THE LINCOLN LAWYER (Season 2) -- A Quality Beginning to Season 2 of this Legal Drama

Review by Dan Skip Allen

Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Mickey Haller in episode 202 of The Lincoln Lawyer. Courtesy Of Netflix © 2023.

After winning his last big case, Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia Rulfo) has become a big man in town in Los Angeles. He's doing a lot of press regarding his newfound fame. That doesn't change things for him in his personal life or with his two exes. A potential new client could be what he needs to get his mind off of all the stuff going on in his personal life. Maybe even a new love interest could help him going forward. This is the life of The Lincoln Lawyer, though: hard and heavy.

Season two of The Lincoln Lawyer has come out relatively quickly for a television show. Season two has been split into two halves. Part one is five episodes and gets a whole new story set up, so the second half of the season can be finished later this summer. I'm sure it's going to be very good, considering the source material it's based on: the popular book series of the same name by crime author Michael Connelly.

Season Two adapts The Fifth Witness, the fourth book in the Lincoln Lawyer series. The show, like the book, has many twists and turns, which shows the main character of the series driving his 1964 Lincoln Continental convertible and other Lincoln SUVs around Los Angeles. This season is pretty straightforward in its adaptation of the book. The story goes pretty quickly, as some of the story is adapted in the first two episodes of the season. That allows the rest of the series to deal with the main part of the story. Which is an investigation and trial of a restauranteur, Lisa Trammell (Lana Parrilla), who supposedly kills a real estate developer named Russell Bondurant.

The Lincoln Lawyer has a very good supporting cast of characters that help the main character in his cases. He has two ex-wives, a PI, a sometimes chauffeur, police detectives with whom he interacts throughout the series, and other judges and lawyers. All these characters play an important role in the show because the title character can do it all alone. Good courtroom dramas or shows surrounding courts or the law have to have plenty of great supporting characters with their own subplots that help make the series better.

(L to R) Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Mickey Haller, Yaya DaCosta as Andrea Freeman in episode 203 of The Lincoln Lawyer. Courtesy Of Netflix © 2023.

As far as courtroom dramas go, this show handles the courtroom scenes very well. It's hard to get shoddy camera work or cinematography by me. This show knows its bread and butter and gets these scenes right. The book uses these scenes in a very dramatic way, and the show should do the same. Most of these types of shows exaggerate the courtroom sequences, but so far in two seasons, they have been depicted very well. I love seeing this character do his work in his element.

Part one of Season 2 uses a framing device that is narrated by the main character. He is being beaten up in a car garage. The framing device doesn't seem to have much to do with the main plot in the first five episodes, though. Rather than be a straightforward series, the showrunners and writers create new and interesting ways to tell the story, which was told phenomenally in the book by Connelly. It's hard to take great written work and make a good television show or film. This one does just that. 

The creators, writers, and directors of the series have a great leader behind them. David E. Kelley has had his history with legal television shows such as this, having worked on Ally McBeal and Boston Legal were two successful series. Having this one on a streaming service allows him and others involved in the production to do more and make something grittier.

The first part of The Lincoln Lawyer Season 2 gets things going in the right direction for this legal drama led by Kelly. Netflix picked up the rights for this series for a reason. It's ripe with drama and twists and turns based on Connelly's books. The supporting cast is terrific, while the lead actor Garcia Rulfo is very good. He proves this time around that he is the guy for the role. There is just enough in this part of Season 2 that will bring viewers back for the second part. Having read the book, I know where it goes, and audiences will surely love it.

​The Lincoln Lawyer is now streaming on Netflix. Five out of ten episodes reviewed.

Rating: 3.5/5