Latest news with #Bosch:Legacy
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Ballard OTT Release Date: When and where to watch Bosch spin-off show featuring Maggie Q and Courtney Taylor
Ballard OTT Release Date: If you've been waiting for the next big crime drama to watch, here's something to look forward to. A brand-new show called Ballard, a spinoff of the popular Bosch series, is set to release on Prime Video. The entire season drops on July 9. All ten episodes will be available to stream in one go. Ballard continues the story world of Bosch, but this time with a new lead character: Detective Renée Ballard, played by Maggie Q. What is Ballard about? Ballard focuses on Detective Renée Ballard, a hardworking LAPD officer who now heads the department's cold case unit. These are old criminal cases that were never solved, and her job is to dig into them and find the truth. This division is new, and it doesn't have many resources. But Ballard is committed. She's determined to give forgotten victims a voice. One of the cases she looks into involves an old serial killer, while another centres on a murdered John Doe. As she follows the clues, she uncovers something much bigger, a dark secret that might involve people inside the police department itself. Ballard is joined by retired detective Harry Bosch, played by Titus Welliver, who fans of the original Bosch series will recognize. Together, they work through old files, new evidence, and personal struggles to bring justice to people. Who's in the cast? Leading the series is Maggie Q as Detective Ballard. You may know her from action-packed roles in Nikita and Designated Survivor. She's joined by Courtney Taylor, John Carroll Lynch, Michael Mosley, Rebecca Field, Victoria Moroles, Amy Hill, Ricardo Chavira, Noah Bean, Alain Uy, and Hector Hugo. And yes, Titus Welliver returns as Harry Bosch. Although he's retired in the story, he plays an important role in helping Ballard solve the cases. Is Ballard connected to Bosch? Yes, it is. Ballard takes place in the same world as Bosch and Bosch: Legacy. In fact, Renée Ballard first showed up in the Bosch: Legacy series finale earlier this year. This new show is based on characters and stories by best-selling author Michael Connelly. Just like Bosch and Legacy, Ballard sticks to the same serious, realistic tone. Connelly is also one of the executive producers. Others involved in the bankrolling are Henrik Bastin, Michael Alaimo, Kendall Sherwood, Trish Hofmann, Jet Wilkinson, and Melissa Aouate. Jasmine Russ joins as co-executive producer under Fabel Entertainment. Jamie Boscardin Martin, Trey Batchelor, and Theresa Snider also serve as co-executive producers. If you enjoy slow-burn crime dramas with smart storytelling, Ballard might be your next binge-watch.
San Francisco Chronicle
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Gene Hackman often played the tough guy in movies. Here's what I thought of him offscreen
Dear Mick LaSalle: I once met Gene Hackman at a boxing match and spoke with him. Nice man. Did you ever meet him? Robert Freud Bastin, Petaluma Dear Robert Freud Bastin: I never really met Gene Hackman, but I was at a press conference where he was getting interviewed, and I was close to him and saw how he spoke to people and carried himself. He did not strike me as a nice man, not at all. He didn't strike me as a wicked man, either, but as someone prickly and difficult. Someone who'd be very hard to deal with in an adversarial situation, and someone who, knowing that, wouldn't hesitate to create adversarial situations. He seemed like the kind of guy that might cut his kids out of his will. Hello Mick: More and more we are seeing movies and series using a technique for filming scenes so dark you cannot see what's happening, nor see the characters in the scene. My most recent example is 'Bosch: Legacy.' Why don't the directors want us to see what's happening? Lucia MacLean, Ben Lomond Hello Lucia: OK, if this happened once, twice or even three times, I'd say that you're responding reasonably to a stylistic trend of dubious worth. But if you're saying this is happening more often than that, it's probably your TV. Seriously. Turn up the brightness and turn down the contrast, and that might solve the problem. And even if the problem really does turn out to be a cinematographic trend, the higher brightness and lower