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Season 1 – Ballard

Play trailer 2:24 Poster for Season 1 – Ballard Jul 2025 Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 22 Reviews 75% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Ballard continues to bring Michael Connelly's bestselling novels to life, following Detective Renée Ballard (Q) as she leads the LAPD's new and underfunded cold case division, tackling the city’s most challenging long-forgotten crimes with empathy and relentless determination. As she peels back layers of crimes spanning decades, including a serial killer's string of murders and a murdered John Doe, she soon uncovers a dangerous conspiracy within the LAPD. With the help of her volunteer team and retired detective Harry Bosch (Titus Welliver), Detective Ballard navigates personal trauma, professional challenges, and life-threatening dangers to expose the truth.
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Ballard — Season 1

Ballard — Season 1

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Critics Consensus

A crisp procedural with a magnetic lead in Maggie Q, Ballard is a worthy sibling series to Bosch that comes with its own unique strengths.

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Critics Reviews

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Graeme Blundell The Australian Sep 2, 2025
Connelly’s LA is a kind of fabricated city, many fragments representing the whole, forming the right setting for stories of such psychological focus, private obsession, and trauma. Go to Full Review Craig Mathieson The Age (Australia) Aug 18, 2025
3/5
With six Ballard novels to call on, the series is a sturdy procedural, complete with Bosch-friendly cameos, that is trying to very carefully grapple with institutional failings while maintaining a run-and-gun cop show momentum. Go to Full Review Aramide Tinubu Variety Jul 9, 2025
Smartly acted, beautifully paced and genuinely engaging, “Ballard” is a thrilling ride from start to finish. Go to Full Review John Stark Mac the Movie Guy Sep 6, 2025
73/100
This Bosch spinoff is another commendation for Michael Connelly whose works continue to translate well across streamers. Maggie Q feels fully prepared for this, and John Carroll lynch is a standout among the supporting cast. Go to Full Review Alex Maidy JoBlo's Movie Network Aug 1, 2025
6/10
A decent summer series, and like the books it is based on, it is a light and easy watch reminiscent of the novels quickly absorbed during days at the beach. While it may not stick with you in the long run, Ballard is a fun ride while you are on it. Go to Full Review Srijoni Rudra Digital Mafia Talkies Jul 26, 2025
Ballard’s success lies in its simplicity. Instead of a stylized detective show, the creators chose a very ‘no-nonsense’ style of storytelling, and that complements the complex cases that we watch unfold on-screen. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Matt J @RT95392035 Oct 19, 2026 Really enjoyed the 1st season of Ballard. Big Maggie fan ever since Nikita, and she did great in this role. The rest of the cast was good too. A bit of a slow burn at the beginning, but by the middle of the season it really picked up steam and I was looking forward to each episode. A lot of detail in how some of these cases progressed too, which makes for good crime drama. See more Spicy B @HotMustard Oct 18, 2026 Loved it, just like Bosch! Great casting and script/plot twists! See more Jackie M @RT03328225 Sep 29, 2026 The show actually has a good story and a lot of potential, but unfortunately it gets bogged down by heavy-handed DEI messaging and what feels like a repetitive "white man bad" theme. Instead of letting the characters and story speak for themselves, the writing often seems more interested in delivering a political message. That’s frustrating because underneath all of that, there’s a genuinely interesting story that could have been much better if the messaging had been more subtle and the characters had been allowed to develop naturally. See more L M @Craviola Aug 25, 2026 The first action that occurs is Ballard running into a retail place of business shooting a shotgun and there is a civilian around who luckily ducked. Next is, she was of course chasing a black man. Of course, the criminal is a black man. See more Muriel V @Muriel642 Jul 31, 2026 After rocky opener it was well paced, well edited, just good solid craft, but it also seemed to have some larger bits and pieces to say about institutions and women. See more Matt P. @MMPPens Apr 20, 2026 I miss Bosch a lot, but Maggie is terrific, See more Read all reviews
Ballard — Season 1

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Cast & Crew

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Maggie Q

Renée Ballard

John Carroll Lynch

Thomas Laffont

Michael Mosley

Ted Rawls

Amy Hill

Tutu

Rebecca Field

Colleen Hatteras

Victoria Moroles

Martina Castro

Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Jul 9, 2025 Library of Lost Souls Detective Ballard reopens a John Doe case while pursuing justice for a councilman's murdered sister; as she navigates witnesses, politics and her demons, Ballard and her team uncover buried secrets that suggest corruption within the police force. Details Episode 2 Aired Jul 9, 2025 Haystacks Ballard and Parker investigate housekeeper Yulia Kravetz's murder; the hunt for the serial killer's latest victim reunites Ballard with retired Detective Harry Bosch. Details Episode 3 Aired Jul 9, 2025 BYOB The 2006 death of fraternity member Nick Thatcher was initially ruled an accident; when a video goes viral accusing the fraternity of murder, Ballard and her team are forced to reopen the case. Details Episode 4 Aired Jul 9, 2025 Landmines Ballard uncovers an LAPD conspiracy with connections to a Mexican cartel; the Pearlman case heats up when clues lead to a showdown with a potential suspect. Details Episode 5 Aired Jul 9, 2025 What's Done in the Dark As the team uncovers disturbing new information in the Pearlman case, they focus in on a new suspect. Details Episode 6 Aired Jul 9, 2025 Beneath the Surface Ballard's serial killer investigation takes a turn; with 72 hours to secure the case before it's transferred to homicide, the team races to find connections between the victims. Details Episode 7 Aired Jul 9, 2025 Fork in the Road Bosch delivers a lead in the LAPD corruption case; Ballard and the team dive into the mysterious murder of a teenager with ties to a local gang. Details Episode 8 Aired Jul 9, 2025 Last Call The Ibarra case turns personal as Martina discovers someone close to her is part of the corrupt LAPD ring; the team races to identify the remaining corrupt officers before time runs out. Details Episode 9 Aired Jul 9, 2025 Collateral A fresh lead turns into a revelation as the team learns their serial killer has been in their grasp the whole time. Details Episode 10 Aired Jul 9, 2025 End of the Line A city-wide manhunt begins for Rawls' shooter; Ballard receives an unexpected update on the LAPD conspiracy case. Details

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Ballard — Season 1

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Ballard — Season 1

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Season Info

Network
Prime Video
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date
Jul 9, 2025
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