Prime Video’s Bosch universe keeps getting bigger, and Ballard is clearly not messing around with Season 2. Maggie Q’s crime drama already had momentum, a strong first season, and a growing cast of heavy hitters. Now it has added one more name that should get genre fans’ attention fast.

Hamish Linklater has officially joined Season 2 of Ballard in a major recurring role. Deadline reports that he will play Chris Alexander, an ambitious and magnetic figure whose charm and intelligence make him instantly compelling, even as a more calculating and controlling side lurks underneath.

Inspired by the work of Michael Connelly, Ballard follows Detective Renée Ballard as she leads the LAPD’s underfunded cold case division, reopening long-forgotten crimes while uncovering deeper corruption inside the department itself. Prime Video renewed the series for Season 2 in October 2025 after a strong debut, and the second season has been steadily building out its cast ever since.

The cast is led by Maggie Q as Renée Ballard, with Titus Welliver returning as Harry Bosch, alongside Courtney Taylor, Rebecca Field, Victoria Moroles, Amy Hill, and John Carroll Lynch. Season 2 has also added Benjamin Bratt, Rosanna Arquette, Ever Carradine, and now Linklater.

What Is ‘Ballard’ About?

Season 1 saw Ballard confronting both professional roadblocks and personal trauma, all while peeling back a dangerous conspiracy inside the LAPD itself. The mix of classic Bosch-style drama, that evergreen noir atmosphere, and new dynamics made the series an immediate hit. Collider‘s review of the show hailed it for bringing something new to the long-running saga, with Jasneet Singh adding:

“For a show that could’ve very easily gotten lost among the waves Bosch made, Ballard rides them while carving up its own style and leaving anticipation in its wake. The foundations may be similar — they are both classic cop shows, after all — but Ballard steadily and coherently interrogates everything it aims to, exposing a different side to the underbelly of the justice system, one that women are generally impacted by. But it’s a show that any fan of the genre will enjoy, whether you’ve seen Bosch or not, as cold cases and conspiracies wrap around the all-too-relatable pits of grief, trauma and loss.”

Ballard Season 1 is on Prime Video now.

via Collider