contrast should help. Dear Mick LaSalle: Your response to the query about whether you'd be leery of watching something today that you enjoyed immensely when young — and you replied that nothing has changed, why wouldn't I still love it? — deserved a bit more consideration. I do think a film we loved at the age of 28 might just not appeal any longer. Kathy Hartzell, New York City Dear Kathy Hartzell: True. Except I didn't say what you said I said. I said that the movie stays the same but our perceptions change, and we shouldn't fear that — with the implication being that we're getting smarter and more perceptive as we get older. Of course, I'm assuming that this hypothetical person's perceptions have deepened and that they haven't become an old crank. But I think that's a reasonable assumption, because if they were an old crank, they wouldn't be worried about holding on to their big emotional movie experiences. They would have crossed over into the get-off-my-lawn stage of life. Dear Mr. LaSalle: With all due respect, when it comes to great film composers you are only looking at the present but not the past. I realize we all have our personal favorites, but choosing Rachel Portman over some of the giants of the 20th century movie industry mother taught me not to use that kind of language. John Oertel, Redding Dear Mr. Oertel: I was looking at the present and not the past because I was writing about my favorite living film composers. But apart from that, here's the thing I don't understand. If someone says, 'These are my favorites,' the proper response is, 'Oh, really, and these are my favorites.' It's not to say, 'You have the wrong favorites' and then congratulate yourself for not cursing at them. We're talking about art, and our response to art is subjective. We can dress up and justify our responses with intelligent and even persuasive observations, but ultimately it comes down to personal preference. On the other hand, if you tell me your favorite president is Andrew Johnson, then we can have a discussion, because that's an insane choice, for reasons that can be argued beyond someone saying, 'I enjoy this more than that.'
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Exclusive Leverage: Redemption Sneak Peek: Hardison Has a Secret in Superfun, Season-Opening 1-Shot
Hardison is keeping a secret, and it nearly spills out during TVLine's exclusive sneak peek at the opening minutes of Leverage: Redemption Season 3. Season 3 of the caper drama (which now calls Prime Video home) premieres this Thursday, April 17, with the first three episodes of 10, followed by weekly drops. The clip above finds Hardison/The Hacker (played by Aldis Hodge), Parker/The Thief (Beth Riesgraf), Sophie/The Grifter (Gina Bellman) and Eliot/The Hitter (Christian Kane) each doing the thing they do so well, in order to steal something from a Paris hotel — all as part of a superfun, mostly one-shot sequence. More from TVLine Leverage: Redemption Season 3 Trailer Teases a Deadly Clash With Parker's Nemesis… and Hardison's Exit? Bosch: Legacy to End With Season 3 — Find Out When/Where It Will Stream Matlock Boss Teases 2-Hour 'Pressure Cooker' Finale - Plus, Julian Gets Emotional in an Exclusive Sneak Peek Along the way, Eliot makes reference to a 'choice' that Hardison has made, but clearly not yet shared with longtime partner Parker. Might it have to do with what Hardison says in a previoulsy released trailer, about not being able to do this job anymore? After all, the increasingly busy Hodge did tell TVLine that Leverage fans once again 'might not get enough' of Hardison 'because I was little occupied shooting Season 2 of Cross' last summer. In Leverage: Redemption Season 3, Sophie, Eliot, Parker, Hardison, Breanna/The Maker (Aleyse Shannon) and Harry/The Fixer (Noah Wyle) will contend with a power broker stealing the clean water under people's feet and turning it into dirty money, fight a mayor who's literally the judge and jury of his small town, outrun a mark who's finally caught up with them mid-con, out-hustle a pool hustler with a side hustle in extortion, and bring down an industrialist exploiting child labor, the official synopsis tells us. 'All this while dodging an intricate plan of vengeance from a past enemy and working through the fallout of their new personal relationships.' Guest stars on tap for Leverage: Redemption Season 3 include Rachael Harris (Lucifer), Auden Wyle (back as Harry's daughter), Jack Coleman (Heroes), Drew Powell (Gotham), Alex Boniello (Ghosts' Crash), Cedric Yarbrough (The Goldbergs), Mary Hollis Inboden (The Righteous Gemstones) and Sam Witwer (Smallville).Best of TVLine Summer TV Calendar: Your Guide to 85+ Season and Series Premieres Classic Christmas Movies Guide: Where to Watch It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, Elf, Die Hard and Others What's New on Netflix in June
