Court in the Act: THE LINCOLN LAWYER goes fourth on Netflix…
Mickey Haller is a lawyer with a problem. That’s nothing new… after all, Haller is the ‘Lincoln Lawyer’ and has made a reputation for landing the most difficult cases and yet somehow managing to expose the truth and – usually – get his client a ‘not guilty’ verdict.
However, this time, the stakes are unusually high because Haller is both lawyer and defendant. After a dead body is found in the trunk of his car and he’s thrown in jail awaiting trial, the odds are stacked against him and it becomes clear that there are plenty of people willing to see him go down for the crime. For some it’s because they believe he’s guilty, for others it’s a means to an end.
But if there’s one rule Haller won’t break, it’s the rule of innocence: it won’t be enough to cast doubt on the evidence – to truly win this battle, he has to find out what’s really going on and who has framed him for murder…
*some spoilers*
By this point, viewers will know what to expect from The Lincoln Lawyer and the fourth series (a fifth season has already been greenlighted) sticks to the formula that viewers (and readers of the Michael Connelly novels) expect. But if that mix of conflicts in the courtroom and personal complications outside it are the tried-and-tested formula, that doesn’t mean it isn’t all delivered with flair, drama and a good sideline in humour.
The main thrust of the season is an adaptation of The Rule of Innocence, which sees Mickey Haller himself framed for the murder of a petty conman – Sam Scales (Christopher Thornton). We saw Sam last season – continuing to cause problems for Mickey but the last view we had of him was when Sam turned up dead in the trunk of Mickey’s car. Prosecutor Dana ‘Ice’ Berg (Constance Zimmer) thinks it’s a slam-dunk case of ‘trunk music’, the fatal outcome of a dispute over money.
Mickey – operating from inside jail for a good chunk of the time – has to use every trick in his repertoire to load the dice in his favour, knowing that Berg will be doing the same. Each try to curry favour with Judge Stone (Scott Lawrence) who tries to be fair but there’s a lot on the line. The dilemma and irony of being one’s own client and not always agreeing to follow the advice he’d give a different client, means Mickey has to face some hard truths and it’s interesting to see how well (and how NOT) he copes. The title of the original novel and the notion of ‘innocence’ looms large here for Mickey: he feels it’s not enough to provide ‘reasonable doubt’ as to the charges against him… he has to prove he did not do it and uncover who did, otherwise there will always be a stain on his reputation.
With Ballard now filming its second run with Maggie Q, a prequel series Bosch: First Watch and The Lincoln Lawyer looking to adapt Resurrection Walk novel for the next season (not to mention two new novels out from the author during 2026), it remains a great and rewarding time to be a fan of the Connellyverse in all its forms….
Fans of courtroom battles and banter won’t be disappointed and the ten-episodes feel about the right length – with an assortment of ‘B-story’ court-cases with other clients and some supporting personal stories thrown into the mix.
For a long while Matthew McConaughey dominated the role after The Lincoln Lawyer was made into a feature film, but the series – complete with a more accurate ethnicity for its title character – has given Manuel Garcia-Ruflo the opportunity to reinvent the role and make it his own. Now in the show’s fourth season, he’s entirely comfortable in the role of a lawyer who walks the line between principled deliverance of the right verdict and using some unconventional (and sometimes slightly unethical) ways to get him to the finishing line.
As always, the regular cast of characters provide solid support.
It’s good to see Neve Campbell back as Maggie MacPherson, Haller’s ex-wife and confidante as the series (and novel) put her to good use. In the past seasons, she’s been a supporting character in Haller’s personal life but we’ve rarely seen her inside the courtroom or earning that ‘McFierce’ moniker as a prosecutor. Now we’re reminded of that reputation: seeing Dana Berg breaking the rules and playing fast and loose with the law, Maggie makes the big decision to pivot to becoming the formal lead in Haller’s defense team. There continues to be a definite, easy chemistry between her and Rufalo that works beyond the courtroom – you can see why the characters would work as a married couple and why they would not.
Becki Newton is also great as Lorna Crane, Mickey’s other ex and current office-manager who is now holding her own as a lawyer after passing the bar last season. She makes half of a dynamic odd couple alongside Angus Sampson’s Cisco Wojciechowski – the physically-intimidating but wry biker who doubles as Lorna’s husband and the team’s investigator/muscle. Sampson’s created his own niche of gentle-giants and is just as famous for his psychic investigator Tucker in the Insidious movies. Jazz Raycole also returns as the office’s intrepid assistant Izzy Letts and is given more to do than before.
Also notable is the presence of screen legend Elliott Gould, once again reprising the role of David ‘Legal’ Siegel, Mickey’s mentor and a man who has always been there to support him and offer sage advice. Gould is in his late 80s and has now been acting for over six decades, but it’s clear he’s not intending to slow down.
Like the novels, the show makes its backdrop a character unto itself with expansive views of the Los Angeles skyscrapers, the less-safe backroads and the open highways of the desert beyond the LA basin. Alternatively, the scenes with Mickey in jail feel genuinely dangerous, bleak and claustrophobic.
One of the frustrations about the different arms of the televisual Connellyverse is that The Lincoln Lawyer is housed at Netflix, while Bosch and Ballard were/are ensconced at Amazon – essentially meaning that the characters of Haller and Bosch (who are half-brothers in the novels) cannot share the screen because of rights issues. (Though there’s been a few clever nods and subtle easter-eggs over the years). The season-enders have often offered springboards into what’s to come, but the closing moments of this season offer a genuine surprise to viewers and even those die-hard fans of the books are unlikely to see coming.
With Ballard now filming its second run with Maggie Q, a prequel series Bosch: First Watch and The Lincoln Lawyer looking to adapt Resurrection Walk novel for the next season (not to mention two new novels out from the author during 2026), it remains a great and rewarding time to be a fan of the Connellyverse in all its forms…
The Lincoln Lawyer is now streaming on Netflix…