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Season 1 – Ballard

Play trailer 2:24 Poster for Season 1 – Ballard 2025 Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 19 Reviews 78% Popcornmeter 250+ 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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Aramide Tinubu Variety Smartly acted, beautifully paced and genuinely engaging, “Ballard” is a thrilling ride from start to finish. Jul 9, 2025 Full Review Gregory Lawrence TheWrap It’s an uncommonly great potboiler with something for everyone. Jul 9, 2025 Full Review Sherin Nicole RogerEbert.com If you’re looking for a procedural thriller that’s grounded by grit, genuine leads, and complex cases, “Ballard” gets it done. Jul 7, 2025 Full Review Alex Maidy JoBlo's Movie Network 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. Rated: 6/10 Aug 1, 2025 Full Review Srijoni Rudra Digital Mafia Talkies 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. Jul 26, 2025 Full Review Neely Swanson Beverly Hills Courier Slow to start, the series eventually finds its rhythm by the third episode. The cast is what keeps you motivated to continue watching. Jul 25, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Eric M A good but not great series. Much better than sooo many shows but somehow just missing highest marks by a hair. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/03/25 Full Review Pierre H Ballard started out just a notch below 4 stars and I wanted to see it get better as the series progressed. I remained on the fence for 3-4 episodes until it became less and less believable and lost pace. dull interludes with Tutu didn't help and all stories are about abused women, even the underdeveloped cartel plot. all male main characters are designed to be pathetic in some way or another, except for occasional appearance of Bosch. Actors' performances were okay to good, too bad that the writers let them down. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 08/02/25 Full Review Dawn R Clever, tender, and gritty look at crime investigators on the fringes of the thin blue line. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/02/25 Full Review Vikram N Not gripping enough. Bad ending. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 08/02/25 Full Review Augusto P Good production value and the main character is cool, but the story itself doesn't get much out of place and is super slow. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 08/02/25 Full Review Larry S 100% Fresh from critics? I feel like I was punked. I must have been watching a different Ballard. I suffered through 7 1/2 episodes but couldn’t watch another minute. Awful writing and some of the worst acting I’ve ever seen. The show runners should watch some detective shows on BritBox to learn how the genre is done. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 07/30/25 Full Review 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