Summary

  • The Lincoln Lawyer season 2 ending sets up the story for season 3, with Mickey discovering the guilt of a previous client and being faced with a new murder case.
  • The showrunners have plans for at least two more seasons, with season 3 based on the book "Gods of Guilt," where Mickey defends a murder suspect who is a repeat client.
  • The prospects for The Lincoln Lawyer season 3 renewal are promising, as season 2 performed well and there are still plenty of Mickey Haller books to adapt.

Warning! This article contains spoilers for The Lincoln Lawyer season 2! The Lincoln Lawyer season 2 has been a huge hit for Netflix so far, generating plenty of excitement for news on The Lincoln Lawyer season 3 and beyond. Based on Michael Connelly’s novel series of the same name, Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer follows defense lawyer Michael “Mickey” Haller, who is infamous for working out of his car rather than an office. An adaptation of Mickey Haller’s fourth literary appearance, The Fifth Witness, The Lincoln Lawyer season 2 sees Mickey take on the defense of chef Lisa Trammel, who has been accused of murdering businessman Mitchell Bondurant.

Mickey’s work and beliefs are repeatedly challenged throughout the case as he grapples with questions of Lisa’s innocence, along with several shocking twists that complicate matters further. The potential outcome of The Lincoln Lawyer season 2 ending could be a major turning point for the Netflix series. With a new case coming in The Lincoln Lawyer season 3, the showrunners have plenty of plans for the franchise. However, it all comes down to what Netflix wants to do with the Michael Connelly adapted series, and the updates given by the steamer so far indicate there are plans for the series future even beyond The Lincoln Lawyer season 3.

The Lincoln Lawyer Season 3 Recent News

Mickey Haller in court in Lincoln Lawyer.

The most recent The Lincoln Lawyer season 3 news comes with confirmation from the co-creator that season 2 wasn't the end, and that Mickey will be returning once again for another season. According to co-creator and showrunner Ted Humphrey, the third season of The Lincoln Lawyer will be based on the fifth book in the Mickey Haller series, Gods of Guilt. In Gods of Guilt, Mickey is called in to defend a murder suspect. However, after taking the case, he goes to investigate the body and learned it is a repeat client that he helped before — Gloria Dayton, a sex worker that Mickey had helped as an attorney and "put on the straight and narrow path." Humphrey said the book is perfect for Mickey's place in life right now.

"[Season 1 began] with the guy on the beach who is a broken shell of a man who has lost his career and kind of lost everything in his life... to tell the story that the books tell, of the mountains this guy has to climb and the valleys he has to fall back down into again and again on his road to whatever redemption he’s going to reach.”

This also plays into how the third season ended, when Mickey lines up a new case for a man named Julian La Cosse, who is in jail for the murder of his friend, Giselle Dallinger. Mickey soon learns that Giselle is Gloria Dayton, a sex worker that Mickey helped in the first season. He now has to defend the man accused of killing his friend. On top of that, Humphrey also said that they not only have plans for The Lincoln Lawyer season 3 story but also for the fourth season as well. With plans for at least two more seasons, the ball is in Netflix's court.

The Lincoln Lawyer Season 3 Not Confirmed

Mickey in Lincoln Lawyer.

Even though Netflix hasn’t made an official decision about whether The Lincoln Lawyer season 3 will happen, its prospects of renewal are promising. The Lincoln Lawyer season 2 performed well for Netflix, with the adaptation snagging the number 1 spot on Netflix less than a week after its premiere. Additionally, there are still several Mickey Haller books for the show to adapt, meaning The Lincoln Lawyer won’t run out of material any time soon. Also, co-creator and showrunner Ted Humphrey said that he had The Lincoln Lawyer season 3 story planned out, so it is just up to Netflix to announce it.

