Summary
- "Fans of The Lincoln Lawyer will find other shows like Bosch and Better Call Saul, with complex protagonists and quirky atmospheres, to be captivating legal dramas."
- "Rake and Damages embrace the seedy elements of defense lawyers, offering dark humor mixed with thrilling courtroom scenes that will keep viewers entertained."
- "The Good Fight and How to Get Away with Murder not only provide the usual thrills of a legal series, but also address pressing social and cultural issues, making them compelling choices for fans of The Lincoln Lawyer."
After becoming a huge hit for Netflix, people will be looking for more shows like The Lincoln Lawyer. The legal drama is based on the novel by Michael Connolly which was also made into the Matthew McConaughey film of the same name. It manages to bring something new to the well-established genre, particularly through its quirky atmosphere and the skilled performances of its cast. Thus, it has much to offer both fans of this particular type of series. Luckily, there are also some other shows like The Lincoln Lawyer fans can check out.
With the second season airing in August, there will be a bit of a wait for The Lincoln Lawyer season 3. However, though it is in some ways a show that stands on its own, there are also a number of other series that display some similar traits, which means that fans of The Lincoln Lawyer have many other shows they can watch once they’ve finished.
15 Bosch (2014-2021)
- Stream on Prime Video
Michael Connelly's writing inspired another hit series with Prime Video's Bosch. The show stars Titus Welliver as Harry Bosch, an old school LAPD detective who takes his own and sometimes personal approach to solving cases with a stern demeanor but a big heart for the people he loves.
Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller have crossed paths in Connelly's novels, and are actually half-brothers. Due to rights issues, it is unlikely the Bosch and The Lincoln Lawyer connection will be explored on their respective shows, but it is not hard to see Connelly's procedural storytelling and complex protagonists in both shows. While Bosch ended after seven seasons, the character quickly moved on to his sequel series Bosch: Legacy.
14 Rake (2010-2018)
- Stream on Acorn TV
Defense lawyers make for an interesting focus for legal dramas as they can often find their morals tested or stretched when defending people who may be very guilty. The Lincoln Lawyer is able to deal with this tricky dilemma by balancing Haller's endearing qualities with his more questionable work decisions. Rake goes another way in completely embracing its protagonists seedy elements.
The Australian series stars Richard Roxburgh as Cleaver Greene, a barrister who defend guilty people and doesn't let a guilty conscience get in the way. There is a lot of dark humor mixed with the thrill of the courtroom scenes that makes for an entertaining watch. Though it was remade into an American series starring Greg Kinnear, the original is the better version.
13 Better Call Saul (2015-2022)
- Stream on Netflix
Given the enormous success of the series Breaking Bad, it was probably inevitable that it would yield a spin-off. In this case, the series focuses on Saul Goodman, the shady lawyer from the original series, as well as various other characters who were a part of Walter White’s story. However, Better Call Saul is a spinoff that stands on its own and may even improve on its predecessor.
Like The Lincoln Lawyer, there’s a quirky aspect to Better Call Saul that sets it apart from its predecessor, and there’s no question that Bob Odenkirk continued to shine as the title character, a genuinely good man who finds himself slowly enmeshed in a very dangerous world.
12 Anatomy Of A Scandal (2022)
- Stream on Netflix
Showrunner David E. Kelley has been responsible for many great series, including The Lincoln Lawyer. However, he was also the creative mind behind Anatomy of a Scandal, one of the other legal dramas airing on Netflix. The series is a bracing look at the way that sexual assault can radically reshape the course of a person’s life, as a British lawyer is tasked with prosecuting the man who raped her several years previously.
It is a series full of powerful performances, particularly from Michelle Dockery, who plays Kate Woodcroft, the lawyer.
11 Perry Mason (2020-2023)
- Stream on Max
There are few television lawyers more famous than Perry Mason, who became an icon after his on-screen portrayal by the late Raymond Burr. This series is a bit grittier than its predecessor. In particular, the main character is a man suffering from trauma and trying to put his life together.
In this respect, he bears a striking resemblance to the main character of The Lincoln Lawyer, which helps to explain why this series will be sure to appeal to those who enjoyed the new Netflix series. Sadly, despite strong reviews, Perry Mason was canceled after season 2.
10 The Good Fight (2017-2022)
Streaming On Paramount+
- Stream on Paramount Plus
A spin-off of The Good Wife, The Good Fight has quickly established itself as one of the best series on Paramount Plus. With its all-star cast–including Christine Baranski and Audra McDonald–and its powerful storylines, it also manages to be a powerful legal drama in its own right. Though its legal trappings will make it a good fit for fans of The Lincoln Lawyer, it also manages to do more than just provide the usual thrills of a legal series. In fact, it manages to address many of the pressing social and cultural issues of the present.
