It’s not Titus Welliver but it’s something. Ballardhas added Rosanna Arquette to its cast for Season 2, and it’s not a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it role. Arquette is set to recur as Jenny Ballard, the estranged mother of Renée Ballard, played by Maggie Q. For fans of Michael Connelly’s novels, this is a fascinating evolution. In the books, Renée’s mother is named Makani, a woman who leaves her family following the drowning death of Renée’s father — a trauma that defines much of Renée’s worldview. While the show changes the name to Jenny, sources close to production say the emotional DNA remains intact. Jenny is described as a “damaged free spirit,” someone who’s spent her life trying — and failing — to fill a void she never quite understood.
If you somehow missed Season 1, Ballard follows Detective Renée Ballard as she runs the LAPD’s severely underfunded cold case unit, tackling long-forgotten crimes that still haunt victims’ families decades later. What starts as methodical police work slowly uncovers something far more dangerous: a conspiracy buried inside the department itself. Along the way, Renée is aided by a volunteer team and retired detective Harry Bosch, played by Titus Welliver, whose guest appearances helped firmly connect the show to the larger Bosch-verse.
Is ‘Ballard’ Worth Watching?
Collider’s review stated that Ballard successfully stepped out from the shadow of Bosch by carving out a distinct identity rooted in grace, grit, and character-driven storytelling. While the series leaned into familiar crime-drama rhythms, it distinguished itself through its focus on systemic sexism, institutional corruption, and the emotional toll of forgotten cases. The review noted that the pacing occasionally faltered, with some episodes lingering too long in procedural mechanics, but the show consistently found its footing again. Maggie Q’s performance as Renée Ballard was highlighted as a major strength, delivering a nuanced, grounded portrayal shaped by grief, betrayal, and quiet determination. Supported by a strong ensemble, Ballard was described as an immersive, confident spin-off that honored the Bosch legacy while establishing its own voice.
For a show that could’ve very easily gotten lost among the waves Bosch made, Ballard rides them while carving up its own style and leaving anticipation in its wake. The foundations may be similar — they are both classic cop shows, after all — but Ballard steadily and coherently interrogates everything it aims to, exposing a different side to the underbelly of the justice system, one that women are generally impacted by. But it’s a show that any fan of the genre will enjoy, whether you’ve seen Bosch or not, as cold cases and conspiracies wrap around the all-too-relatable pits of grief, trauma and loss.
Ballard streams on Prime Video.
