Is 'The Lincoln Lawyer' getting a spinoff? Showrunner hints at future plans ahead of Season 4 debut
Since landing on Netflix back in 2022, 'The Lincoln Lawyer' has grown into one of the platform's most dependable hits. It's the kind of legal drama that keeps showing up in recommendation rows and weekend binge plans. And just as Season 4 is about to roll out, Netflix has already given fans a reason to relax. A fifth season is officially on the way, locked in before the next batch of episodes even has a chance to settle. The early renewal naturally got people talking. Not just about what happens next for Mickey Haller, but about how big this story could eventually become.
The show is based on Michael Connelly's bestselling novels. But viewers are starting to wonder whether Netflix might stretch things further. That curiosity was gently fueled by co-showrunner Ted Humphrey during a recent conversation with ScreenRant. Without giving anything away, Humphrey made it clear that the creative team isn't thinking small. According to Humphrey, "I will say that we absolutely have a wider universe for these characters in mind. Obviously, at the end of the day, the audience is who determines that, just like the audience is who determines the next season and how many seasons there are, if there's a next season or whatever it is."
That said, the intention to stretch things out is there. He explained, "So we definitely want to expand the world of Mickey's personal life, his family, who this guy is, and where he finds himself, and who are the people that he calls family. Let's put it that way. So we're looking at all those things." Still, anyone hoping for an immediate spinoff announcement may want to slow their expectations. While Netflix and the creators seem open to future expansion, there's nothing officially in motion beyond the already confirmed fifth season. No side series. No parallel courtroom drama. Not yet.
What is confirmed is that Season 5 will draw from 'Resurrection Walk', the seventh book in Connelly's series, as per FandomWire. Of course, conversations about expansion inevitably bring up the wider Connelly universe, which can feel a little confusing on screen. Fans of crime television are well aware that 'The Lincoln Lawyer', 'Bosch', 'Bosch: Legacy', and 'Ballard' all come from the same literary mind. And on the page, those stories are closely connected. 'Bosch' introduced viewers to LAPD detective Harry Bosch, adapted from novels like 'City of Bones', 'Echo Park', and 'The Concrete Blonde'.
When that series wrapped up, 'Bosch: Legacy' picked up the thread, following Bosch into a new phase of his life after leaving the department. Then came 'Ballard', focusing on Detective Renée Ballard, a character Connelly first brought into his books in 2017. On paper, these stories exist side by side. Mickey Haller and Harry Bosch even share a complicated family tie in the novels. They are connected by the same father and occasionally cross paths as their cases overlap. On TV, though, that connection stops short. Despite the similar tone and shared DNA, the shows don't interact on screen.
The reason isn't creative hesitation. It's because 'The Lincoln Lawyer' lives on Netflix, while 'Bosch', 'Legacy', and 'Ballard' belong to Amazon's Prime Video. Different platforms. Different rights. Because of that split, neither Haller nor Bosch can casually walk into the other's story, even if fans would love to see it happen. Meanwhile, Season 4 of 'The Lincoln Lawyer' premieres February 5.
