Picture Credit: Netflix
After the most intense season of The Lincoln Lawyer yet, which saw Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) trading his tailored suits for an orange jumpsuit, The Lincoln Lawyer is officially cruising toward Season 5, and filming is due to start imminently. Here’s what you need to know about season 5.
With Mickey narrowly escaping a life sentence and a new face from his past appearing in the final moments, the stakes for the next chapter have never been higher. Here’s a look at how we got here and what’s next for L.A.’s favorite attorney.
Has Netflix renewed The Lincoln Lawyer for season 5?
Yes, and it’s been in the works for quite some time. It was in mid-to-late 2025 that we got word that the writing team was underway with preparations for the new season. That’s fairly common with shows of this calibre nowadays to ensure that production can get underway in a timely manner and the show back on our screens ASAP. Of course, it was even more obvious that season 5 was on the way when Neve Campbell had signed up for multiple seasons.
The official confirmation for season 5 came at the end of January 2026, with Netflix confirming a 10-episode fifth season in addition to the fact that it would be adapting the next book in the Michael Connelly franchise: Resurrection Walk.
As a reminder, here’s how the books have been adapted thus far:
- The Lincoln Lawyer (2005)
- The Brass Verdict (2008) – adapted in season 1
- The Reversal (2010)
- The Fifth Witness (2011) – adapted in season 2
- The Gods of Guilt (2013) – adapted in season 3
- The Law of Innocence (2020) – confirmed to be adapted in season 4
- Resurrection Walk (2023) – confirmed to be adapted in season 5
- The Proving Ground (2025) – Presumably to be adapted in season 6 (if renewed)
Speaking about the renewal (noting that it was before season 4 dropped), co-showrunners and executive producers Ted Humphrey and Dailyn Rodriguez said in a statement: “We’re so excited to share the upcoming fourth season with the audience on February 5th, and even more excited to share the news that we’re already hard at work on the next one. Season Four is the most challenging and intensely personal journey we’ve taken Mickey Haller on yet, and we’re thrilled and grateful to be able to continue the ride in Season Five!”
There’s more news and announcements to follow, but Netflix did reveal some of the returning cast: Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Mickey Haller, alongside Neve Campbell, Becki Newton, Jazz Raycole, Angus Sampson, and Cobie Smulders.
Picture Credit: Michael Connelly
We’ve included the official synopsis for Resurrection Walk below, but you’ll note that Netflix is going to be making some major changes:
“Lincoln Lawyer Mickey Haller enlists the help of his half-brother, Harry Bosch, to prove the innocence of a woman convicted of killing her ex-husband.
Defense attorney Mickey Haller is back, taking the long shot cases, where the chances of winning are one in a million. After getting a wrongfully convicted man out of prison, he is inundated with pleas from incarcerated people claiming innocence. He enlists his half-brother, retired LAPD Detective Harry Bosch, to weed through the letters, knowing most claims will be false.
Bosch pulls a needle from the haystack: a woman in prison for killing her ex-husband, a sheriff’s deputy, but who still maintains her innocence. Bosch reviews the case and sees elements that don’t add up, and a sheriff’s department intent on bringing quick justice in the killing of one of its own.
Now Haller has an uphill battle in court, a David fighting Goliaths to vindicate his client. The path for both lawyer and investigator is fraught with danger from those who don’t want the case reopened and will stop at nothing to keep the Haller-Bosch dream team from finding the truth. “
The Lincoln Lawyer Season 4 Recap and What to Expect From Season 5
Season 4 took us “under the hood” of Mickey’s psyche as he was framed for the murder of former client Sam Scales. For the first time, the “unflappable” lawyer was the one behind the defense table—and it nearly broke him.
Speaking with Netflix, co-showrunner Ted Humphrey noted that this shift was intentional to show a more vulnerable side of the lead, “We knew going in that Season 4 was going to be the most emotional and personal [one yet],” adding, “In this season, he really feels down… deep inside, he knows that most likely this is it.”
The season culminated in a tense standoff between Mickey and the “Iceberg” herself, prosecutor Dana Berg (Constance Zimmer). While the charges were ultimately dropped, the victory wasn’t clean. Mickey demanded a public exoneration, proving that he is a character who will “jump into the abyss in the pursuit of righteousness.”
The Lincoln Lawyer. Constance Zimmer as Dana Berg in episode 410 of The Lincoln Lawyer. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2026
The Return of “McFierce”
One of the biggest highlights for fans was the return of Maggie McPherson (Neve Campbell) as Mickey’s co-counsel. Serving as his primary support, Maggie saw the legal system through Mickey’s eyes for the first time. While the pair shared a heavy embrace following his exoneration, their future remains “complicated” as Maggie returns to San Diego. However, the season finale’s final seconds ensured Mickey won’t be lonely for long.
The Sister and The Father
The season 4 finale, once again, ended with a major cliffhanger. After a drive-by shooting attempt on Mickey was thwarted, a mystery woman (played by Cobie Smulders) dropped a bombshell: “Actually, I’m your sister.” Mickey’s father has always been a “legal titan” on a pedestal. But if Smulders’ character is truly a Haller, that legacy is about to get messy, forcing Mickey to realize the man he idolized spent his career hiding an entire family.
As Humphrey explained to Netflix, “The desire to expand Mickey’s universe in terms of his family connections was always there… That all inspired inventing a character who… is a completely different person, a completely different character, with a completely different backstory.”
Teasing the character’s arc to come, Smulders said to News4: “She’s very unknown at the moment. I think I give a little shock to the viewer. That’s my job.” She goes on to tease that season 5 will be a “family affair.”
Filling the “Bosch Hole”
Now, if you read the synopsis to the book above, you’ll know that there’s a Bosch-sized problem facing the upcoming season. The character did feature in some of the prior books, which Netflix has artfully dodged, but it’ll be more apparent than ever with season 5. With Bosch unavailable due to the character being wholly licensed by Prime Video, Smulders’ character is perfectly positioned to fill the gap. Her “special ops”- style intervention in the parking lot proves she has the instincts to handle the high-level law-enforcement side of the investigation while Cisco operates in the shadows.
When will season 5 of The Lincoln Lawyer be on Netflix? Where is the show in production?
Development
Filming Scheduled
Filming Ongoing
Post-Production
Season 5 of The Lincoln Lawyer is shaping up to follow a very consistent production rhythm compared with the earlier seasons.
We can report that season 5 is slated to film from March 2 to July 9, 2026, a 130-day production period that matches closely with season 4’s roughly 130-day shoot and is slightly shorter than season 2’s 144-day run, but longer than season 1’s roughly 113-day schedule and nearly the same as season 3’s 134-day shoot. The series will once again return to its home filming state of Los Angeles.
Looking at how long past seasons have taken to move from filming to release can help predict when season 5 might reach Netflix viewers. Season 3 wrapped around May/June 2024 and dropped in October 2024, roughly four months later. Season 4 finished filming in mid-June 2025 and arrived on Netflix in early February 2026, about seven and a half months later. Using those turnaround patterns, particularly the longer post-production phase seen with season 4, season 5 will likely land on Netflix sometime between late winter and spring 2027, with a February-April 2027 window looking especially plausible, given the typical post-wrap-to-premiere times for this series.
Now it’s over to you – are you excited for season 5 of The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix? Let us know in the comments, and we’ll be back in the coming months to cover all the news as and when we get it.
