Television series

The Lincoln Lawyer

Name: The Lincoln Lawyer
Genre: Drama, Crime, Legal
Released: 2022
Cast: Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Becki Newton, Jazz Raycole, Angus Sampson, Neve Campbell

Based on Michael Connelly's novels, this is glossy, sun-drenched legal comfort food: Mickey Haller runs his practice out of a chauffeured Lincoln, juggling flashy cases, an ex-wife who's a prosecutor, and a past that keeps circling back. It's breezy, plot-forward, and easy to binge - courtroom twists with a California tan, built for people who want smart but not heavy.

TVMaze rating

8.0

If you liked this

Bosch2015

Michael Connelly built this out of the same fictional LA - Bosch and Haller are half-brothers in the books - so you get the same city and creator's DNA from the detective's side of the case.

But It's a slower, moodier homicide-cop show, not a defense-lawyer show - less courtroom banter, more shoe-leather investigation.

Goliath2016

Billy Bob Thornton plays a washed-up genius clawing his way back against his old firm - the same underdog-in-a-suit thrill, but boozier, darker, and messier.

But Bleaker tone and slower pacing than Lincoln Lawyer's sunny confidence; this one wallows before it wins.

The Good Wife2009

The gold standard of case-of-week legal drama - sharper writing, real stakes, and a firm full of characters you'll actually mourn losing.

But Seven seasons is a real commitment, and the office politics run deeper and colder than Lincoln Lawyer's breezier format.

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Anatomy of a Murder1959

Haller's whole persona - the country charm hiding a razor mind, the willingness to bend rules for a client he half-believes in - is a direct descendant of Stewart's performance here. This is the template.

Otto Preminger's courtroom drama, with James Stewart as a folksy, morally slippery defense lawyer running rings around the prosecution, and a Duke Ellington score that swings through every scene.

But Black and white, nearly three hours, and paced like the 1950s - patient viewers only.

Suits2011

Pure charisma-driven legal candy - slicker suits, faster banter, corporate glamour instead of Haller's scrappy backseat-office hustle.

But Style well outpaces substance; the actual cases matter far less than the flirting and power plays.

How to Get Away with Murder2014

Same twisty case-of-the-week engine cranked to soap-opera intensity, with Viola Davis anchoring every outrageous turn with terrifying control.

But Melodrama trumps realism here - if you liked Lincoln Lawyer's plausibility, this will feel gloriously unhinged.

Damages2007

A legal thriller told through flash-forwards and slow dread, with Glenn Close terrifying as a litigator you're never sure you can trust.

But Colder and more paranoid, structured like a puzzle box - less breezy fun, more psychological thriller.

Boston Legal2004

David E. Kelley's courtroom comedy gives you flamboyant lawyers, absurd cases, and William Shatner clearly having the time of his life.

But Broader, sillier, and more theatrical - less grounded than Lincoln Lawyer's crime-drama seriousness.

Drop Dead Diva2009no page yet

A lighter, comedic legal dramedy with a body-swap premise that keeps stakes low and heart high, if you want something gentler.

But Tonally much softer and sillier - no real crime-drama tension, just warm case-of-week comfort.

For the People2018no page yet

Young public defenders and prosecutors in a New York federal court, earnest and idealistic - the calling side of the law Haller sometimes pretends he's above.

But Cancelled after two seasons, so it ends mid-stride, and it's got far less starpower than Lincoln Lawyer's cast.

The Staircase2022

Strip away Haller's swagger and backseat-office cool and this is what's underneath: the actual grind, tedium, and moral murk of mounting a real defense.

A French documentary crew embedded themselves in a real murder trial and defense strategy for years, capturing lawyers building a case with none of the gloss or certainty television usually gives them.

But Slow, unresolved, and genuinely uncomfortable - there's no charismatic win here, just messy, real doubt.

Ally McBeal1997

Same lawyer-juggling-personal-chaos DNA as Haller's world, but performed as farce instead of crime drama - proof the genre can go this loose and still work.

David E. Kelley's fantastical Boston law comedy turns courtroom stress into surreal dance breaks and inner-monologue chaos, with the same juggling-life-and-cases energy played as pure absurdist comedy.

But Very much a product of its late-90s moment, with fantasy sequences and a comic register that can feel dated or twee now.