Published August 21, 2024 — You might want to put down the windows, because it’s getting hot in this ride — and, no, it’s not the LA heat. New episodes of The Lincoln Lawyer roll out on Oct. 17.

Manuel Garcia-Rulfo returns as Mickey Haller in the legal drama with 10 new episodes based on The Gods of Guilt, the fifth book in The Lincoln Lawyer series by Michael Connelly (https://amzn.to/3AuE9Me). Showrunners Dailyn Rodriguez and Ted Humphrey agree it may also be Connelly’s best book of that era.

“This season is very exciting,” Garcia-Rulfo tells Tudum. “We see Mickey struggling with so many things at the same time — with romance, with the wives, with the cases. You never expect what’s going to happen, who’s going to be bad and who’s going to be guilty.”

Who’s in the The Lincoln Lawyer Season 3 cast?

The Lincoln Lawyer Season 3 welcomes four new cast members:

Merrin Dungey (The Resident, Big Little Lies) stars as Judge Regina Turner, a former public defender who’s younger and more progressive than most judges in the district — but whether that’s a benefit to Mickey or not remains to be seen.

Allyn Moriyon makes his television debut as Eddie Rojas, a fitness buff (and former babysitter to Mickey’s daughter, Hayley) who’s in need of a very good lawyer. Luckily, Mickey is able to help, and then offers him the opportunity of a lifetime.

John Pirruccello (Barry, The Valet) plays William Forsythe, a seemingly nonthreatening prosecutor who Mickey’s excited to go up against. Once the trial starts, however, it’s clear that nothing’s as it seems.

Philip Anthony-Rodriguez (Grimm, The Company You Keep) takes on the role of Adam Suarez, the chief deputy district attorney, to whom prosecutor Andrea Freeman (Yaya DaCosta) reports and is a force to reckon with.

They’ll star alongside returning cast members Becki Newton (Lorna), Jazz Raycole (Izzy), Angus Sampson (Cisco), and DaCosta (Andrea). Neve Campbell (Maggie), Elliott Gould (Legal Siegel), Krista Warner (Hayley), Fiona Rene (Glory Days), and Devon Graye (Julian La Cosse) will also be back this season.

Can I see some photos from The Lincoln Lawyer Season 3?

Yes. Check out Mickey, Lorna, Cisco, Izzy and more in action above.

Why is Maggie back in The Lincoln Lawyer Season 3?

Last season, Mickey’s ex-wife Maggie was offered a job with the DA’s office in San Diego and decided to move there. But she “continues to be on the personal axis of Mickey’s life,” Humphrey tells Tudum.

Adds Garcia-Rulfo, “Even if she’s not there, [she’s] always in the back of his being. There’s always something about Maggie that’s there. When he meets new girls, I think he’s always feeling that he’s cheating on her.”

In these Season 3 first-look photos, she appears in a flashback scene. “We decided that a fun (and poignant) way to come into the season would be via a flashback sequence that gave us some insight into how Mickey Haller became Mickey Haller — not just the brilliant criminal defense lawyer, but the husband, the father, and the man that he would come to be,” Humphrey and Rodriguez told Netflix.

Although Connelly’s fifth book doesn’t include a flashback, the showrunners felt it was a fitting introduction to the new season, adding, “These images of a young Mickey finishing up surfing before a life-changing day at work, as well as cuddling on the couch with his wife Maggie after putting their young daughter Hayley to bed, are from a pair of these flashback scenes that bookend the first episode and propel us into the rest of Season 3.”

Will the Los Angeles restaurant scene make a cameo?

If you loved the series’ grand tour of LA’s hottest restaurants and old haunts, we’ve got a treat for you. “We shout out some great LA places,” says Rodriguez about Season 3. “We’re shouting out La Monarca Bakery, which is a really big Mexican bakery in LA. We have the Philippe’s [vs.] Cole’s French dip debate.”

“Oh, we shoot at Nobu,” Humphrey adds, calling out Malibu’s pricey sushi spot.

While the series is shot on location throughout the LA area, from the stunning Zuma Beach to the architectural marvels of downtown, Garcia-Rulfo says the scenes at real restaurants add another dimension. “It’s not just the city; the food gives it another character,” he says. “It’s like a trademark of the show. Mickey’s a foodie!”

Which cars will show up in Season 3?

Mickey is a Lincoln Navigator man, but Season 3 showcases some sweet new cars, including flashback to the budding lawyer’s OG ride: the humble, beachy convertible Volkswagen. But there’s another convertible that has a special place in Garcia-Rulfo’s heart: Mickey’s powder-blue 1963 Lincoln Continental. “Shooting nights in that convertible, in that Lincoln, is so cool,” he says. “I want to take that. I’m hoping at the end, Netflix is like, ‘Manuel, this is your wrap present.’ ”

How did The Lincoln Lawyer Season 2 end?

Last season, Mickey found himself in a messy situation, on both professional and personal fronts. When beguiling restaurateur and activist Lisa Trammell (Lana Parrilla) was accused of murdering a prominent city developer, Mickey was tasked with proving her innocence. Complicating matters was the fact that lawyer and client were romantically involved — before they started working together, of course! Although Lisa was found not guilty, her sketchy past eventually caught up with her and jeopardized any potential relationship with Mickey.

It seems the hotshot lawyer can navigate most obstacles at this point, but Season 3 will hit close to home. In the final moments of Season 2, Mickey learns that his friend Glory Days (Fiona Rene), with whom he previously worked on Season 1’s Jesus Menendez case, is dead.

“This one is personal, because it’s a client that he actually really cared about and thought she had gotten out of that life and out of danger,” says Rodriguez. “Mickey very much is [wondering], ‘Did he have something to do with this? Could he have done more to help her?’ ”

Executive producer Ross Fineman told Tudum the case is going to be Mickey’s toughest, both professionally and personally. “This was his friend,” he said, “and there’s a nagging sense that he might have been responsible in some way.”

How has Glory’s death changed Mickey in Season 3?

Mickey has a new singular focus after Glory’s death. He has become a “man on fire” says Rodriguez. “We’re past the broken Mickey from Season 1 that has to get his sea legs again. In Season 2 — we liked to call that the Icarus season — he got all the fame and fortune, [he] really flew a little high to the sun and got burned a little bit. [Now he’s] a man on a mission, much more than the other two seasons.”

When is The Lincoln Lawyer Season 3 release date?

All episodes of The Lincoln Lawyer Season 3 arrive Oct. 17, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get your fix of courtroom drama and LA food tours while you wait. Stream the first two seasons of The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix now.

Based on The Gods of Guilt, the fifth book in The Lincoln Lawyer series by Michael Connelly

The second season of The Lincoln Lawyer premiered on July 6, 2023, and quickly climbed up the Netflix Global Top 10 with a cumulative 40 million views as of Aug. 29, 2023, reaching the Top 10 in 81 countries.