Bosch and Bosch: Legacy created a captivating fictional universe, with LAPD detective Harry Bosch at the center. But the Bosch TV universe also has a lot of recurring characters that have won over fans, becoming staples of the show. Characters like Jimmy Robertson, Honey Chandler, Mo Bassi, and even the iconic Crate and Barrel duo were either created for the show or their stories were expanded and changed for the TV adaptations. Honey Chandler’s fate in the Michael Connelly book series is far different from what fans of Bosch and Bosch: Legacy see in the shows, where she takes on storylines from other characters like Mickey Haller from The Lincoln Lawyer. And there’s another recurring character from Bosch and Bosch: Legacy who has the potential to become a major character in the Bosch TV universe: Scott Anderson.
Scott Anderson is a crime reporter for the LA Times who runs into Harry Bosch multiple times throughout the seven seasons of Bosch, and the three seasons of Bosch: Legacy. Bosch and Anderson have a unique relationship, as they are sometimes antagonistic, while other times they go to each other for help. Anderson works the crime beat, so he reports on many LAPD investigations, sometimes using Harry as a source or to smear him in the papers. But while Scott Anderson is a memorable and recurring character in the Bosch TV universe, he doesn’t appear in the original Bosch book series. However, there’s another character similar to Scott Anderson, who plays a major role in the third book in the Bosch series, The Concrete Blonde, and who could be the basis for turning Scott Anderson into a major character in the Bosch TV universe: Joel Bremmer.
Who Is Joel Bremmer and What Is His Connection to Harry Bosch?
Bremmer Is a Recurring Character in the First Three Bosch Novels
Joel Bremmer is a recurring character and a familiar presence in the first books in the Bosch book series: The Black Echo, The Black Ice, and The Concrete Blonde. Bremmer and Bosch have a work relationship that can sometimes be antagonistic, but that also works in each other’s favor. Bremmer became a celebrated crime reporter after he wrote a book about one of Harry Bosch’s investigations, the famous Dollmaker case that cost Harry a demotion from RHD to the Hollywood Homicide Division.
In The Black Echo, Bremmer reports on the break-in at WestLand National Bank, which Harry was working on with FBI agent Eleanor Wish. In The Black Ice, Harry investigates the apparent death by suicide of a narcotics officer, Cal Moore. However, Harry believes there’s more to Moore’s death, and he uses Bremmer and his LA Times ties to leak information about Moore’s autopsy and the apparent cover-up within the LAPD.
The Concrete Blonde is where Bremmer has a bigger role, as he covers the trial against Harry Bosch. Deborah Church, the widow of Norman Church, the alleged Dollmaker killer, sued Harry for the wrongful death of Norman. Bremmer covered the trial not only because the Dollmaker was a big case, but because Bremmer himself wrote a book on the Dollmaker killer after Harry shot and killed Norman Church, later identifying Norman as the killer.
What Happens in The Concrete Blonde?
Bremmer Becomes a Major Character in This Book
The Concrete Blonde takes a turn when a new victim appears, one that has all the markings and MO of the Dollmaker. Harry questions whether he caught the right person or if a copycat is on the loose, but realizes that someone close to the investigation must be involved, as some of the details about the Dollmaker’s MO weren’t made public. As he investigates, Harry eventually realizes that the Dollmaker wasn’t the only killer operating at the time, and that some of the victims attributed to the Dollmaker were, in fact, killed by someone else, who the LAPD later refers to as «The Follower.»
The most shocking twist in The Concrete Blonde happens when Harry realizes that the Follower’s next target is none other than civil rights attorney Honey Chandler, who is representing the Dollmaker’s widow against Harry. But Harry is too late to save Honey, who suffers a gruesome fate. Honey Chandler’s death is devastating and quite shocking, but also helps Harry identify who the Follower really is: Joel Bremmer himself.
What Is Scott Anderson’s Connection to Harry Bosch?
Anderson Was a Recurring Character in Several Seasons of Bosch and Bosch: Legacy
Scott Anderson plays a role that is very similar to that of Joel Bremmer in the first Bosch novels. In Bosch Season 3, Scott Anderson is caught in the middle of a delicate investigation after Jimmy Robertson leaks to Anderson that the LAPD is looking at Harry Bosch for murder. But Harry was framed for this, and he anonymously sends Anderson videotape evidence that proves that someone else was involved in that murder case.
