Young Bosch Is Back in Town: Cameron Monaghan Tapped to Star in MGM Plus Prequel Series ‘Bosch Start of Watch’

The Bosch universe just got a major adrenaline shot, and this time it's coming with a side of youthful grit. MGM Plus has officially ordered Bosch: Start of Watch, a prequel series that rewinds the clock to 1991 Los Angeles, where a younger, less grizzled Harry Bosch is about to earn his badge and probably get it bloodied. Fan-favorite Cameron Monaghan, best known for his chaotic brilliance in Shameless and Gotham, has been cast as the young Harry Bosch, stepping into the heavy shoes made iconic by Titus Welliver. Let the cop drama renaissance begin.

For fans of the long-running Bosch series and its Freevee spinoff Bosch: Legacy, this prequel offers a fresh lens on the legendary detective’s origin story. But don’t expect a soft-focus nostalgia trip. Start of Watch drops us into a turbulent LA, fresh off the Rodney King beating and brimming with tension. Young Bosch enters the LAPD not just as a rookie, but as a walking contradiction, idealistic and relentless in a world that will soon try to break him.

The series promises to dig into the moments that shaped Bosch’s unshakable moral code everybody counts or nobody counts with a noir edge and a healthy dose of moral gray. According to MGM Plus, the show will revolve around a high-profile heist, a web of corruption, and the very personal decisions that turn a green cop into a relentless detective. Yes, we’re already in.

Cameron Monaghan leading the charge is no accident. He’s got the right mix of scrappy charm and dangerous intensity to bring a young Bosch to life. Joining him is Omari Hardwick (Power) as Bosch’s training officer Eli Bridges, a Vietnam vet with enough baggage to ground an airline. Their dynamic is set to fuel the emotional core of the series, think mentor with a death wish meets idealist with a badge.

Behind the scenes, the Bosch prequel is in good hands. Start of Watch is being co-created by Tom Bernardo and Eric Overmyer alums from the Bosch mothership, with Michael Connelly himself signed on as executive producer. Production kicks off in 2026, with a likely release window in late 2026 or early 2027. So mark your calendar or tattoo it on your arm, your call.

Bosch: Start of Watch will stream exclusively on MGM Plus and will roll out globally, so no, you do not need to beg your cousin in LA for access.

For now, dust off those first-season rewatch plans and prep for a younger, wilder Bosch. If the past is any indication, it’s about to get messy in the best possible way. Stay tuned, because Bosch never sleeps and neither do we.