Bosch Returns as the Most Dependable Show on Streaming

While not as bombastic as their rivals over on Netflix, Amazon has done a good job of refining their TV offerings after some really rocky times. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel gave them the Emmy win that Netflix has been salivating over (one of them, at least), and recent premieres like Jack Ryan have been better received than expected.

But even considering Amazon’s run of quiet success, Bosch is another matter altogether. Going into its 5th season, Bosch represents the kind of one-man-against-the-system cop drama that, in recent years, has been spruced up with counterterrorism (24; Homeland) or quasi-supernatural hoo-ha (True Detective). While there’s nothing terribly objectionable about Bosch, there was also never any reason to write home about the very good meat and potatoes on display.

To Bosch’s credit, though, it kept on doing what it does best, and over the years it amassed a following. There are a lot of people who are going to be VERY happy to see that Titus Welliver and company are back this weekend.

NEW SEASON: For season number five of Bosch, our title character is going undercover to take down a pill farm that’s been peddling fentanyl around Southern California. Meanwhile, even though Bosch has slayed some of the biggest demons that had haunted him, questions about possible planted evidence come up that could take him down. It’s Bosch, baby. He’s back! Streaming on Amazon

SERIES PREMIERE: Australian comedic talent Chris Lilley has impressed American audiences with shows like Summer Heights High and Ja’mie: Private School Girl. He’s partnering with Netflix for the first time for his new series, Lunatics. This 10-part mockumentary focuses on a series of unhinged personalities — a dog psychic; a sex-addicted entrepreneur; a boner-prone teen — and gives Lilley the chance to play multiple characters, as is his trademark. Streaming on Netflix

SERIES PREMIERE: Comedian and creator Ramy Youssef is at the center of Hulu’s groundbreaking original comedy Ramy. He’ll play a first-generation Egyptian-American dealing the twin pressures from his Muslim family and his New Jersey surroundings. The supporting cast includes Succession’s Hiam Abbass. Streaming on Hulu

SERIES PREMIERE: Comedy Central’s new late-night series The New Negroes with Baron Vaughn and Open Mike Eagle combines rap with a comedy showcase that promises to be a great place to find new and exciting comedic talent. 11:00 PM ET on Comedy Central

ALSO TONIGHT

• Last Man Standing celebrates its 150th episode — a milestone achieved across two networks and one cancellation — with an episode titled, no fooling, “Yass Queen.” 8:00 PM ET on FOX
• The Cool Kids follows up Tim Allen’s milestone episode with one where the show’s titular old folks (Martin Mull, Vicky Lawrence, David Alan Grier, Leslie Jordan) deal with, among other things, a questionable mole. 8:30 PM ET on FOX
• VICE Special Report: The Future of Work turns its provocative documentary eye to how automation and artificial intelligence are about to change the way the world views work. 10:00 PM ET on HBO

Joe Reid is the senior writer at Primetimer and co-host of the This Had Oscar Buzz podcast. His work has appeared in Decider, NPR, HuffPost, The Atlantic, Slate, Polygon, Vanity Fair, Vulture, The A.V. Club and more.