Anderson later returns to write about Harry in Bosch Season 5, when Harry is accused of planting evidence against Preston Borders. In Bosch Season 6, Scott Anderson gets a videotape incriminating Chief Irvin Irving, who is running for mayor. Anderson tries to blackmail Irving into securing a position in Irving’s administration if Irving wins, but Irving rejects Anderson’s blackmail attempt.
In Bosch: Legacy, Scott Anderson helps Honey Chandler secure her victory as the new District Attorney of Los Angeles. Anderson first helps Chandler get a meeting with the members of the LA Times board, who are threatening to pull their support of Chandler in light of the new accusations against Harry Bosch. But soon Jimmy Robertson comes to Harry’s aid, and he leaks to Scott Anderson information about the LAPD’s investigation into Harry, and how the current DA refused to clear Harry until after the election to ruin Chandler’s chances.
How Could Scott Anderson Take Bremmer’s Role?
It Wouldn’t Be the First Time the Bosch TV Series Fused Characters
The shocking revelation that the LA Times reporter Joel Bremmer was a serial killer was probably one of the best twists in the Bosch book series. Bremmer isn’t a character that only appears in The Concrete Blonde but was previously established in other novels, giving readers a sense of familiarity and security around him. Very few people probably suspected Bremmer, which made him the perfect killer once all the truth was laid out.
Scott Anderson is a character who, just like Bremmer, has been a part of the Bosch TV universe for quite some time, so if he was ever revealed to be a serial killer, it would be shocking and probably an unexpected twist. The Concrete Blonde is part of the inspiration behind the first season of Bosch, but there’s no mention of a copycat killer or another serial killer operating at the same time as Norman Church. More than one season of Bosch and Bosch: Legacy have taken inspiration from the same book, so it wouldn’t be surprising if the Bosch TV universe used The Concrete Blonde for inspiration once more.
Combining Bremmer and Anderson Could Be the Perfect Way to Bring Bosch Back
This Could Be the Perfect Basis for a Made-for-Streaming Movie
Since Joel Bremmer isn’t a character in the Bosch TV universe, Scott Anderson could be the perfect character to take on Bremmer’s role. Much like Honey Chandler takes over for some of Mickey Haller’s storylines in the Bosch TV universe, Scott Anderson could be Bremmer’s TV counterpart. And using The Concrete Blonde as inspiration could create the perfect vehicle for Bosch’s return to the screen with a made-for-streaming movie centering on the search for the Dollmaker’s copycat.
Many fans were disappointed when they found out that Bosch: Legacy Season 3 would be the final season of the show, and the culmination of ten years of history in Harry Bosch’s journey. And while Titus Welliver is set to return as Harry Bosch in the upcoming Bosch: Legacy spin-off, Ballard, there’s no saying about how large his role will be in the new series. Fans want to see Harry Bosch take on investigations on his own, either continuing his path as a private investigator or returning to the LAPD, like he does in the book series.
Creating a new limited series or a made-for-streaming movie to bring back Harry Bosch would satisfy many fans, and The Concrete Blonde offers the perfect possibility to do so. The Concrete Blonde would tie in with Bosch’s first season, creating a perfect full-circle moment for long-time fans of the show. Bosch and Bosch: Legacy aren’t faithful adaptations of the Michael Connelly novels, so hopefully Honey Chandler won’t receive the same fate as her book counterpart if producers ever decide to use The Concrete Blonde as a source of inspiration again.
Much like other popular crime shows like Luther, the Bosch TV universe has a chance of expanding and continuing for many years. With the upcoming Ballard spin-off series, fans remain hopeful that Amazon hasn’t given up on Harry Bosch entirely, and that the LAPD detective will return at some point. Whether he does so as a main character in Ballard, or with another limited series or made-for-streaming movie, is still up in the air. But if there’s one thing that’s clear, it’s that there is enough source material to deliver incredible stories and to keep Harry Bosch alive for many years to come.
