It’s good to be Michael Connelly at the moment. The author’s Harry Bosch novels have been adapted into a very successful TV series, ongoing with “Bosch: Legacy,” which recently premiered on Amazon’s free streaming platform Freevee. And now his books about Mickey Haller, aka the Lincoln lawyer — a nickname derived from the character’s predilection for working out of his car; yep, a Lincoln — is getting the television treatment as well, this one for Netflix.
If Bosch is a noir bathed in the unrelenting Los Angeles sun, “The Lincoln Lawyer” is a different sort of LA story, one that’s snappier in approach and tone. There’s banter. And plucky music. But also plenty of solidly plotted storytelling and a character who takes his work seriously. Mickey may be sorting through some personal issues at the show’s outset — he’s been out of commission for a year or so after an accident left him hooked on pain meds — but he’s not world-weary so much as appropriately cynical about the criminal justice system. And he’s fueled by just enough ego that he’ll push through whatever self-loathing he might be feeling to get the job done. And boy does he have a few jobs at the moment. After a stint in rehab, suddenly he’s back in the game with a full caseload when he inherits the law practice of a fellow criminal defense attorney who’s been shot dead. That means Mickey has an entire roster of new clients to manage, while also trying to figure out who killed his colleague, while also juggling two ex-wives, a teenage daughter and assorted other distractions — like whether or not his own life might be in danger now that he’s taken over the dead guy’s clients.
Legal dramas have long been a reliable staple in TV and film, but with a few exceptions, they haven’t fared especially well in recent years. Who knows why. Hollywood can be fickle, but also cyclical. And yet “The Lincoln Lawyer” feels like it has real staying power. It’s probably no coincidence that it comes from David E. Kelley (who knows his way around a fictional courtroom, including “The Practice” among many others) and Ted Humphrey (whose credits include “The Good Wife”). Both writer-producers are seasoned hands when it comes to this genre and they’re not breaking new ground so much as providing an antidote to the overwhelming Dick Wolf-ification of the TV landscape. (All nine — yes, nine — of Wolfe’s procedurals were renewed for next season.) By contrast, the cops in “The Lincoln Lawyer” are not portrayed as heroes. In fact, the opposite. And that feels like a breath of fresh air, even if one of Mickey’s clients is as smug and odious as it gets, which feels about right, too. If it’s a choice between the Wolfs and Kelleys of the world, I’ll take Kelley every time.
