LOS ANGELES — Even as The Lincoln Lawyer prepares to drive into the sunset with its upcoming fifth and final season, Netflix is keeping the legal engine running by fast-tracking a brand-new spinoff series headlined by Cobie Smulders.
Smulders is slated to reprise her role as Artemisia “Emi” Finch, the newly discovered half-sister of defense attorney Mickey Haller. The character made her surprise debut during the Season 4 finale of the flagship drama and has been elevated to a series regular for the upcoming final season.
Expanding the Legal Universe
According to industry reports, Netflix executives bought the pitch on a quick turnaround, ordering a script to be penned by The Lincoln Lawyer executive producers and co-showrunners Ted Humphrey, Dailyn Rodriguez, and Matthew J. Lieberman. A+E Studios is attached to produce the project, with production aiming for a Los Angeles base pending final deal-making and regional tax credits.
For fans of Michael Connelly’s original book series, Emi Finch represents a unique television-exclusive addition. Because the adaptation rights to Haller’s famous literary half-brother, Harry Bosch, are held by Amazon, the creative team crafted Emi to fill a similar narrative role in Mickey’s expanding family tree. Unlike Bosch, however, Emi’s standalone journey will carve out an entirely fresh path unbound by existing source material.
Winding Down the Flagship Series
The development of the spinoff arrives as Netflix gears up for the final lap of The Lincoln Lawyer. Season 5, based on Connelly’s novel Resurrection Walk, is set to consist of ten episodes and features Emi pulling Mickey into a high-stakes habeas petition to free a wrongfully convicted woman.
This central storyline will serve as a direct narrative launchpad for Smulders’ transition to the lead role in her own series. Netflix has yet to announce an official release window for the spinoff as script development and final deal negotiations continue.
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