David E. Kelley-Created ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ Premieres

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

Legal drama “The Lincoln Lawyer,” created by former Palisadian David E. Kelley, premiered on Netflix on Friday, May 13.

“Sidelined after an accident, hotshot Los Angeles lawyer Mickey Haller restarts his career—and his trademark Lincoln—when he takes on a murder case,” according to a synopsis by Netflix.

Based on Michael Connelly’s best-selling novel “The Brass Verdict” in his Mickey Haller series, the show stars Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Haller. Other stars include Neve Campbell, Becki Newton, Jazz Raycole, Angus Sampson and Christopher Gorham.

The show is executive produced by Kelley, Ted Humphrey, Connelly and Ross Fineman. It was written by Kelley and Humphrey.

“The Lincoln Lawyer” was first announced in June 2019, when it was revealed that Kelley had developed and written a series based on the novel with a commitment at the time from CBS. In May 2020, after it was announced that the pilot would not be moving forward, it was reported that Netflix picked up the series and ordered 10 episodes.

Filming began in March 2021, and in April, the series received its May 13 premiered date.

In the first episode, “He Rides Again,” a summary on Netflix shared that “following a personal and professional spiral, Los Angeles defense lawyer Mickey Haller receives an unexpected opportunity from a fellow attorney.”

The next episode, “The Magic Bullet,” has Haller “scrambling to find evidence for his defense” in a high-profile murder trial.

A previous adaptation, a film starring Matthew McConaughey, shared the same title, but was based on a different novel in the series by Connelly.

“The 2011 thriller is based on the 2005 novel of the same name and sees criminal defense attorney Mickey take on a high-profile case, representing a wealthy realtor who is accused of assault and attempted murder but insists he is the victim of a setup,” according to Hello Magazine. “On the other hand, the new Netflix series is based on the second book in ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ series, ‘The Brass Verdict,’ which was published in 2008.”

All 10 episodes of the show, which is rated TV-MA, are available for streaming now. Each episode runs between 45 and 55 minutes.