We have our pick to play a younger Harry Bosch, but is it really the best choice for the part? And yes, a Bosch prequel series is coming!
Bosch has established itself as one of Prime Video’s best successes. Based on the best-selling novels by Michael Connelly, the original series followed Harry Bosch (Titus Welliver), an LAPD detective getting involved in various cases while fighting the politics of the police force.
The show ran for seven seasons, and when it ended, it got a spin-off, Bosch: Legacy, where Bosch quit the LAPD to become a private eye. It ended earlier in 2025 while setting up another spinoff, Ballard, starring Maggie Q.
Now, Bosch is joining a trend in a prequel series, Bosch: Start of Watch, set to premiere on MGM+ sometime in 2026. It opens in 1991 as a young Harry Bosch is a 26-year-old rookie cop handling his first days on the job.
Who will play a young Bosch?
Deadline broke the news that Cameron Monaghan is stepping into the role of Bosch, with Omari Hardwick playing Eli Bridges, a veteran cop who’s Bosch’s training officer.
“We are thrilled to expand the Bosch universe with this compelling origin story that showcases how one of television’s most beloved detectives became the man we know today. With Cameron Monaghan and Omari Hardwick bringing these complex characters to life, and the creative vision of Michael Connelly and our talented executive producers, Bosch: Start of Watch promises to deliver the gritty, authentic storytelling that honors the franchise’s legacy while opening an exciting new chapter.”
This does look like a unique new direction for the series, but have they made the right choice in the leading man?
Is Monaghan the best choice for a young Bosch?
Any actor taking up the younger version of a famous TV role faces the daunting challenge of following in the footsteps of the original actor. A good example is Austin Stowell trying to play the younger version of Mark Harmon’s Gibbs on NCIS: Origins.
Monaghan is a popular face on television. The actor rose to fame as Liam Gallagher on the hit Showtime comedy Shameless, showing a wild side to his role. He then had the triple role of Jeremiah/Jerome/The Joker on Gotham. He’s also well known to Star Wars fans for his part as Cal Kestis in the Star Wars: Jedi Survivor video games.
Monaghan is an outstanding actor, so he could do well as a younger Bosch. There are some complaints that he doesn’t quite resemble a younger Titus Welliver, from hair to facial structure, but that’s common in such prequel castings. Yet there’s a larger question whether Monaghan captures the aura of Bosch correctly.
Breaking down a younger Bosch
The show describes this younger Bosch as “a stoic, unyielding young man, intensely observant. He possesses all the qualities that will come to mark his legendary career: he’s smart, relentless, determined, fiercely protective of the victims of crime.”
Welliver gave Bosch a wonderful air of world-weary, taking brutal murders as just an everyday job, even as he sought justice for the victims. He could be cool under fire with a sardonic sense of humor that could turn into cold fury if he was pressed too hard. It was a fine turn by the veteran actor that was perfect from the novels.
Monaghan has shown the ability to play stoic in the past, but also roles that show off a lot of emotion, such as Liam and the Joker. He’s someone who seems like a live wire ready to explode, not quite the Bosch we know later on. He's frankly just more easily emotional than Welliver's Bosch and fans may be jarred seeing what seems like a completly different person.
Then again, that is the point of the series, telling how Bosch had to temper himself as a cop. It’s not unlike how NCIS: Origins shows a far darker and more brooding Gibbs and how he slowly transforms into the veteran agent of the main series. Likewise, this prequel gives us a Bosch who is still young and making mistakes, leaning as he goes. That's not just in crime but also handling the public and the politics of the LAPD.
The show will probably play on the dynamic that Bridges is basically what Bosch becomes, a veteran cop showing his younger protegee the ropes while not getting too jaded. This Bosch still possesses the skills that will make him a fine detective, he just needs to temper it. Frankly, everyone is far different in their 20s than they are in their 60s and having a younger Bosch already so capable wouldn't make sense.
Seeing Bosch as a patrol officer will also be interesting and a nice parallel to how Legacy had his daughter, Maddie (Madison Lintz), starting as a street cop. The 1990s setting adds to the appeal as it was a much different time to be a cop in Los Angeles and Monaghan should capture that retro feel.
We should trust the producers as they were fully aware of the trick in casting a younger Bosch and must have felt Monaghan was the best choice for it. Hopefully, this works out and Monaghan does justice to the part to show how Bosch became the great hero fans have come to love.
Bosch and Bosch: Legacy are currently streaming on Prime Video.
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