The Lincoln Lawyer season 3 was another success for Netflix, but season 4 is already set to fix a character change, according to a new tease. Though season 3’s big risks paid off, presenting a case for Mickey Haller that was full of shocking twists and turns, the latest installment still had a few drawbacks. Most of The Lincoln Lawyer‘s main characters returned for season 3, but the family aspect was pushed aside, meaning Maggie and Hayley had limited roles. Some of the subplots also felt overstuffed at times, taking too much focus off of the murder case in focus.
Still, The Lincoln Lawyer season 3’s ending stuck the landing by closing out the Glory Days mystery. Of course, the show also set up what’s next for Mickey and his team. Though The Lincoln Lawyer season 4 isn’t greenlit by Netflix yet, the basis of the story has already been confirmed. The potential upcoming season will adapt Michael Connelly’s “The Law of Innocence” book, which features Mickey on trial for murder. The scenario means he will need all the support he can get, keeping the door open for many characters to return.
The Lincoln Lawyer’s Showrunner Confirmed Neve Campbell Will Have A Bigger Role In Season 4
The Lincoln Lawyer Season 3 Set Up A Major Storyline
Among the characters expected to return is Neve Campbell’s Maggie, who only appeared in two episodes of The Lincoln Lawyer season 3. In the previous seasons, Maggie was a significant aspect of the story. Aside from co-parenting Hayley with her ex-husband, Mickey, Maggie also had her own promising career in law. The Lincoln Lawyer showrunner Ted Humphrey has confirmed Campbell’s Maggie will be a “more prominent character” in season 4 if Netflix renews the show.
Even if The Lincoln Lawyer season 4 is adapting “The Law of Innocence,” the Netflix show takes many liberties with the source material. The show won’t be limited to how Maggie is used in the book, meaning her role can be expanded in any way the writers see fit. In doing so, season 4 can fix the fact that Campbell barely appeared in The Lincoln Lawyer season 3 despite being an intriguing character. Seeing as she currently has an amicable relationship with Mickey, it makes sense that she’d be present while he’s on trial.
Why Maggie’s Only 2 Scenes In The Lincoln Lawyer Season 3 Were So Important
Neve Campbell’s Limited Role Was Still Impactful
Despite only appearing in two episodes of The Lincoln Lawyer season 3, the series made the most out of Maggie’s limited role. The first appearance featured Maggie through flashback scenes, flipping back to a time when she and Mickey were still madly in love. While the sequence teased that Maggie’s fears about Mickey’s career came true, the flashbacks also implied that the pair might still have a future. Humphrey even confirmed that “Maggie is the true love of [Mickey’s] life“ when discussing the show’s romantic relationships.
“…considering what’s to come for Mickey in The Lincoln Lawyer season 4, he will need that kind of support from his loved ones.”
Maggie’s final appearance in The Lincoln Lawyer season 3 came when Mickey was at odds with their daughter, Hayley. Maggie understood his struggles as a parent, but the scene also proved that Mickey still looks to his ex-wife for advice and reassurance. Divorce hadn’t ended that component of their relationship, and considering what’s to come for Mickey in The Lincoln Lawyer season 4, he will need that kind of support from his loved ones. The situation may even push them back closer together, paving the way for them to get back together if they truly are destined to be together.
I do think this situation says something about the TV critic landscape, however, where in the entire country only five critics have watched the most popular show in America at the moment to give it a review. This exact same thing has happened with Outer Banks season 4, which also has a 100% right now, but despite debuting much earlier and staying at #1 for a long time, it still only has 5 critic reviews in. What is everyone doing? There seems to be a heavy bias toward film reviews or even video game reviews compared to TV right now, which strikes me as thoroughly bizarre given that streaming television is the most popular form of entertainment in America by total hours watched. What are we, as entertainment journalists, prioritizing here? It’s so strange.
As for The Lincoln Lawyer, the show continues to be a pretty decently-sized success for Netflix, plentiful source material, good reviews, well-liked by audiences, widely-watch and most importantly…cheap. No flashy visual effects needed for this law drama. And it doesn’t need the prestige of a Better Call Saul to be a hit. Netflix doesn’t care if it wins any Emmys (and oh wait, Better Call Saul never did either, another TV critic crime).
Eventually, more reviews will come in, but probably not many. Season 2 of The Lincoln Lawyer still only has 11 reviews in after all this time where again, it was the top show on Netflix for a good long while. Season 1 has a passable 35 reviews. Meanwhile, Dennis Quaid’s terrible Reagan movie has 67 reviews from movie critics. Smile 2 has 122. Bizarre.
Update (10/21): Checking back in over the weekend where there should have been plenty of time to finish the season, there is only one new critic review in, bringing the total to six, but it is still a positive one meaning the 100% stays.
Now we also have an audience score coming in which is a 93%. That is indeed above an 84% for season 1 and an 85% for season 2, albeit there are also not a ton of reviews in yet, so we will see.
Unsurprisingly, The Lincoln Lawyer has stayed at #1 on Netflix’s top 10 list over the weekend, and I would expect that to continue for a while with a full 10 episode season to watch, which means it will be spread out more. The show has not been renewed for season 4 still but there is almost a 0% chance it won’t be after performing this well both critically, with audiences and in terms of viewership. We’ll probably hear something soon.