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Equalizer Spinoff: Get First Look at Titus Welliver in CBS' Backdoor Pilot
CBS is sneaking a little something extra into your Easter basket this year. The Sunday, April 20 (10/9c) installment of The Equalizer will double as a backdoor pilot for a potential spinoff, starring Titus Welliver and Juani Feliz, both of whom are introduced in the episode. The spinoff has not yet been ordered to series. More from TVLine Fire Country Video: Max Thieriot Talks #Bodiela 'Challenges,' Spinoffs, and the Importance of Inmate Firefighters Uh-Oh, Is 'Matlock' About to Get Found Out, With 3 Episodes Still Left to Air? Ghosts Finally Gives Sasappis a New Love Interest - But Is He Over [Spoiler]? Appropriately titled 'Sins of the Father,' the episode finds Queen Latifah's Robyn McCall contacted by Samantha Reed (Feliz), the daughter of missing ex-CIA agent Elijah Reed (Welliver). The women team up to track him down, during which Samantha learns more about her family's history in the Dominican Republic. Welliver currently stars as Harry Bosch on Bosch: Legacy, which is in the midst of its third and final season on Prime Video. He previously portrayed the character on Bosch, which ran for seven seasons (2014–2021). Feliz, meanwhile, is best known for playing Isabela on eight episodes of Prime Video's Harlem. CBS Reveals Finale Spoilers for 19 Shows View List The Equalizer, which has not yet been renewed for Season 6, airs its fifth season finale on Sunday, May 4 (10 pm). Click here for a breakdown of what to expect, along with scoop from 18 other CBS finales. Browse first-look photos from the backdoor pilot below, then drop a comment with your thoughts. Would you watch this spinoff if it gets ordered to series? And are you hoping for a sixth season of ? Best of TVLine Summer TV Calendar: Your Guide to 85+ Season and Series Premieres Classic Christmas Movies Guide: Where to Watch It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, Elf, Die Hard and Others What's New on Netflix in June
New York Times
15-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
He Dreamed Up Bosch and the Lincoln Lawyer. It All Started With L.A.
On Dec. 10, Michael Connelly stood on the patio behind his house in the Hollywood Hills and gazed down at a generous slice of the city he's been writing about for 38 years. There were the spires of Hogwarts at Universal Studios. There was the 101 freeway, flowing steadily in both directions. There was the Hollywood sign, presiding over a slope of trees and scrub. Depending on the direction of the wind, Connelly said, you could smell smoke from a wildfire in Malibu. Then, with his Chihuahua mix, Pinto, in quick pursuit, he led the way through his kitchen and family room to the office where he starts writing at 5 or 6 every morning. 'The sun comes up over those mountains,' Connelly said, pointing over a shelf of his own hardcovers to a window framing yet another coniferous view. 'I just love that moment. It gives me the feeling that I'm the only one awake in the city.' Connelly, 68, has written 40 books, including a slew of No. 1 best sellers, and sold over 89 million copies worldwide. He's the executive producer of 'The Lincoln Lawyer' on Netflix and 'Bosch' and 'Bosch: Legacy' on Amazon. ('Bosch: Legacy' begins its third and final season on March 27.) He's also a podcaster. Oh, and he has two novels planned for 2025 — 'Nightshade,' coming out on May 20, introduces a new detective — plus another Amazon show, 'Ballard,' launching this summer. Most of Connelly's stories feature cops, lawyers and the seedy underworlds they infiltrate and expose. One might not imagine him as a guy who makes time for sunrises — or Chihuahuas, for that matter — but his work contains a certain tenderness, especially around Los Angeles. Connelly returns to the city again and again, in book after book, infusing dark, sometimes violent tales with ocean views, lanky palms and intimate chats at local watering holes. 