The first season of Bosch draws its story from three Michael Connelly novels: City of Bones (2002), Echo Park (2006), and The Concrete Blonde (1994).

Bosch was one of two drama pilots (alongside The After) that Amazon streamed online in early 2014, letting viewers vote on whether the show should be picked up before a full series was commissioned.

For television, Bosch's backstory was reworked from the novels: instead of being born in 1950 and gaining tunnel-rat experience in Vietnam, the TV version of Harry Bosch is a veteran of the 1991 Gulf War and later served in Afghanistan after re-enlisting following 9/11.

The pilot episode was shot in a 13-day production in Los Angeles beginning November 4, 2013, during which author Michael Connelly kept a daily set journal.

The civil rights attorney character was originally named Sunny Chandler and played by Amy Price-Francis in the pilot, but for the series proper the name reverted to the book's Honey Chandler and the role was recast to Mimi Rogers.

Titus Welliver's real-life son Quinn plays a young Harry Bosch in flashback scenes.

Bosch was nominated for the Outstanding Main Title Design award at the 67th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, competing against Manhattan, American Horror Story: Freak Show, Daredevil, Halt and Catch Fire, and Olive Kitteridge (Manhattan won).

The show spawned two spin-offs, Bosch: Legacy (2022) and Ballard (2025) centered on Detective Renée Ballard played by Maggie Q, plus an announced prequel series, Bosch: Start of Watch, featuring Cameron Monaghan as a younger Harry Bosch.