Why won't there be a Bosch: Legacy season 4?

Not content with living a quieter life, the sleuth is now working as a private investigator and getting drawn into yet more dangerous situations, with season 3 focusing on the perplexing disappearance of an entire family.

Fans had initially thought Bosch was all but guaranteed to continue for at least one more season, but news broke in September 2024 that the crime drama would instead be ending here.

So, what went wrong? Here's everything we know about why Bosch: Legacy season 4 won't be happening.

Why won't there be a Bosch: Legacy season 4?

Bosch: Legacy star Titus Welliver has revealed that negotiations over a fourth season of the series fell apart, citing "budgetary restrictions" as one of the "myriad" possible factors behind the decision.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he explained: "We'd already been in conversations midway towards the end of the season talking about the next season and ideas [for season 4], and we were getting very excited about the prospect.

"I got a call from them and they said they're not going forward. It was a pretty brief conversation. We all expressed our disappointment, but we've all been doing this long enough to know that could happen."

Welliver added: "Sometimes it's a myriad of reasons that I don’t necessarily understand. I do understand that given the economy and things like that, there are a lot of studios that have been experiencing budgetary restrictions.

"But, as far as that, I've never had a conversation where I sat down and said, 'Alright, tell me from point A to point B what [the decision is] based on.'"

Could Bosch: Legacy return from cancellation?

Bosch star Titus Welliver has said that he "would not be shocked" if there was a Bosch revival at some point in the future.

The actor cited his "decade-long business relationship" with Amazon Studios, which includes a first-look deal for any future projects he might cook up, as a component in favour of a potential continuation.

Welliver told THR: "You never know in Hollywood. I would not be shocked if at some point there was a revisitation. We all have to continue with our lives. But if the fans have anything to say about it… and they are very clear about their feelings!"

In the meantime, fans can look forward to another Bosch spin-off following Renee Ballard (played by Maggie Q), who makes her debut in the third season of Bosch: Legacy.

Welliver told Collider that season 3 episodes set up Ballard "very well", but don't offer any meaningful "closure" for Bosch's story, nor is the chapter structured as a "goodbye" to the character.

"If people are anticipating some kind of closure… that doesn’t happen. There’s no thread, necessarily… a distinct thread that says to the audience, OK, and that’s Maggie Q, and get ready for Ballard," Welliver explained.

"You meet Ballard. You see she and Bosch work together. You see their certain similarities. And so it sets up her character very well, but it does not have any closure or any sense of goodbye to it.

"They both have the same intent, which is to solve a case. And so they sort of are forced to work together. But we don’t really have the time to establish that [fully]… It’s more of a point of impact."

What could have happened in Bosch: Legacy season 4?

Titus Welliver has revealed that Bosch: Legacy season 4 would likely have seen his character return to the LAPD, from which he had retired at the start of the spin-off.

The actor explained that Bosch's work as a private investigator was close enough to his past duties on the force that it would have made the transition fairly seamless, with an advisor on the show confirming he would "definitely" be welcomed back.

The story would have take inspiration from the novels by Michael Connelly, in which Bosch "goes back to being a cop" after time away from the line of duty.

Bosch: Legacy is available to stream on Prime Video.

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