Netflix’s Lincoln Lawyer Has a Secret Michael Connelly Easter Egg

The Lincoln Lawyer is a recent Netflix success story. Season 4 premiered on February 5, 2026, and quickly became a top 10 show in numerous countries. The new season’s popularity has led many viewers to rewatch the series or discover it for the first time, and they’re now spotting subtle details in the earlier seasons.

A clever detail in Season 1 of The Lincoln Lawyer subtly acknowledges Michael Connelly, the author of the original books. This isn’t just a nod to the creator, but also a reference to a little-known part of Connelly’s personal history.

Michael Connelly Was a Crime Reporter Before Writing the Lincoln Lawyer

Michael Connelly is the author of popular book series like the Lincoln Lawyer, Bosch, and Ballard. Before becoming a novelist, he worked as a crime reporter in Los Angeles. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he moved to Los Angeles with his family when he was young.

Michael Connelly’s passion for writing deepened when he went to the University of Florida and discovered the novels of Raymond Chandler. Chandler, famous for creating the iconic detective Philip Marlowe, has seen his character adapted for the screen many times, most recently in the 2022 film Marlowe.

I’ve always been fascinated by Michael Connelly’s work, and learning about his background makes it even more compelling. Before he became the author we know today, he was a journalist, actually reporting on crime in places like Daytona Beach and Fort Lauderdale. Eventually, he landed a job at the Los Angeles Times as a crime reporter, and you can really see how that experience with the gritty LA crime world deeply influenced the stories he tells. It’s clear that firsthand knowledge shaped his writing in a huge way.

Having directly experienced the crime scene and worked alongside detectives and prosecutors in the city likely shaped his writing. It’s fitting, then, to find a subtle nod to Michael Connelly in the first season of The Lincoln Lawyer – a detail most viewers didn’t notice. This reference appears right at the start of Episode 6.

A quick scene in Season 1, Episode 6 of The Lincoln Lawyer, titled “Bent,” shows a young Mickey Haller with his mother, waiting for his father, Michael Haller Sr., outside of court. Haller Sr. is a well-known lawyer working on a big case, and he’s met by a crowd of reporters when he comes out of the courtroom.

While speaking with reporters, Haller Sr. specifically mentioned “Connelly” in response to a question – a reference to Michael Connelly’s former career as a crime reporter, which some may have overlooked. The character, identified as “Young reporter Connelly,” is portrayed by Chris Gehrt, who also works on casting for The Lincoln Lawyer.

When The Lincoln Lawyer premiered in 2022, the actor playing Mickey Haller was approximately 40 years old, while flashbacks showed Mickey as an 8-year-old. In the original Michael Connelly books, Mickey’s father dies when Mickey is five, but the Netflix series portrays the father’s death happening a bit later in Mickey’s life.

As a big fan, I found it really cool how the flashbacks in the show seem to take place in the late ’80s or early ’90s – right when Michael Connelly was actually working as a journalist for the Los Angeles Times. It’s a clever detail because it opens up this possibility in my mind that the character of Michael Connelly could have actually interviewed Haller’s father back in the day when he was covering crime. It just feels like a richer, more connected world when they weave in those real-life details.

The Lincoln Lawyer Continues to Be a Hit on Netflix

The show premiered on February 5th and has consistently ranked among the top 10 most popular shows on Netflix in many countries, including the U.S. It’s already been confirmed that there will be a fifth season. Meanwhile, Michael Connelly’s other television series, Ballard, is currently filming its second season.

Michael Connelly’s novels feature a shared universe with characters from The Lincoln Lawyer, Bosch, and Ballard. While The Lincoln Lawyer has its own TV series on Netflix, Bosch, Bosch: Legacy, and Ballard are available on Amazon’s Prime Video, allowing fans to explore the connected stories after finishing the Netflix series.

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2026-02-14 03:15