In 2011, Matthew McConaughey led a mid-level legal drama called The Lincoln Lawyer, based on Michael Connelly’s 2005 novel (a spin-off from the Bosch universe). It did decently well, making $87 million off its $40 million budget and getting pretty good reviews, but that was that. It didn’t have much cultural impact, and there were no sequels of anything. So it’s surprising how a television version of the same character’s story could become such a big hit for Netflix. The Lincoln Lawyer co-showrunner, writer, and executive producer Dailyn Rodriguez spoke with MovieWeb about the character of Mickey Haller in all his formations, and why the TV iteration is more faithful to the book’s original character than the movie could be (by no fault of its own). She told us:

“In the books he’s a half Mexican, half American white guy. His mom’s Mexican, his dad’s Irish-American from LA. Because we cast Miguel [Garcia-Rulfo], who is actually native of Mexico, we had to make some adjustments in the backstory, to have them being raised in Mexico… But I think what we’re able to do that the movie couldn’t, is that we can get into more character development and the nitty-gritty of the character, and I think some of the nuances of the book.”

This also feeds into reasons why the series, in its longer format, can embrace the location of Los Angeles as a character unto itself. As such, it echoes the great crime dramas of the past, from The Big Sleep and The Long Goodbye (a Robert Altman classic used as a reference point by Rodriguez and the team) to Chinatown and Michael Mann’s masterpiece, Heat. Rodriguez speaks about that more below.

Mickey Haller and the Authentic Hispanic Connection to L.A.

These things imbue The Lincoln Lawyer with a cinematic legacy, and its fascinatingly authentic look at diversity and identity intersecting with L.A. and the legal system makes for something unique on television today. “L.A. is such a great landscape for that identity cross,” explained Rodriguez. “There are opportunities to go further into that as a creative expression. In the books, [Mickey] talks about being Mexican and not really speaking Spanish, but he understands it a lot. So, of course, we had to make that change. But that’s a very common Chicano experience.” She continued:

“In the second season, when we cast Lana Parrilla, who’s Puerto Rican and Italian, as a character that didn’t learn how to speak Spanish because her parents wanted to assimilate. So we have that kind of character, but then we can explore like a gardener with an accent, a tailor that speaks Spanish, an FBI agent who’s Dominican and is stationed in L.A. and is bilingual. My favorite thing about it is the ability to explore all facets of what it’s like to be Latina or Latinx, or whatever term you’d like to use, in Los Angeles and in America.”

With shows and movies all seeking diversity for all kinds of reasons, Rodriguez loves that The Lincoln Lawyer continues to do it in a deeply authentic and true type of way. This makes for more compelling drama, but also for a more realistic portrayal of the melting-pot that is Los Angeles. “Diversity is really important to Los Angeles. So to me, I think we’re able to do a show that feels very authentic without an agenda.” Season 3 of The Lincoln Lawyer is available on Netflix.