The Bosch universe is expanding once again with Bosch: Start of Watch, a prequel series for MGM+ starring Cameron Monaghan (Shameless) and Omari Hardwick (Power). The new series explores the early years of Michael Connelly’s iconic detective Harry Bosch, originally portrayed by Titus Welliver in Bosch and Bosch: Legacy.
Set in 1991 Los Angeles, Start of Watch follows a 26-year-old Harry Bosch (Monaghan) as a rookie cop navigating the city’s escalating racial tensions, gang violence, and corruption within the LAPD. Hardwick will portray Eli Bridges, Bosch’s training officer — a seasoned Vietnam veteran and original character created for the series. As Bosch learns the realities of the streets under Bridges’ mentorship, he becomes entangled in a dangerous heist investigation that will define the detective he’s destined to become.
The prequel is co-created and executive produced by Bosch: Legacy veterans Tom Bernardo and Brian Anthony, with Bernardo serving as showrunner. Michael Connelly, Henrik Bastin, Jamie Boscardin Martin, and Jasmine Russ also executive produce, alongside Theresa Snider for Hieronymus Pictures. The series is produced by Fabel Entertainment and will shoot in Los Angeles, continuing the franchise’s tradition of grounding its stories in the city where Bosch was born and shaped.
Bosch: Start of Watch marks the fourth series in the expanding Bosch universe, joining Bosch, Bosch: Legacy, and the upcoming Ballard spinoff starring Maggie Q. The prequel recently received an $11.6 million California Film Commission tax credit and will stream exclusively on MGM+ across the U.S., UK, Italy, Germany, Spain, Latin America, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
Bosch: Start of Watch will explore how one of television’s most enduring detectives became the man audiences have followed for over a decade — gritty, relentless, and guided by a moral code that says everyone counts or nobody counts.