9 Damages (2007-2012)
- Stream on Hulu
As with the best legal dramas, The Lincoln Lawyer gives viewers a protagonist who might be deeply flawed but is nevertheless someone that they can identify with and cheer for. Damages, likewise, spends a great deal of time allowing the audience to get to know Glenn Close’s Patty Hewes. Though she is not always the most likable or sympathetic character–in fact she is often ruthless–that is precisely what makes her, and the show as a whole, so compulsively watchable.
8 The Practice (1997-2004)
- Stream on Prime Video & Hulu
Another series from David E. Kelley, The Practice ranks as one of the best legal drama series of all time. The show follows the lawyers of a defense law firm as they deal with high-profile and scandalous cases. The series also features a strong ensemble that includes Dylan McDermott and Lara Flynn Boyle.
Like The Lincoln Lawyer, The Practice explored the moral complications that are involved with the defense lawyers. They did not always like or trust the clients they defended but took it as their duty to provide them with the best defense they could. This resulted in a number of thrilling cases throughout the show's eight seasons.
7 How To Get Away With Murder (2014-2020)
- Stream on Netflix
Showrunner Shonda Rhimes has been responsible for bringing many great series to the air. With its heightened melodrama and its powerful performances–particularly from Viola Davis as Annalise Keating–How to Get Away with Murder is definitely one of her best. Its emphasis on the law will appeal to fans of The Lincoln Lawyer, as will its focus on Keating, a lawyer who is far more complicated than she appears at first glance and who ultimately becomes something of the series’ compelling (and dangerous) antihero.
6 The Flight Attendant (2020-Present)
- Stream on Max
Even though it's still a new streaming service, HBO Max has been responsible for some great series, and one of the best is The Flight Attendant. Like The Lincoln Lawyer, it has a certain pulpiness about it, as it focuses on its main character, Cassie, as she contends with various mishaps that seem to follow her wherever she goes. While its main appeal is its thriller component, it will particularly appeal to fans of The Lincoln Lawyer given that it pays a great deal of attention, particularly in season 2, to Cassie’s efforts to attain sobriety.
5 Matlock (1986-1995)
- Stream on Prime Video
As its title suggests, The Lincoln Lawyer is about a lawyer who works out of the back of his car. Indeed, it’s precisely this quirkiness that makes the series so appealing. While the title character of the series Matlock may not work out of the back of a car, he does nevertheless have a sort of quirky charm that is all his own. The series is very much of its time–with an aesthetic firmly rooted in the ‘80s and ‘90s–but it is also one of those series that still remains eminently watchable.
4 Your Honor (2020-2023)
- Stream on Paramount Plus & Showtime
Following Bryan Cranston's performance as Walter White in Breaking Bad, the actor starred in another series in which he played a man who goes to criminal lengths to protect his family. Cranston plays a respectable judge whose son is involved in a hit-and-run with members of a mob family. The judge is then faced with abandoning his morals to ensure his son's safety.
Once again, the legal thriller relies on a flawed protagonist like Haller in The Lincoln Lawyer. The audience can sympathize with these characters while also questioning the decisions they make. It results in an intense and thrilling series with another powerhouse performance from Cranston.
3 Murder, She Wrote (1984-1996)
- Stream on Peacock
Those who are drawn to the quirkiness of The Lincoln Lawyer will also find much to enjoy about the long-running series Murder, She Wrote. Starring Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher, a retired schoolteacher-turned-writer who ultimately becomes an amateur sleuth, it’s everything that one could want out of a cozy detective series. However, beneath its seemingly chipper aesthetic, there is very often a more sinister strain, and the series isn’t afraid to shy away from addressing very important topics and issues.
2 Goliath (2016-2021)
- Stream on Prime Video
One of the most appealing elements of a lawyer series is its ability to dive deep into the psychology of its characters, and that is certainly true of The Lincoln Lawyer. It is also part of the appeal of Goliath, another legal drama, this time starring Billy Bob Thornton. Like so many other lawyers, his character is trying to find redemption, though he is faced with a court system that has grown ever more corrupt. And, as with The Lincoln Lawyer, it was also created by David E. Kelley.
1 Suits (2011-2019)
- Stream on Netflix, Prime Video, & Peacock
Quite unexpectedly, Suits has broken streaming records with countless viewers tuning into the slick legal drama. The show follows the young and brilliant Mike Ross who fake his way into a job at a prestigious law firm headed by the suave and talented Harvey Specter. Mike practicing law without an actual law degree certainly puts him alongside Haller as a lawyer who is willing to bend the rules. Harvey is also similar to Haller in The Lincoln Lawyer in many ways as he comes into the courtroom with confidence and style that help him to win the biggest cases.