Netflix has The Lincoln Lawyer spin-off with Cobie Smulders in the works
As The Lincoln Lawyer readies its fifth and final season on Netflix, a spin-off is in the works — with a new lead taking the reins.
Just when you think the Lincoln Lawyer universe is winding down, Netflix has decided to hand the keys to a brand new character. Well, sort of new. If you've been following the show, you'll already know Emi Finch—and she's about to get her own spin-off series, with Cobie Smulders stepping back into the legal drama spotlight. Yes, that means more lawyering, more family drama, and arguably more Netflix algorithm fodder for all those late-night courtroom junkies.
Season 5 of The Lincoln Lawyer will bring Emi Finch (Cobie Smulders) front and centre, right before launching her own Netflix series.
The Lincoln Lawyer Wraps Up
The current series, helmed by Manuel Garcia Rulfo as Mickey Haller, is about to hit its swansong with a fifth and final season. If you're counting, this last series will be ten episodes and leans on Michael Connelly's novel Resurrection Walk for its plot. The twist this time? Haller's world is upended when Emi—his half-sister he didn't even know existed—turns up asking for help to spring a wrongfully convicted woman from jail. Because, of course, it's never simple with families in these things.
Expect the season to go heavy on the "family secrets" and "buried grievances" front. Haller is fresh from dodging his own wrongful conviction (nice timing), and now gets dragged straight into a habeas petition that opens up yet another can of very corrupt worms. There are larger forces at play (as always), and the rest of his crew—Lorna (Becki Newton), Izzy (Jazz Raycole), and Cisco (Angus Sampson)—get their own moment in the legal limelight. In short: pretty much everything that kept the series ticking, but now with Emi poised for a breakout.
Cobie Smulders Steps Up
Cobie Smulders originally popped up as Emi in season four, and after making her mark, she's coming back for season five before her own show kicks off. She's playing Artemisia "Emi" Finch—Haller's half-sister, just in case you missed that—who pretty much forces his hand into the big case of the season. The powers that be at Netflix clearly think she's got enough going for her to lead a spin-off, and frankly, Smulders tends to be reliably good value, so this isn't such a mad idea.
About That Movie
If you're scrambling your memory about previous Lincoln Lawyer incarnations, yes, there was that 2011 film starring Matthew McConaughey as Haller, lifted from Connelly's original 2005 novel. It was a reasonable hit: reviews mostly positive (Rotten Tomatoes had it at 83%), and the box office take was $87.1 million worldwide off a $40 million spend—not bad for a mid-sized legal flick. The cast list also happens to be stacked: Ryan Phillippe, Maria Tomei, Josh Lucas, William H. Macy, and Bryan Cranston all turned up for it. Bit of a one-off though—the Netflix series wound up taking things in its own direction, reboot-wise.