Summary
- Netflix's adaptation of The Lincoln Lawyer sparks speculation about a connection between Bosch and Lincoln Lawyer due to their shared author and occasional character crossovers.
- Unfortunately, Bosch and The Lincoln Lawyer are not connected in the streaming world due to rights issues between Amazon and Netflix, as confirmed by author Michael Connelly.
- The character of Bosch is replaced by LAPD Detective Griggs and Haller's investigator Cisco in The Lincoln Lawyer, but the importance of Bosch as an investigator remains in the series, even without a crossover.
Netflix's adaptation of Michael Connelly's book series The Lincoln Lawyer raises an interesting question for those familiar with his books: is there a connection between Bosch and Lincoln Lawyer? In Michael Connelly's books, Michael "Mickey" Haller, the lawyer who runs his office out of his Lincoln, is revealed to be the half-brother of Detective Hieronymous "Harry" Bosch, star of his own eponymous book series. In a world so with so many crossover franchises, it's easy to wonder if Bosch and Lincoln Lawyer are connected.
The Bosch series debuted first in 1992 with The Black Echo and has made appearances in many more of Michael Connelly's works since then. The character of Mickey Haller was first introduced in 2005 in The Lincoln Lawyer, the first book in the series of the same name that was adapted into the 2011 movie of the same name starring Matthew McConaughey. Each character has appeared in the book series focused on the other, giving rise to speculation as to whether the Netflix series would follow suit, or if Haller will appear in Bosch: Legacy.
The Lincoln Lawyer And Bosch Aren't Connected
It might seem extremely likely for Titus Welliver's Bosch to appear in Netflix's The Lincoln Lawyer as season 1 adapted The Brass Verdict, the second book in The Lincoln Lawyer series and the first book that Detective Hieronymous "Harry" Bosch appears in. However, Michael Connelly has addressed the question and definitively answered it in the negative. In the world of streaming, Bosch and The Lincoln Lawyer are not related.
The departure from the books appears to actually have less to do with narrative choice and much more to do with a rights issue. Because Amazon holds the rights to Bosch and Netflix to The Lincoln Lawyer, there won't be a crossover. In an interview (via AARP), Michael Connelly said of the possibility of a streaming crossover between Bosch and The Lincoln Lawyer, "Since we have competing studios, that’s not going to be a thing in the shows." He added that he understands the issues and that "if we got Amazon and Netflix working together, we could also solve world peace."
The Lincoln Lawyer Splits The Bosch Character Into Two People
Mickey Haller doesn't appear in Amazon's Bosch or its spinoff series, Bosch: Legacy, but the role of Bosch has been replaced with other characters in the series. In Netflix's The Lincoln Lawyer, the Bosch role is split up between two characters: LAPD Detective Griggs (Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine), a character created for the show, and Haller's lead investigator Cisco (Angus Sampson), a character who does appear in the books but takes on some of the Bosch's plot points from The Brass Verdict.
In The Brass Verdict, Bosch plays a significant role in investigating the murder of defense attorney Jerry Vincent, from whom Mickey Haller inherits a thriving law practice after his murder. In Netflix's The Lincoln Lawyer, Detective Griggs takes on Bosch's role as an investigator who is tied primarily to the police. Cisco, however, adds a more personal level to that same investigation and his general role is expanded in relation to The Brass Verdict's original story.
Although there won't be a Bosch spinoff crossover with The Lincoln Lawyer, the importance of Bosch as an investigator will remain in the series. The Lincoln Lawyer novel series is effectively a spinoff of the Bosch novels once the connection is established in The Brass Verdict, and it is virtually impossible to totally extract the spirit of the Bosch character from the underlying story. However, while echoes of Bosch will almost certainly exist in The Lincoln Lawyer, the two shows are ultimately not related.
A Bosch And Lincoln Lawyer Crossover Would Likely Be Popular
While the people behind both Bosch and Lincoln Lawyer have confirmed that a crossover isn't happening, it's very likely that one would be very popular. Shared universes and crossovers are happening all over TV and movies from superhero fare like the MCU and the Arrowverse to smaller cases like Bob's Burgers and Archer doing one because they share the lead voice actor. For the most part, they've been hits.
A Bosch and Lincoln Lawyer crossover could just simply be a character appearing across both shows, similar to how Euphoria character Maddy showed up in The Idol. Of course, both shows in that case come from the same creator and air on the same network, making a crossover much easier to complete than one between Prime Video and Netflix. Fans can still dream but even without a shared universe, Bosch and Lincoln Lawyer have found their own levels of success.