Ballard Season 2: Will Maggie Q's Cop Drama Get the Green Light?
Ballard looks set to return: the Bosch spin-off led by Maggie Q is on track for a season 2 at Prime Video, even if the official green light isn’t in yet.
Sounds like Maggie Q might be keeping the badge on a little longer. Deadline says Amazon is quietly gearing up a second season of Ballard, even if no one at the studio has said it out loud yet.
So, is season 2 actually happening?
Officially: no announcement. Unofficially: Deadline reports season 2 is moving forward after a strong first run on Prime Video. Amazon MGM Studios hasn't commented, and there are zero plot or timeline details out there. Still, if you enjoyed season 1, this is the kind of smoke that usually comes with fire.
Quick refresher on Ballard
Ballard is the Bosch-verse spinoff fronted by Maggie Q as Detective Renee Ballard, a character tied to Bosch: Legacy. It's a lane that fits Maggie Q well; she's done the steely-lead-on-a-mission thing on Nikita and Designated Survivor, and this show plays to those strengths.
Maggie Q has been cautiously optimistic
Back in the summer, right as season 1 was about to hit Prime Video, she told The Hollywood Reporter she wouldn't assume anything in this business. She did say there was already a writers room working and that the season 2 arc they mapped out was exciting, but she's seen rooms get hired and shows still get axed. That's very inside baseball, and also very real.
"Shows are so expendable... They can throw out a show in two seconds... There is no 'of course.' I am a realist."
How the first season performed
- Rotten Tomatoes: 100% (critics)
- Audience score: 77% on the Popcorn meter
- Viewing: 2.5 billion minutes watched in the U.S.
- JoBlo review: our TV critic Alex Maidy gave it a 6/10, calling it an easy summer watch that may not leave a big footprint
What we still don't know
No creative details, no production start, no release window. If Deadline's right, it's good news for the viewers, Maggie Q, and the showrunners, but until Amazon MGM Studios actually says something, consider this a very promising maybe.
Are you in for more Ballard? What do you want season 2 to tackle if the renewal becomes official?