Remember back when we used to watch network TV shows? One episode per week? A lot of those shows were created by David E. Kelley. Some of them included: Doogie Howser, M.D., Picket Fences, Chicago Hope, The Practice, Ally McBeal, Boston Public, Boston Legal, and later Goliath, Big Little Lies.
Kelley’s latest creation the Lincoln Lawyer (yes, based on the works of author Michael Connelly) feels very much like a throwback to those glory days of network TV, back before the neo-Golden Age of cable series and streaming platforms upped the game substantially.
And that’s a good thing.
As readers of the novels and fans of the 2011 feature film with Matthew McConaughey will remember, the titular character, Mickey Haller, mostly runs his practice out of the back of his Lincoln Town Car (hence the name) as he rides the roads of greater Los Angeles.
As this new series starts, Haller (now played by Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) has been out of commission for a year. A surfing accident led to an addiction to painkillers and, next thing you know, he hasn’t been in a courtroom for too long.
When a fellow attorney turns up dead, Haller discovers that the deceased has bequeathed his practice- his active cases to Haller, including one super high profile client; a video game company CEO accused of killing his wife and her Yoga instructor, found in bed together.
As is David E. Kelley’s trademark, the courtroom and legal investigation stuff is always interwoven with the personal lives of the characters. And here the casting and characters are interesting and relatable: Neve Campbell as ex-wife #1, and wife of their only child. Then there’s ex-wife #2 (Becki Newton), who still works with Haller. Along with Angus Sampson as Haller’s investigator, the core cast is one of the greatest strengths. Their interpersonal relationships are key.
Ironically, it’s the main star, Garcia-Rulfo, who I had to warm up to. I can’t explain better than to say that he seemed miscast at first. That said, by the time the show was hitting its stride, I gradually accepted him as Haller, and if there’s a Season Two (there will be, I’ll bet) he will feel like he’s always belonged there.
Except for the F-Bombs and other PG-13 to R type elements-this 10 episode series feels like the 90s/2000s glory days of episodic TV.
But without the commercials and you can binge it.
The Lincoln Lawyer is now Streaming on Netflix | 10 Episodes | 3 out of 4 Stars
