The Bosch universe at Amazon continues to expand with a prequel series for MGM+, Bosch: Start of Watchstarring Cameron Monaghan (Shameless) and Omari Hardwick (Power). The premium linear channel and streaming service has greenlighted the offshoot, which explores the origin story of Michael Connelly’s detective Harry Bosch, portrayed by Titus Welliver on the original Bosch series and its sequel Bosch: Legacy.
Monaghan will take over the role, playing rookie cop Harry Bosch, with Hardwick portraying his training officer, police veteran Eli Bridges, a new character not in the book mythology. There is no direct source material for Start of Watch since Connelly’s novels will not include a Bosch prequel, though bits and pieces from Harry’s early years are planted in various books in the universe, with Connelly calling the prequel “uncharted character territory.”
Bosch: Start of Watchfrom MGM+ Studios, goes back to 1991 Los Angeles and follows 26-year-old Harry Bosch during his earliest days as a rookie cop. The series will explore a city on the edge, teeming with racial tension, gang violence and a fractured LAPD. Amid routine calls and growing unrest, Bosch finds himself drawn into a high-profile heist and a web of criminal corruption that will test his loyalty to the badge and shape his future as the detective who lives by the code, “Everybody counts or nobody counts.”
Produced by Fabel Entertainment, the series is co-created and executive produced by Bosch: Legacy co-developer/executive producer Tom Bernardo and Legacy co-executive producer Brian Anthony, with Bernardo serving as showrunner. Connelly, Henrik Bastin, Jamie Boscardin Martin and Jasmine Russ also serve as executive producers. Theresa Snider co-executive produces for Hieronymus Pictures. Seth Yanklewitz is the casting director.
Tom Bernardo
Courtesy
Like all previous series in the franchise — Bosch, Bosch: Legacy and spinoff Ballard starring Maggie Q, which was just renewed for Season 2 by Prime Video — Bosch: Start of Watch will film in Los Angeles where the books are set. The prequel recently received a tax credit from the California Film Commission alongside Ballard Season 2. Submitted as “Project 2997 S1,” Start of Watch landed $11.6M credit on $33.2M qualified local expenditures.
“We are thrilled to expand the Bosch universe with this compelling origin story that showcases how one of television’s most beloved detectives became the man we know today,” said Michael Wright, head of MGM+. “With Cameron Monaghan and Omari Hardwick bringing these complex characters to life, and the creative vision of Michael Connelly and our talented executive producers, Bosch: Start of Watch promises to deliver the gritty, authentic storytelling that honors the franchise’s legacy while opening an exciting new chapter.”
This marks the fourth series in the Bosch franchise and third centered on Harry Bosch. All three originated on different Amazon platforms. The mothership Boschthe longest running series on Prime Video, released seven seasons on the flagship streamer. Sequel Bosch: Legacy, which ran for three seasons, started on Amazon Freevee before migrating to Prime Video. Bosch: Start of Watch is headed to MGM+.
“I’m deeply grateful to Michael Wright and the team at MGM+ for championing this next chapter in Bosch’s journey with such remarkable care and integrity,” Connelly said. “Being able to see how Harry Bosch became the man we have loved for 10 seasons is a gift to me and his many fans. I can’t wait to dig in with Cameron and the writers to explore this uncharted character territory.”
In Start of Watch, Harry Bosch, an intensely observant, stoic and unyielding young man, is a probationary patrol officer with the LAPD. He possesses all the qualities that will come to mark his legendary career: he’s smart, relentless, determined, fiercely protective of the victims of crime.
Training Officer Bridges (Hardwick) is a Vietnam vet, a seasoned, salty, rough-around-the-edges kind of cop who mentors Harry through the mean streets of Los Angeles and the complicated world of the LAPD. Bridges is fighting a war on the streets and looking for soldiers, and they don’t come any brighter than Hieronymus Bosch.
“It’s a terrific privilege to be able to explore both the origins of this iconic character and the Los Angeles that formed him in the early 1990s,” Bernardo said. “In telling the story of a young Harry Bosch, we want to honor the faith of Michael Connelly’s legion of readers and the amazing audience that tuned into Bosch and Bosch: Legacy over the years. We’re excited to embark on this journey.”
In taking the prequel series route, Bosch follows in the footsteps of such crime dramas as CBS’ NCIS (with NCIS: Origins) and Showtime’s Dexter (with Dexter: Original Sin).
Bastin called the opportunity to film Bosch: Start of Watch in Los Angeles “a rare privilege these days.”
“By filming in LA, we’ll be able to tap into the best creative talent this industry has to offer — and in doing so deliver a story about Harry Bosch that fans have longed for,” he said. “Thanks to MGM+ for giving us the resources to make it happen, and to the California Tax Credit for bringing business back to LA!”
Bosch: Start of Watch, part of MGM+’s programming focus on classic Hollywood storytelling for a modern audience, will be available on the platform in the US, UK, Italy, Germany, Spain, Latin America, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Monaghan is probably best known for his decade-long portrayal of Ian Gallagher on Showtime’s popular series Shameless, which earned him a Critics Choice Award nomination. He also played the Valeska twins on Fox’s Gotham. In features, he is currently seen in Throne: Ares. Monaghan is repped by UTA, Amplified, and Goodman Genow Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher. .
Hardwick is known for his starring role as James “Ghost” St. Patrick on Starz’s hit series Power and for portraying Vanderohe in Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead. He recently starred opposite Michelle Yeoh in Paramount+’s Star Trek: Episode 31. Hardwick is repped by UTA and Sloane, Offer, Weber, and Dern
Bernardo, a Bosch franchise veteran who worked on the mothership series before segueing to Legacy and also did a stint on Netflix’s Lincoln Lawyer, is rapped by Verve and Hansen Jacobson Teller.
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