‘The Lincoln Lawyer‘ is a new legal drama that was released on Netflix. Developed by Ted Humphrey and created by David E. Kelley, it is based on a series of novels by author Michael Connelly. The first season rounded out at about ten episodes.

Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) is a Los Angeles defense attorney who just went through recovery. He is contacted by legal aide Lorna Crain (Becki Newton) that Judge Mary Holder (LisaGay Hamilton) wants to speak with him. To his surprise, a former colleague has been murdered and left his caseload to him. This includes the high-profile trial of game developer Trevor Elliott (Christopher Gorham) who is accused of killing his wife and her lover. Calling his old investigator Cisco (Angus Sampson), he starts the case and hires his former client Izzy Letts (Jazz Raycole) to drive around him so he can prepare cases from his Lincoln. His ex-wife and Assistant District Attorney Maggie McPherson (Neve Campbell) is hesitant about his return, but Mickey is ready to get back into the game.

I have not read the books, so I cannot compare the show to them. Likewise, I will not be comparing it to the film of the same name starring Matthew McConaughey.

The cast did a good job with their roles. Everyone had excellent chemistry and their performances are what made the show so interesting. Manuel Garcia-Rulfo takes charge as Haller, bringing him to life and making him a compelling character with a lot of depth. His interactions help make the series engaging and I applaud him.

When it came to the pilot, I was not impressed. For one thing, Mickey lets both of his ex-wives boss him around for the entire runtime. It got old after… the first time. I do not like this Hollywood trend where a male character gets bossed around by his exes. It is lame. I was concerned that Netflix was doing to Haller what Disney did to Luke Skywalker, punching him down in favor of “inclusivity.” Fortunately, this was limited to the pilot. After that, they course-corrected.

Once episode two kicks in, we finally get to see Haller in action. He helps several clients and finds a link between the Trevor case and another involving a veteran. This twist and how it weaved together was very interesting. There is a subplot with ADA McPherson that was good, but I did not understand the correlation to the rest of the show. However, it is all tied together with a twist ending you are not expecting. It kept me hooked to the point where I watched it in two days and that rarely happens.

Check out the trailer below:

PARENTAL CONCERNS: Strong foul language, Violence, Some sexual discussion

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