'There's a tension here,' Connelly said of Los Angeles. 'It's a place everyone comes to, looking for a big break, but not everyone gets what they want. I'm one of the lucky ones.' Connelly got the lay of the land from detective novels by Raymond Chandler, Ross Macdonald and Joseph Wambaugh, knowing even as a teenager in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., that he wanted to follow in their footsteps. His father advised going into journalism instead. By his late 20s, Connelly had earned his chops as a crime reporter in South Florida. He'd also written two unpublished books. 'We were putting off having a family, and the deal I'd made with Linda' — his wife of 40 years — 'was that I would get four nights a week and one weekend day to work on novels,' Connelly said. 'That went on for 10 years.' Before he took 'one last swing' at novel-writing, Connelly decided to shake things up at his day job. He applied to newspapers in Chicago, Denver, Orange County and Los Angeles. 'I was going to go with the first one that hired me, and luckily it was The L.A. Times,' Connelly said. In 1987, the weekend before he started his new gig, burglars robbed $91,000 from a local Bank of America branch by tunneling into a vault from a storm drain on La Cienega Boulevard. After a briefing about the crime, Connelly started to envision 'The Black Echo' (1992), his first published book, in which a similar heist is investigated by a maverick L.A.P.D. homicide detective named Harry Bosch. A critic for The New York Times described the book as 'part police procedural, part Big Boys' Adventure Book,' a tale 'you read with your knuckles — just hanging on until it's over.' It landed Connelly an Edgar Award, but he wasn't ready to give up reporting. 'I stayed at The L.A. Times longer than I needed to because I thought my press pass got me what I needed,' he said, referring to police sources and an inside line on developing stories. In time, Connelly discovered that his informants were more forthcoming when they no longer had to worry about what he'd write for the paper. His press pass still hangs above his desk — a reminder of the shoe leather behind a tale well told. Several of Connelly's articles appear in 'Crime Beat' (2006), his lone work of nonfiction, which begins with a quote from 'The Poet' (1996): 'Death is my beat. I make my living from it.' Like Bosch, who ages over the course of his series, Connelly's other major characters grew out of encounters with people he crossed paths with in real life. Mickey Haller, the Lincoln lawyer, materialized after a Dodgers game, where Connelly struck up a conversation with a defense attorney who worked out of his car. 'He said, 'It's not because I'm a bad lawyer,'' Connelly recalled. ''L.A. County, 400 miles of freeways, 40 courthouses, I cover the waterfront.' A lightbulb went off.' Several years later, Connelly met Mitzi Roberts, the inspiration for Renée Ballard, over breakfast at a restaurant across the street from the L.A.P.D.'s Rampart Station. Roberts, then a detective in the cold case unit, joined her partner, who was one of Connelly's go-to sources. Connelly asked her about the challenges of being a woman in law enforcement. 'The only profession that I saw that was worse as far as sexism is Hollywood,' Roberts said. 'It's still a struggle for women to succeed.' Connelly's first Ballard book, 'The Late Show,' about an unsinkable detective working the graveyard shift, came out in 2017. He still shares early pages of each installment with Roberts to make sure he's using current police jargon and accurately representing a woman's perspective. If you didn't know Connelly was a best-selling writer, you might mistake him for a high school teacher who moonlights as a baseball coach, the kind who doesn't need to raise his voice to be heard. Plaid, polar fleece and half-zip sweatshirts figure prominently in his wardrobe. He's shy and slightly gruff, communicating in a clipped staccato you'd expect to hear in a Bogart movie between men in porkpie hats. For example: 'My books start with someone telling me a story. Defense lawyer. Detective. Sometimes they're tied into bigger cases. I try to disguise those as much as I can.' Several of Connelly's books include nonfiction events — 'The Waiting' (2024) tackles the notorious Black Dahlia case, for instance, and 'The Dark Hours' (2021) covers the aftermath of Black Lives Matter protests. Some mysteries are solved, some are not and others flow into future books. The only constants are crime, punishment and the city itself. The day before our meeting, Connelly was being interviewed for the PBS show 'Lost L.A.' at Angels Flight, a historical downtown funicular that features in his sixth Bosch book, when a passerby yelled, 'I love your work!' It turned out, she was referring to Nathan Masters, the host of the program, not Connelly, who appeared slightly ill at ease in front of the cameras. 