Courtesy of Netflix
The show stars Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as lawyer J. Michael Haller.Editor’s Note: Spoilers for Season 4 of “The Lincoln Lawyer.”
On Feb. 5, Netflix released the fourth season of “The Lincoln Lawyer,” a legal drama set in Los Angeles and based on Michael Connelly’s legal novel series. The show features a witty attorney — J. Michael “Mickey” Haller — who works out of his Lincoln SUV.
Having spent many rainy evenings reading Connelly’s novels under the companionship of a cup of hot chocolate, I have been fascinated by this show for years. I’ve been hooked since the first episode and watched much of the first three seasons with my dad.
Every season is based on one of Connelly’s novels: Season 1 correlates to “The Brass Verdict,” Season 2 is derived from “The Fifth Witness,” Season 3 comes from “The Gods of Guilt” and Season 4 correlates to “The Law of Innocence.”
Each season focuses on one big, ongoing case with a litany of other smaller cases scattered throughout, which helps to break up the intensity around the main case. Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) works with a small team: his associate and ex-wife No. 2 Lorna (Becki Newton), her private investigator husband Cisco (Angus Sampson), his secretary Izzy (Jazz Raycole) and his ex-wife No. 1 Maggie (Neve Campbell). He also receives advice from his mentor David “Legal” Siegel (Elliott Gould).
One of the best parts of the show is that the characters are all extremely loveable: Lorna’s enviable sense of fashion; the way in which Cisco’s character perfectly complements his wife’s; Izzy’s down-to-earth reformed criminal personality; the amicable relationship between Maggie and Haller; and most importantly, Legal’s love for meatball subs. The cast is extremely diverse, and the show includes LGBTQ+ themes, multicultural families and helps viewers understand frustrations related to the U.S. criminal justice system.
The previous season’s cliffhanger had me in extreme anticipation for the new season: It ended with Haller being pulled over and found with a dead body in his trunk. The dead body was of con man Sam Scales, a featured character of the third season.
This plot twist meant Season 4 is centered entirely around the murder charges filed against Haller — as opposed to the rest of the show, which has focused more on how he functioned as an attorney and his strategic wins. Each plot still involves strategy, and Haller is occupied by the role of a “pro se” defendant (acting as his own defense attorney), but it is almost entirely about his trial with fewer minor cases.
The season’s themes center around exposing corruption within the prison and prosecutorial systems as Haller works to prove his innocence and find Sam Scales’ real killer while Lorna tries to keep their business afloat. It is entertaining, with plot twists galore — including a heartbreaking death of a major character.
My family regularly watches shows like this in the evenings — we bond over guessing who committed the crimes and predicting how it will end. “The Lincoln Lawyer” was pretty much the only thing we’ve watched together over the last couple of weeks, and the highlight of my days. I will always look warmly on our time huddled in the living room together (my mom never being able to make it through an episode without falling asleep) and “The Lincoln Lawyer” adds to my fondness of the crime/courtroom genre.
Rating: 5/5 Falcons
