Bosch (TV Show REVIEW) — L.A. Detective Show Keeps Getting Better

On crazy-busy days when my Fitbit annoyingly beeps hourly reminders about those steps I still need to complete, cardio equipment is a lifesaver.

But let's be real: treadmills, exercise bikes, and elliptical machines are deadly dull. 

My life hack? Streaming while pounding out those miles.

Over the next two days, then, I'll be walking (haha) you through two of the best things I streamed—while working out—over the past month.

Call it inspiration, if you will...

Bosch

I’ve been a Michael Connelly fan—including his long-running Harry Bosch police detective series (at the time of this writing, twenty books in)—forever. 

So, the Amazon show which he exec-produces—based on those same characters, and simply called, Bosch—has been a welcome addition to Connelly’s oeuvre, and the recently-released Season 4 is, for me, the best one, yet. 

In the fourth season, the L.A. cop finds himself investigating the murder of a prominent civil rights attorney (killed the night before what promised to be a very nasty, public case targeting the LAPD was slated to begin). 

The police force seem to have universally hated the dead lawyer, so it’s pretty much Harry-&-team against the rest of the LAPD. 

The public, on the other hand, feels little love for any of the local cops, but all the sympathy for the slain crusader, and are preparing to start rioting. (It's L.A.; we riot.)

While tensions mount across the city—and Harry tries to ferret out where an internal info leak is coming from—he’s also dealing with issues on the home front, as his teenage daughter (Maddie) struggles with impending adulthood, and ex-wife Eleanor does more shady undercover work for the FBI.

As with any production, excellent writing is only part of the alchemical equation that makes it great; the actors have to be up to the task, as well, and in Bosch, they are.

Anchored by the always-intriguing Titus Welliver (here, a world-weary, driven, haunted, brash, but generally-decent guy)—and matched by Jamie Hector (the partner with whom Harry doesn’t always see eye to eye), Lance Reddick (the commissioner, with whom Harry shares a like/dislike relationship), Amy Aquino (Harry’s immediate supervisor and friend), and Madison Lintz (Harry’s daughter)—this is a cast you’ll wanna cozy up on your favorite chair with a nice bourbon, and binge for a couple episodes at a time, absorbing all the nuances.       

Beautifully-shot in locations across L.A. and artfully-directed, Season 4 is, to me, Bosch all grown up: the cases hit hard, taking everything up a notch. The interpersonal dynamics feel that much more poignant, with ample evidence of growth and learning. 

Well done, all. And, long live Harry Bosch, a somewhat-worse-for-the-wear, tarnished angel, in a city reputed to be full of ‘em.

~GlamKitty