‘Welcome to Catalina’: Michael Connelly’s ‘Nightshade’ Adaptation in the Works at HBO Max!!

Michael Connelly loves a streaming platform, it’s clear to see, but he’s got a wandering eye. His characters have already had a ridiculous run on TV, with Bosch becoming one of Prime Video‘s earliest breakout hits, Bosch: Legacy taking it in a new direction and Netflix‘s The Lincoln Lawyer bringing a ton of eyes onto the platform. But with Harry Bosch filed away into a drawer, and The Lincoln Lawyer wrapping up its final cases, there’s a big Connelly shaped gap on TV and HBO Max wants to change that.

Today, HBO confirmed — via Deadline — that they are developing Welcome to Catalina, a new police drama from David E. Kelley based on Connelly’s 2024 bestseller Nightshade. Kelley, who previously worked with Connelly before on Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer adaptation, will write the project, which revolves around Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Detective Stilwell, a cop who has been “exiled” to what sounds like a quieter post policing Catalina Island. Of course, given that this is a Connelly story, it’ll be quiet for about the first ten minutes of the pilot.

What Is ‘Welcome to Catalina’ About?

The series follows Stilwell as he handles the usual low-level island problems, including drunk-and-disorderly cases and petty thefts, before he gets a report of a body found weighed down at the bottom of the harbor. So, yes, the rustic island assignment very quickly becomes less “laid-back transfer” and more “welcome to your new nightmare.” That’s usually how these things go.

Welcome to Catalina is being developed under HBO Max’s new drama procedural model, which is designed for shows that can return annually with sizable episode orders while keeping costs moderate. The model was introduced with The Pitt, the streamer’s Emmy-winning medical drama, which produces 15 episodes a year. For HBO Max, a Connelly police drama from Kelley is probably the perfect fit for that plan. It utilizes a recognizable author, proven creator, strong procedural engine, and plenty of room for yearly cases that they can churn out.

Kelley will executive produce alongside Matt Tinker, president of David E. Kelley Productions, as well as The Lincoln Lawyer team of A+E Studios’ Barry Jossen and Tana Jamieson, Ross Fineman of Ross Fineman Entertainment, and Connelly himself. HBO Max is the lead studio, with A+E Studios serving as co-studio.