Netflix Cancels The Lincoln Lawyer After Season 5
Netflix will end its drama series after a fifth season, though a spinoff starring Cobie Smulders is in development.
Updated on Nov. 1, 2026 in Television
Netflix has opted to cancel The Lincoln Lawyer after season 5, according to author Michael Connelly, who responded to a fan's plea for a sixth season with "That's a Netflix decision." The series stars Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as attorney Mickey Haller, and a spinoff starring Cobie Smulders as Emi Finch is in development.
Why it matters
The cancellation ends the run of a series that has carried Connelly's Haller character across four seasons, and Netflix will decide the show's fate without involvement from other networks. The spinoff suggests the franchise may continue in a different form.
Season 4 of The Lincoln Lawyer reached the top spot of Netflix's most-watched shows, and the series has run for four seasons based on eight Michael Connelly novels. Whether Netflix will reverse its decision to end the show after season 5 has not been stated.
The players
Michael Connelly
Michael Connelly is the bestselling author who created the Mickey Haller character and wrote the novels on which The Lincoln Lawyer is based.
Netflix
Netflix is the streaming service that produces and distributes The Lincoln Lawyer and holds the decision over the series' future.
Manuel Garcia-Rulfo
Manuel Garcia-Rulfo is the actor who plays attorney Mickey Haller in the Netflix series.
Cobie Smulders
Cobie Smulders is the actress set to star in the spinoff focused on the character Emi Finch.
The details
Michael Connelly responded to a fan on Threads, writing "That's a Netflix decision" after the fan asked for a sixth season. The Lincoln Lawyer first reached the screen as a 2011 movie starring Matthew McConaughey before Netflix developed the series.
Timeline
2005: Michael Connelly began writing The Lincoln Lawyer novels.
2011: The Lincoln Lawyer debuted as a movie starring Matthew McConaughey.
2027: Season 5 of the Netflix series is scheduled to air, followed by cancellation.
Franchise Trajectory
The Lincoln Lawyer began as a 2011 movie starring Matthew McConaughey and has since expanded into a Netflix series with a planned spinoff. The cancellation after season 5 marks a shift in how the franchise continues, moving from a single long-running show toward a spinoff structure.
Viewers can watch the existing four seasons on Netflix, but the series will not continue beyond season 5 unless Netflix reverses its decision. The Emi Finch spinoff, if produced, would be a separate series with its own release schedule.
The takeaway
Franchise continuity on streaming often depends on a single platform's decision, so fans should expect shifts in how a story is carried forward. Following the spinoff's announcements will indicate whether the Lincoln Lawyer world continues on screen.
Further reading
Explore more Television coverage for context on this series and its spinoff.