'I live a completely anonymous life,' Connelly said later. He likes it that way. Asya Muchnick, Connelly's editor of 20 years, said: 'It's hard to explain how singular he is. He doesn't use ghost writers. He doesn't use co-authors. He writes and researches all his own books and has them vetted by experts in the field.' Those experts include two lawyers, a retired judge and several people who work in law enforcement, including Roberts — now a consultant on Amazon's Ballard adaptation, which will star Maggie Q. Despite his prodigious output, Connelly maintains a small team, including his literary manager of 15 years and his sister, who handles his website and social media. His wife, Linda, is an early reader. They met in journalism school and have one daughter, to whom 'Nightshade' is dedicated. 'I never have a word or page count,' Connelly said. 'What I like to do is move the story a step a day. It could be a chapter. It could be a good interchange of dialogue. It's very amorphous. I just know if I write every morning I'll have a book a year.' Michael Koryta, a fellow best-selling crime writer, was 21 years old when he met Connelly at a convention. 'Mike is always working,' Koryta said. 'I've traveled with him. You board the plane and lean back to watch a movie or take a nap and you look over and there's Mike on his laptop.' Koryta went on: 'He's the gold standard, as a writer and as a person. Each one of his books is a clinic in the macro and micro of storytelling, especially the way he holds the mirror up to Los Angeles.' In December, Connelly started a new Lincoln Lawyer book. He shared the basics of the plot — a timely one — then said, 'I'm actually worried real events are going to pass me by.' They did, but not for the reasons Connelly was expecting. On Jan. 8, Connelly was in Palm Springs for a book event when wildfires descended on large swaths of Los Angeles. His neighborhood was evacuated. His beach house in Malibu burned down. 'To the right, we saw the smoke from the Eaton Fire,' Connelly said in a follow-up interview. 'To the left, we saw the glow of the Palisades Fire.' Nevertheless, he added, 'We got lucky.' The pain in his voice called to mind Bosch's motto, 'Everybody matters or nobody matters.' On Jan. 13, Connelly reflected on the city's losses in the newsletter he emails to more than 100,000 subscribers. 'Is this the new new?' he wrote. 'Will we need to face the possibility of nature turning against us again and again in these extreme ways? Are we now to pay the price for building a city in a desert so long ago?' The missive ended: 'I still love L.A. We always bounce back.' Of course, there was the matter of Connelly's novel in progress, which happens to take place during the week the fires started. 'How can I have a book set in 2025 in Los Angeles without mentioning the fires?' Connelly said. He wanted to incorporate the destruction in a way that was meaningful but not exploitative. The prospect was daunting, he said: 'I just froze.' He took a week off — an eternity, it seemed, enough to make him wonder whether he was suffering from writer's block for the first time. He spent time with his family, walked Pinto, watched the helicopters and smelled the smoke. He mourned for Los Angeles. 'I don't know anyone who hasn't been affected,' Connelly said. 'Twenty-two people on my TV show have lost their homes.' He found a way to rework his novel by layering a new story atop the one he'd started: 'It remains to be seen whether I did the right thing or not.' The book is called 'The Proving Ground.' It comes out in October. In the meantime, Connelly is back to watching sunrises. He texted a picture of one, Technicolor and smoke heavy, taken on Jan. 10. He wrote, 'This was from my office window.'
