By TeeJay Small
| Published
If you’re a fan of legal dramas, you may already be well acquainted with the Netflix original series The Lincoln Lawyer, which just aired its third season on the streamer. If the title sounds familiar, you may have previously read one of the many books in the Lincoln Lawyer novel series, penned by American author Michael Connelly, or even seen the 2011 feature film adaptation starring Matthew McConaughey. While each iteration of the classic legal story has its own merit, the Netflix series brings the most well-rounded and fascinating look into these characters and situations yet.
The Lincoln Lawyer
For those who aren’t aware, The Lincoln Lawyer centers on a Los Angeles hot-shot attorney who loves surfing, laying down the law in the courtroom, and studying cases and legal precedents from the back seat of his chauffeur-driven Lincoln Navigator.
The lawyer in question, Mickey Haller, specializes in rooting out corruption in the courts, which makes him an enemy of judges who take bribes, dirty cops, and murderers who have framed innocent civilians for their crimes. Along the way, Haller is aided by his driver Izzy, his best friend Cisco, and his two ex wives, who both work in the courts.
While an overview of The Lincoln Lawyer makes the series sound quite cheesy- and it definitely can be at times, the show is actually a lot more fascinating than it would seem at first glance. Critics have showered The Lincoln Lawyer with praise, resulting in the series taking home a cumulative critic score of 90 percent certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, with a staggering 100 percent rating for the third season.
As the show has progressed, subsequent seasons have seen the eponymous attorney taking down drug cartels, partnering with misunderstood low-level criminals to expose widespread corruption, and clashing with local land owners who are rumored to be backed by the mob.
The Cast
Manuel Garcia-Rulfo leads the cast of The Lincoln Lawyer as Mickey Haller, alongside a well-rounded ensemble which includes Becki Newton, Angus Sampson, Jazz Raycole, Yaya DaCosta, and Scream‘s Neve Campbell. The series was initially created and developed by the producer duo of David E. Kelley and Ted Humphrey, and meant to release on CBS back in 2020.
Due to concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, The Lincoln Lawyer was canceled ahead of its premiere, only to be given renewed life on Netflix. While this may have seemed like quite a tumult at the time for the cast and crew, the network swap was truly a blessing in disguise, as Netflix allows Mickey and his cohorts to be a little more edgy, raunchy, and sex-driven than CBS likely would have allowed.
Streaming On Netflix
Personally, I never expected to enjoy The Lincoln Lawyer, though I was put into it by a coworker during a recent assignment. After checking out a few episodes just to get a baseline for the show, I wound up really having fun with the chaotic narrative, and binge-watched the entire thing. Season 3 is definitely the strongest batch of episodes thus far, though showrunners have teased big things for the future as well.
At the time of this writing, The Lincoln Lawyer has not officially received a season 4 renewal, though it seems like a no-brainer given how popular the show has become. Either way, those interested in checking out the existing 3 seasons of The Lincoln Lawyer can stream the show on Netflix.