The Lincoln Lawyer, adapted from Michael Connelly’s Mickey Haller novels, has spent 29 weeks on the streamer’s Global Top 10 charts and pulled in more than 171 million views since 2023, figures most platform originals would envy. Yet in May, word came that Season 5 would be the show’s last. The final season, adapted from Michael Connelly’s Resurrection Walk, officially wrapped in July and is expected to arrive sometime in early 2027, though Netflix has not confirmed a release date.
Now, barely three months after the cancellation news, Deadline reports that a spin-off centered on Cobie Smulders‘ Emi Finch is in development, with executive producers Ted Humphrey, Dailyn Rodriguez, and Matthew J. Lieberman writing the script and A+E Studios producing. According to the outlet, Netflix bought the project and ordered a script on a quick turnaround, which is not typical in the current buyer’s market, where even established creators often wait months for a green light. It is also worth tempering expectations a bit, since the deal is not closed yet, and negotiations are underway.
That said, none of this should have come as much of a surprise. Emi arrived at the end of Season 4, and we know that she is not in Michael Connelly’s books. Mickey Haller’s most recognizable half-sibling is Harry Bosch, but the character’s screen rights are held by Amazon, leaving the Netflix series to create its own version of that family connection. Producer Ted Humphrey was fairly open about the show’s future. When the finale was announced, he and Rodriguez said in a joint statement (via Variety):
“All good things must come to an end, but thankfully sometimes how they come to an end is up to us. From the very beginning, the mission was always not only to tell the story of Mickey Haller and his compatriots, but also to give that story a proper conclusion.
“And while it is of course bittersweet, it’s also an amazing opportunity to bring this adventure to a close and perhaps chart a new course for some of our characters into the future.”
That last clause reads rather differently now, but whether a spin-off can work without Manuel Garcia-Rulfo’s Mickey at the center is still an open question. It is hard to say this early, though Smulders is a reasonable person to try it with. She previously led ABC’s Stumptown, a crime drama that was unfortunately canceled during the pandemic but still has its defenders. From How I Met Your Mother to her long MCU run as Maria Hill, and her recurring role on Apple TV+’s Shrinking, she has seldom been the weak link.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