Given the ongoing WGA strike, it is difficult to accurately predict any future TV release dates. Although recent streaming releases have been able to release more or less unaffected, that is sure to change the longer the 2023 WGA strike continues without an agreement being reached. Therefore, The Lincoln Lawyer season 3 release date might take longer to come out than the Netflix show’s predecessors did. With that in mind, The Lincoln Lawyer season 3 may not even arrive in 2024 at all.

The Lincoln Lawyer Season 3 Cast

Legal Siegel at a restaurant in The Lincoln Lawyer

The main The Lincoln Lawyer season 3 cast will still star Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Mickey Haller. Other returning The Lincoln Lawyer season 3 cast members should also include Lorna (Becki Newton), Izzy (Jazz Raycole), and Cisco (Angus Sampson). Mickey’s first ex-wife, Maggie (Neve Campbell), and their daughter Hayley (Krista Warner) will also certainly appear. It is also highly likely that Mickey’s mentor and friend of his father, David Siegel (Elliott Gould), will show up in some capacity in season 3.

Beyond The Lincoln Lawyer’s main and recurring cast, however, it is difficult to say with certainty who else might appear in The Lincoln Lawyer season 3. Much of The Lincoln Lawyer season 3 cast will be dependent on which of the remaining Mickey Haller books the Netflix series chooses to adapt next. So, while it’s impossible to definitively predict the full cast of The Lincoln Lawyer season 3, the next installment of the Netflix adaptation is in a position to feature a long list of familiar faces, along with a few new ones to boot.

How The Lincoln Lawyer Season 2 Ending Sets Up Season 3

lincoln lawyer mickey jeff phone call

The Lincoln Lawyer season 2 ending set up what looks to be The Lincoln Lawyer season 3 story. The second season saw the trial of Lisa Trammell end, which Mickey Haller was able to get a "not guilty" verdict in the cast. While he got her off from Mitchell Bondurant’s murder, there was a chance she had other skeletons in her closet. When Mickey learned that Alex Grant's associate Walter Kim might have been guilty. At the same time, he begins to suspect that Lisa was the mastermind pulling the strings. Then, at the end of the second season, someone tried to kill Mickey in an auto accident.

That is when Mickey went to Lisa and realized, thanks to her defensive nature, that she was guilty of murdering her husband, or at least pulling the strings to have him murdered. Mickey then figured out that Lisa also killed Jeff Trammell, and when the police dug up the body, she was back on trial for a new murder, this time without Mickey in her corner. However, the very end of the episode set up The Lincoln Lawyer season 3 story. It put Mickey in a difficult spot. He was called in to work on the case of someone accused of murdering Giselle Dallinger. However, when he went to identify the body, he saw it was his repeat client, Glory Days.

The Lincoln Lawyer Season 3 Story Details

mickey haller looking upset in the lincoln lawyer season 2

Since there are four Mickey Haller books that have yet to be adapted for the screen (including The Lincoln Lawyer book, which season 1 of the Netflix show skipped), there are several possibilities for what The Lincoln Lawyer season 3 story might entail. However, co-creator and showrunner Ted Humphrey said that he already has plans for the third season and revealed what book he plans to adapt when, and if, Netflix renews The Lincoln Lawyer season 3. That book is Gods of Guilt.

We do have a plan through four seasons so far, and we have plans for more than that if we are so fortunate to be able to continue to do the show. We have plans for more than that, but we particularly have the next two seasons planned out that hopefully we’ll get a chance to do, and we know what books those will be based on.

Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer has set a precedent for adapting the Mickey Haller books out of sequence, with season 1 adapting The Brass Verdict (book 2) while season 2 told the story of The Fifth Witness (book 4). However, The Gods of Guilt is Book 5, so it would follow the continuity order for the first time. In The Gods Of Guilt, Mickey takes on the defense of a person accused of killing one of Mickey’s longtime clients. Since this client of Mickey’s has appeared previously in The Lincoln Lawyer TV show, this could be an interesting storyline for the next season that challenges Mickey, both professionally and personally.