It’s fascinating to observe why certain TV shows get cancelled, while others get renewed. We blame it on the algorithm and whatnot, but it also depends on what people are watching, how much of it they are watching, and how well it’s being received (that’s not a major factor anymore, because you have already viewed the movie or TV show, and after that, your opinion doesn’t matter). Netflix has acquired a bad rap for prematurely axing shows before they found their audience. But I was surprised to see how many series the streaming platform has renewed. 3 Body Problem was definitely shocking, because I didn’t like it. A Man on the Inside got the green light for a third season despite having a mostly geriatric cast. The Asset got a Season 2 renewal announcement even though the first season was a really dour affair. Dept Q seemed like a one-and-done show, but yeah, apparently it wowed people enough to be invited to present a second season. The Eternaut’s renewal was a bit of a jump-scare because, holy hell, was that first season so confusing. The Gentlemen and Last Samurai Standing returning was something that I was hoping for, and it’s like my prayers were answered. With all that said, the one show whose consistency in terms of getting renewed not twice, not thrice, but five bloody times undoubtedly confounds me is The Lincoln Lawyer. Why? Let’s find out.
Created by Ted Humphrey and based on Michael Connelly’s books, The Lincoln Lawyer Season 4 picks up the story almost from where the last season left off. Mickey is in jail because Sam’s body was found in the trunk of his iconic car. We obviously know that Mickey is innocent, but he has to prove in the court that he hasn’t killed Sam. Now, since Mickey was the face of Haller and Associates, and he didn’t really prepare everyone else in his team to work properly in his absence, Lorna, Cisco, and Izzy are having quite a hard time holding on to their clients and making ends meet. To make matters worse, it’s revealed that “Death Row” Dana is going to play the role of the public prosecutor, and she doesn’t have that nickname because she saves people from getting the noose or the electric chair; it’s actually the exact opposite. Initially, Lorna and Mickey try to take on the mighty Dana themselves, but that turns out to be an overwhelming and exhausting experience. Maggie, who has been watching all this unfold from afar, decides to step in and bat for her ex-husband so that he has a fair shot and can prove to the world that he isn’t a murderer, while Lorna can ensure that Haller and Associates doesn’t sink during these tumultuous hours. Whether or not Maggie and Mickey’s team-up will be enough to prove that the law was being misused to frame a virtuous individual is what forms the crux of the narrative.
I think it’s pretty brave for the makers of The Lincoln Lawyer to use the popularity it has acquired over the course of the last 3 seasons to make a fourth season, which is basically a scathing critique of the law and how brilliantly it can be misused to put innocent people in jail. It is totally framed as a David vs. Goliath battle, because Haller and Associates doesn’t necessarily have the means to shut up shop and focus on Mickey’s case; meanwhile, the public prosecutor, Dana, can drag it out for months, even years, because she’s funded by the public, while outside of court, the police community can come up with new ways to harass Mickey. And, yes, Mickey is the title character, so you know that he’s going to win at the end. However, the struggle shows that if a regular person with a regular lawyer finds themselves on the radar of any one of the law enforcement agencies, they are toast. Given how that’s exactly what’s happening on a massive scale on a daily basis, adapting this story of all stories is worthy of applause. Now, sure, you can say that the decision to use The Law of Innocence for this season was made a long time ago. However, the fact that the potency of this storyline, where a Mexican character is front and center, wasn’t sanded down to appease those who enable fascism under the garb of enforcing the law is what’s noteworthy.
In addition to being “woke” in the truest sense, the reason why The Lincoln Lawyer Season 4’s existence itself is baffling to me is that it doesn’t seem to try to appeal to that core Netflix legal-drama audience. Do you know what I mean? It feels like a show that was on its way to CBS and accidentally stumbled into this streaming platform. I have watched enough Netflix shows to know what legal dramas over there look and feel like. They usually span 8 episodes. Almost all of them have that self-serious tone. The colors are either extremely desaturated or high-contrast. And then there’s the risque element to it. If you watch the show, you’ll think that Humphrey and his team have been told that they have to aim for that family-friendly, prime-time spot. The cinematography, the editing, the costume design, the production design, the music—it’s all very pedantic and yet engaging. Just like a lot of those CBS shows. It doesn’t fall into the category of “second screen watching” or “background noise,” because it does demand your attention. It is a chore to binge through, because it seems to be paced for the weekly-release model, but once you press play on that first episode, you are low-key hypnotized, and you can’t stop watching. That effect is the reason why so many network TV shows have survived, and I have seen numerous streaming series try and fail to be that effective. The Lincoln Lawyer is clearly the exception.
The performances from the entire cast of The Lincoln Lawyer Season 4 are brilliant. Manuel Garcia-Rulfo is solid as ever. His whole appeal is so understated, and at the same time he manages to make Mickey feel like a three-dimensional character. Becki Newton gets to do a lot of the heavy lifting this time around, and, yeah, it’s fun to watch her juggle so many cases and deliver a fashion statement in every episode. Jazz Raycole doesn’t exactly get a lot of the spotlight, and her dynamic with Gigi Zumbado isn’t really explored in detail, but she steals every scene she is in. Angus Sampson is dependable as ever. Neve Campbell absolutely hits it out of the park. Constance Zimmer is the highlight of the season, and I am very sure that she is going to get under everyone’s skin. The same can be said about Jason Butler Harner. Elliott Gould’s cameo is sweet. Scott Lawrence is a delight. Despite her limited screentime, Emmanuelle Chriqui makes her mark. Cobie Smulders, whose cameo was spoiled mid-January, is a breath of fresh air. The rest of the supporting cast is amazing; no complaints at all. Overall, my viewing experience was quite enjoyable, and I am up for Netflix continuing to adapt all of Connelly’s books (and then maybe crossing over with Bosch) for as long as Manuel wants to keep playing Mickey Haller. What are your thoughts on the same? Please, let me know in the comments section.
