Michael Connelly’s Bosch: Watch and Rate the Pilot!

After weeks – months – of promoting the upcoming Amazon-produced pilot of the potential series Bosch, based on Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch book series, the pilot was available without warning earlier this week. And it’s terrific! If you’re familiar with this book series, you’ll know it as a thoughtful, detailed story of an LA cop, a man who has a dark side, a bleak childhood, and a fairly anti-social nature. The pilot takes all of that and remains faithful to Connelly’s vision.

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Titus Welliver, playing the lead character, may not look like anyone’s vision of Bosch from the books (no moustache, and he’s probably a little taller and better looking than the book Bosch), but he sure embodies the character’s personality. (In fact, I wish the Outlander fans that I encounter who are STILL complaining about Sam Heughan not having every Jamie characteristic would read a Bosch book and then watch this pilot. Maybe then they’d get it.) Lance Reddick, as the homicide department chief, is stony and uptight; all the other supporting players are excellent in their roles as well. The views of Los Angeles are gritty but beautiful (Connelly insisted that the show had to be shot in LA); the score supports both that gritty feel and Harry Bosch’s love of jazz. Harry has many ghosts in his past, and Welliver does an excellent job of showing us how those ghosts come to life with the case he catches. This series is obviously not made to wrap up a story neatly with every episode – the end of the pilot leaves us with huge questions still to be answered. Amazon, we need to see more of this!

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Reaction to Bosch seems to be universally positive – Amazon’s viewer ratings currently give Bosch 4.8 out of 5 stars (out of – right now – 3,017 reviews, more than 2,600 give it 5 stars).

Amazon put 10 pilots up for viewing for 30 days at amazonoriginals.com. Anyone can view any and all of the pilots for free, which include 5 shows for children, as well as four other dramas:

  • The After: Eight strangers are thrown together by mysterious forces and must help each other survive in a violent world.
  • Mozart in the Jungle: Sex, drugs — and classical music — see what happens behind the curtains at the symphony.
  • The Rebels: Sex, drugs — and classical music — see what happens behind the curtains at the symphony.
  • Transparent: A family with serious boundary issues have their past and future unravel after a dramatic admission.

After viewing the pilots, Amazon asks that you take a short survey and give your opinion. IMDb is running a poll, asking which of these pilots you would like to see made into a series, and Bosch is running far in the lead.

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Author Michael Connelly makes a brief appearance in the pilot – he hasn’t said where he can be found. I think I found him – if you watch the pilot, comment below with where you think you saw him!

He has also published several behind the scenes clips. You can see them all at his Facebook page, but here is one featuring Scott Wilson, from The Walking Dead:

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