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Prime Video's Boschis still one of the biggest and best crime dramas and procedural series. The show is based on Michael Connelly's book series featuring the maverick LAPD detective Harry Bosch, and it redefined Amazon's approach to television. And as Bosch's TV universe expands with spin-offs and prequels, there's another Connelly novel begging for an adaptation.
Michael Connelly is one of the most prolific crime authors, with over 40 novels to his credit. He has also created a unique interconnected universe. And his 1996 novel, The Poet, introduced a new character who has his own series but also shares crossovers with Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller, making him the perfect character for a new show.
Michael Connelly's The Poet Could Be the Next Best Crime Series
Michael Connelly has many book series, including Harry Bosch, The Lincoln Lawyer, Ballard, and Terry McCaleb. They all share one fictional universe but have their own series. They are the main characters in their own stories, but they also cross over, with Bosch and Ballard often teaming up, while Bosch and Mickey Haller share a unique bond.
And in 1996, Michael Connelly introduced Jack McEvoy. This is a character uniquely personal to Michael Connelly, as he drew from his own personal experience. Jack McEvoy is a crime reporter, a job that Michael Connelly himself held for many years, starting his career at the Daytona Beach News-Journal before eventually moving to the Los Angeles Times.
Connelly's career experience shapes McEvoy, who, in The Poet, works for the Rocky Mountain News. The Poet follows McEvoy as he investigates the death of his own brother, a police officer who seemingly died by suicide. However, McEvoy thinks there's more to his death, and as he finds more evidence, he becomes involved in a dangerous FBI investigation.
The Poet is dark, at times disturbing, and a suspenseful read. The Poet also marks the introduction of another recurring character in Michael Connelly's novels, Rachel Walling, an FBI Special Agent. And as many Bosch fans know, Harry Bosch's ex-wife and mother of his only daughter, Maddie, was also an FBI agent before becoming a professional poker player.
While Eleanor Wish doesn't appear in The Poet, Amazon has proven it knows how to change and adapt Connelly's novels for television. McEvoy's story could expand on Wish's backstory, or feature Maddie Bosch, or stand on its own. These interconnected characters and the singular universe they inhabit within Michael Connelly's novels are rich and perfect source material for multiple adaptations.
The Poet Might Be Best as a Stand-Alone Crime Series
Bosch's legacy is hard to ignore, especially since Titus Welliver's performance as Harry Bosch was so beloved by fans. And even when Prime Video debuts new series within the Bosch universe, such as Ballard, Welliver still has a guest-starring role as Bosch to connect both shows. But The Poet could be Amazon's attempt at a stand-alone within the current Bosch universe.
Jack McEvoy and Harry Bosch eventually cross paths in A Darkness More Than Night, the 2001 Bosch novel. But in The Poet, McEvoy works the case alongside Rachel Walling and the FBI, and it could become a perfect stand-alone series for Amazon. And it could lead to the adaptation of other McEvoy novels like The Scarecrow and Fair Warning.
McEvoy and Bosch could eventually meet in the future if the show decides to take inspiration from A Darkness More Than Night, but it could also be its own series for a few seasons, cementing its own characters and universe without relying on the popularity of Bosch and the fandom's appreciation for Titus Welliver's portrayal of the character.
The Poet hasn't had an adaptation yet, but it's one of Michael Connelly's most suspenseful and dark novels. McEvoy also shares some connections with Connelly's Terry McCaleb, the main character of 1997's Blood Work. Blood Work received a movie adaptation in 2002, with Clint Eastwood starring as McCaleb and also writing and producing the film.
With so many characters in Connelly's endless fictional universe, and so many intriguing crime stories to pull from, Amazon has the chance to create one of the biggest TV franchises. And with all the shows so far centering on or featuring Harry Bosch, it's time for other Connelly characters, such as Jack McEvoy, to get their own adaptation too.
