasionally call out her higher-ups for their BS in a few satisfying scenes.
It's fortunate for Ballard that she has solid support at home (from her "Tutu", or grandmother, played by veteran Amy Hill) and at work.
'Do I need a court order or what? People are starting to think that word you guys keep inserting between Harry and Bosch is my actual middle name.'
Her staunchest supporter on the job is Thomas Laffont (John Carroll Lynch, Fargo), her ex-partner brought out of retirement to work the cold cases.
Remember how Lynch gave The Walking Dead an entire season's worth of heart from just a single episode (Here's Not Here, as the enigmatic Dr Eastman, who gave Lennie James' Morgan his trademark staff)?
In Ballard, his palpable investment in the case of a missing baby provides extra depth to a character we already know must be full of compelling experiences.
Ballard also finds a kindred spirit in ex-cop Zamira Parker (Courtney Taylor, The Invitation), whom she coaxes back to the force and who provides the show with one of its more redemptive character arcs.
Ballard's showrunners, Michael Alaimo and Kendall Sherwood, count the Mary McDonnell procedural Major Crimes on their resumes, and the experience of juggling a large cast – and keeping each character interesting – pays off here.
None of the supporting characters feels obligatory or like dead weight, from the cold case squad's varied components down to the suspects, bureaucrats, even Ballard's kind-of boyfriend – so much so that when things happen to one (or more) of them, the impact is deeply felt.
Buoyed by the goodwill left over from its predecessors, Ballard hits the ground running and carries us easily through its debut season.
Right through to an ending that sets up a second season in so nail-biting a fashion that we're left with fingers and toes crossed in this streaming age of uncertain series longevity.
And yeah, Prime Video/Amazon, I still haven't forgiven y'all for axing The Bondsman.
All 10 episodes of Ballard are available to stream on Prime Video.
Summary:
Two 'Dept Qs' in the same year, we must be living right
