Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer includes four excellent seasons, but not all of them rank as high when it comes to story development and characters. In May 2022, the streaming giant released a TV show adaptation of Michael Connelly’s titular book series, quickly garnering high ratings from both critics and audiences.
Every season of The Lincoln Lawyer is certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, and audience ratings are extremely high as well. Netflix has responded to the success by announcing The Lincoln Lawyer season 5 before the fourth season even debuted, a huge vote of confidence for a streamer that’s quick to cancel great shows.
Ultimately, the continued success of the legal drama is thanks to the entire creative team. They’ve pulled together four entertaining seasons that are rewatchable and mostly stay true to Michael Connelly’s books. That being said, not every addition to Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer rises to the level of the others.
4
The Lincoln Lawyer Season 2
Based On The Fifth Witness
Although all the seasons of The Lincoln Lawyer are enjoyable, season 2 is the weakest by far. The Lincoln Lawyer’s unique format combines episodic cases and a season-long overarching case.
While the smaller court cases are just as interesting as those of seasons 1 and 3, the central case that lasts the whole season isn’t as compelling. It’s hard to care about the outcome of the case because the victim is a scumbag, and the defendant is unlikable.
From the start to the end of The Lincoln Lawyer season 2, it felt like the showrunners were trying to force the relationship between Mickey and Lisa. Although Manuel Garcia-Rulfo and Lana Parrilla are both great actors, they had very little chemistry in the Netflix show. Plus, Lisa Trammell felt like a flat archetype of a manipulative woman.
The pacing of The Lincoln Lawyer season 2 is also inconsistent, feeling at some times like a network show that comes out every week and other moments a streaming show that drops batches of episodes at once.
Moreover, one of the most appealing parts of the Lincoln Lawyer books is the fact that they represent the law fairly well, but the second season of the Netflix show is legally inaccurate to a noticeable and laughable degree.
3
The Lincoln Lawyer Season 1
Based On The Brass Verdict
Although it’s easy to rank The Lincoln Lawyer season 2 as the weakest, seasons 1 and 3 are neck-and-neck in terms of quality. The first season does a great job of introducing the characters and premise of the show, getting the audience to invest emotionally.
The consistent pacing makes it easy to binge-watch the episodes, although the show feels like it goes on maybe two episodes longer than necessary. However, we can give it a pass on the length since it was the first season of the show.
Trevor Elliott is an excellent defendant for the first season, given that the show focuses on the gray areas within the legal system. Up until the end of The Lincoln Lawyer season 1, ambiguity and mystery surround Trevor, making the audience genuinely question whether he loved his wife, committed the crime, etc. The compelling question marks keep the story moving forward.
Unfortunately, The Lincoln Lawyer season 1 falls below season 3 is because the show includes a deep but not quite deep enough exploration of Mickey Haller as a character. The examination of Mickey is great, but it leaves viewers wanting for more.
That’s often the nature of premiere seasons, so it’s not the Netflix show’s fault for not fully getting into the psyche of The Lincoln Lawyer’s main character. Still, season 3 didn’t have this barrier, since the foundation of the show and characters had already been laid.
2
The Lincoln Lawyer Season 3
Based On The Gods of Guilt
The Lincoln Lawyer season 3 barely outranks season 1 for second. Like the first season, the third has sharp dialogue, excellent character development for both the main and supporting characters, and good pacing. Both seasons explain legal concepts throughout the show, opening the door to viewers who might not have as much background knowledge.
The story continues to explore the flaws in the legal system, giving extra focus to governmental systems and how they influence the courts. Trevor Elliott is a more interesting defendant than Julian LaCosse in season 3, but Julian’s case is more fascinating than Trevor’s from a legal standpoint. This tradeoff will appeal to some viewers while putting off others.
However, the shining aspect of The Lincoln Lawyer season 3 is Mickey’s character arc. Because he’s connected to Glory Days, Julian’s court case is the most personal for Mickey. He goes through more emotional challenges, which are made worse by the isolation from his family in The Lincoln Lawyer season 3.
When he’s pushed to the point of nearly breaking, the audience gets the most intimate understanding of Mickey Haller’s mind. Ultimately, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo’s Mickey is the heart of The Lincoln Lawyer, so when all other factors are even, a deeper exploration of him will always win out.
1
The Lincoln Lawyer Season 4
Based On The Law Of Innocence
While seasons 1 and 3 were neck and neck for second place, The Lincoln Lawyer season 4 easily takes the title of the best season of the legal drama. The writing is better than ever, the courtroom scenes are dramatic, and it’s the best adaptation of the source material.
Previous seasons had at least one or two characters who felt slightly imbalanced. The Lincoln Lawyer season 4’s characters all feel perfectly balanced, directly contributing to the central storyline. They each have at least one scene that shows off why they are necessary to the plot.
Actor Manuel Garcia-Rulfo gives not just his best performance in the show, but also the best of his entire career, in season 4. He shows a wide range of emotions, but his most dramatic moments are tear-jerking. It’s hard to see Mickey, a character who’s usually optimistic and sunny, just be so broken down.
On top of that, the writing in The Lincoln Lawyer season 4 includes all the best elements of Michael Connelly’s books. Mickey has clever moments, like the Baja plan and the sticky-tab swap. There are massive, jaw-dropping plot twists. Maggie and Mickey have memorable scenes. Corruption exists in the police systems and the FBI. Plus, a key person in the case dies at the most critical moment towards the end of The Lincoln Lawyer season 4.
Ultimately, The Lincoln Lawyer season 4 is nearly perfect in every regard. The Lincoln Lawyer season 5, which will adapt Resurrection Walk, will have a difficult time topping this, especially since The Law of Innocence is arguably a better book.
- Release Date
-
May 13, 2022
- Network
-
Netflix
- Directors
-
David E. Kelley
-
Manuel Garcia-Rulfo
Mickey Haller
-
