Before The Lincoln Lawyer Season 4 Returns, Prime Video’s New Detective Show From The Same Book Universe Will Be The Perfect Watch This Summer

Back in January, Netflix confirmed that The Lincoln Lawyer would return for a fourth season—but fans will need to be patient. While no release date has been announced, Season 4 is expected to hit in 2026. After Season 3’s nail-biting cliffhanger, viewers are desperate to see what’s next for Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo). Luckily, Michael Connelly’s 2020 novel The Law of Innocence might offer some clues—since the show is rooted in his bestselling book series.

But The Lincoln Lawyer isn’t the only Connelly adaptation heating up the screen. From 2014 to 2021, Amazon’s Bosch followed Mickey’s half-brother, detective Harry Bosch (Titus Welliver), and now Prime Video is launching a brand-new spinoff this July—this time, focused on a bold new lead: Renée Ballard.

With courtroom chaos on hold until 2026, Connelly fans won’t want to miss this gritty new chapter.

The Bosch Ballard spinoff is the perfect warm-up before The Lincoln Lawyer returns.

Another Unconventional Police Procedural Releases This July

Amazon Prime Video is set to release Ballard, the newest Bosch spinoff, on July 9th, 2025—and it might be just what fans need while waiting for The Lincoln Lawyer Season 4. The series centers on Detective Renée Ballard, first introduced in Bosch: Legacy, and now stepping fully into the spotlight. Like Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller, Ballard comes straight from the pages of Michael Connelly’s bestselling novels. With Connelly’s rich, character-driven storytelling, Ballard promises to deliver another must-watch procedural in a universe fans can’t get enough of.

What sets The Lincoln Lawyer apart is its unique blend of classic courtroom drama and the unconventional charm of Mickey Haller—a defense attorney who operates out of the backseat of a Lincoln. It’s that balance between traditional structure and unpredictable personality that makes the show so compelling. Similarly, Ballard, the upcoming Bosch spinoff, comes with all the key ingredients of a gripping crime series—only this time, the twist lies in its focus on cold cases long forgotten by the system.

Detective Renée Ballard joins the LAPD under one condition: she gets to lead the department’s new cold-case unit. That personal drive and defiance promise a lead character every bit as layered as Haller—only on the other side of the justice system. And with Amazon Prime Video already proving its storytelling chops through Bosch and Bosch: Legacy, Ballard seems poised to deliver the same level of emotional depth and narrative intrigue that The Lincoln Lawyer fans crave.

As for Ballard and Haller?

Though both live in Michael Connelly’s interconnected literary universe, their paths can’t realistically cross onscreen—at least not yet. Netflix owns The Lincoln Lawyer, while Ballard lives on Prime Video, making a crossover legally tricky. Still, fans can find satisfying parallels in their stories: two driven outsiders, chasing justice from opposite sides of the law.

They May Have A Shared Backstory, But They Can Never Meet On Screen

Michael Connelly’s books are the glue connecting The Lincoln Lawyer, Bosch, Bosch: Legacy, and Ballard together. Mickey Haller and Harry Bosch are half brothers, and Harry Bosch and Renée Ballard are colleagues and friends. It would make sense that all three of them would know, or at least be familiar with, one another. Despite these literary connections, however, it is virtually impossible that the three of them will ever interact on screen. Amazon owns the rights to the characters from Bosch and Ballard, whereas Netflix has the rights to Mickey Haller.

In Michael Connelly’s books, Harry Bosch’s relationship with his father—and by extension, his half-brother Mickey Haller—is a crucial part of his character arc. However, in The Lincoln Lawyer series, that connection is reimagined. Instead of Bosch, the role of trusted investigator is filled by Dennis “Cisco” Wojciechowski (played by Angus Sampson). As a result, despite the rich shared history between The Lincoln Lawyer and Ballard in the novels, fans shouldn’t expect an on-screen crossover.

While Ballard offers plenty to keep viewers engaged until Season 4 arrives, those hoping for more Mickey Haller moments will have no choice but to wait—because when it comes to The Lincoln Lawyer, there’s simply no substitute.