Believe it or not… Bosch and The Lincoln Lawyer are actually BROTHERS in the books — but they’ve NEVER shared the screen. 😱💥

Two of TV’s biggest crime universes, one family tie… and still no crossover? Fans are calling it “the biggest missed opportunity in streaming.” 👀⚡

So what’s stopping them — legal drama, studio politics, or a twist being saved for later? 🕵️‍♂️

Both Amazon’s Bosch and Netflix‘s The Lincoln Lawyer have enjoyed popularity among fans with Titus Welliver and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo helming the show across seasons. Bosch and Bosch: Legacy have 10 seasons on Prime Video and The Lincoln Lawyer has three seasons on Netflix. All the shows find their roots in the literary universe created by Michael Connelly, who also serves as an Executive Producer on the shows.

With Welliver playing the role of LAPD detective Harry Bosch and Garcia-Rulfo donning the shoes of ace Los Angeles lawyer Mickey Haller, Bosch and The Lincoln Lawyer belong to a shared universe in the books. The two characters also share a deeper connection with each other in the books, making a potential crossover a very enticing proposition for fans. However, despite their shared roots, the characters have been evading each other in the television shows, much to the disappointment of their fans.

Mickey Haller and Harry Bosch Are Related to Each Other

In the books, Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller have appeared together in multiple Michael Connelly books. For the first time, the two characters meet in the 2008 novel “The Brass Verdict,” on which the first season of The Lincoln Lawyer is based. In The Lincoln Lawyer Season 1, Mickey Haller is just recovering from his painkiller addiction after a surfing accident. After the death of ace lawyer Jerry Vincent (Paul Urcioli), Haller inherits his caseload. In the book, Bosch investigates the mysterious death of Jerry and comes across Haller in the process. “The Brass Verdict” revolves around Haller’s attempts to defend Vincent’s top client, Walter Elliot, while Bosch tries to investigate the murder of Jerry Vincent.

While it may seem obvious that Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller – both characters with shared roots and working in the same base location of Los Angeles – have a lot in common, there’s another link that ties these two fan-favorite characters. In the Micheal Connelly books, Bosch discovers that Haller is his half-brother. Both Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller were born to lawyer J. Michael Haller Sr. Bosch was born to Michael Haller and Marjorie Phillips Lowe, a sex worker. In the Netflix series, Mickey Haller is born to Haller Sr. and Elena (Angélica María), a Mexican actress. To Bosch, Michael Sr. was an absentee father, and due to Michael Sr.’s early death, he did not play much of a role in Mickey’s childhood either. By the time the two characters meet in the books, Bosch has already discovered his connection to Haller.

A ‘Bosch’ and ‘Lincoln Lawyer’ Crossover is Unlikely To Happen

So far, Amazon’s Bosch and Bosch: Legacy and Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer have not hinted towards the two characters existing in the same universe. While fans cannot foresee such a crossover happening, it seems unlikely to happen in the near future, considering two rival streamers own the rights to the two characters. The Bosch franchise is produced by Amazon MGM Studios and The Lincoln Lawyer is produced by Netflix – a reason why the two characters have not met each other on television despite stories depicting the characters together been adapted already. Unless the two studios really collaborate to fulfill fan expectations, Harry Bosch may never appear in The Lincoln Lawyer and Mickey Haller may never appear in the upcoming spin-off Ballard or any other Bosch show.

In an interview with TV Insider, The Lincoln Lawyer co-showrunner Dailyn Rodriguez mentioned how they keep trying to find workarounds to make up for the absence of Harry Bosch in the world of Mickey Haller. On a positive note, however, co-showrunner Ted Humphrey highlighted how Deadpool & Wolverine would not have been possible a few years ago. Hence, if the studio executives really put their minds to it, a Harry Bosch-Mickey Haller crossover may be closer than it seems, but considering how Harry Bosch’s future appears to be in a limbo after Bosch: Legacy cancellation, a crossover may now be more difficult than ever.

In the Bosch: Legacy episode “Bloodline,” young Harry Bosch (Eamonn Welliver) is shown to meet his father (Clint Jordan). However, no reference is made to Michael Haller Sr. and Mickey Haller in this scene – an example of how the show tries to work around the creative problem emerging from the rights being owned by different studios. While Mickey Haller and Harry Bosch may not cross paths in the near future, the ample amount of source material featuring the two characters together holds a beacon of hope for fans eager to see the ace lawyer and the maverick detective in one frame.

All episodes of The Lincoln Lawyer are available exclusively on Netflix, while Bosch: Legacy is streaming exclusively on Prime Video.