The Lincoln Lawyer might be the most popular and acclaimed hit legal drama of recent years, but it’s far from the only TV show to take place in a courtroom. In fact, there are plenty of other legal-procedural series from the past two decades which also revolve around the exploits of a maverick lawyer handling high-profile cases. Some of these series actually provided inspiration for Mickey Haller’s portrayal as well as the defendants he represents in The Lincoln Lawyer, while others have been influenced in turn by the landmark Netflix show.

Although best and most authentic legal dramas on TV today. Besides Kelley’s work, however, there are dozens of other brilliant shows about the law, several of which bear more than a ing resemblance to The Lincoln Lawyer.

6 Boston Legal (2004-2008)

Starring James Spader & William Shatner

Despite its slightly lighter tone, David E. Kelley’s noughties legal dramedy Boston Legal shares key similarities with The Lincoln Lawyer. In addition to the show often taking time to focus on the personal dynamics between its characters outside the courtroom, its central protagonist, Alan Shore, is the prototype mercurial defense lawyer who refuses to play by the rules. Played by James Spader in one of his best TV roles, Shore has laid the blueprint for Mickey Haller’s Lincoln Lawyer persona, as well as Goliath’s Billy McBride and numerous other rough-cut TV antiheroes within the crime genre.

David E. Kelley actually studied and practiced law in Boston, before moving to Los Angeles to start his career as a full-time writer and TV producer.

Alan Shore frequently provides the ire of superiors at his legal firm, Crane, Poole & Schmidt, by using illicit methods to acquire the evidence he needs to win cases. Nevertheless, his irrepressible boss Denny Crane ultimately respects Shore and tolerates his unorthodox approach to practicing law, while the two of them share a touching friendship outside of work. Their bond mirrors the relationship between Mickey Haller and David “Legal” Siegel in The Lincoln Lawyer, except that Legal doesn’t have to work with Mickey in the same law firm.

5 The Good Fight (2017-2020)

Starring Christine Baranski

The Good Fight is another show that centers on a maverick lawyer, although Christine Baranski’s protagonist Diane Lockhart never turned her back on the profession, as Mickey Haller did before the events of The Lincoln Lawyer. Lockhart and her protege Maia Rindell instead have their backs against the wall from the very start of the show, after they’re forced out of Lockhart’s out law firm via a financial scam.

The Good Fight is by far the most topical and political of any legal drama released in recent years, as it grapples with the themes of racism and sexism both inside and outside the legal profession. The show’s also very much grounded in the real world, with storylines based on true events such as the MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements and the Roe Vs. Wade reversal featured across The Good Fight’s six seasons. The series often has the feel of a mockumentary, as it incorporates elements of behind-the-scenes political intrigue and televisual reporting into its episodes.

4 The Night Of (2016)

Starring Riz Ahmed & John Turturro

Although it’s an eight-episode miniseries dealing with a single legal case, The Night Of very much follows the narrative structure of a single Lincoln Lawyer season. The thrilling twists and turns in Naz Shah’s murder trial make the series an exhilarating watch throughout its total runtime of approximately 10 hours, and the ingenious legal maneuvers of defense attorney John Stone, played by recurring Coen Brothers collaborator John Turturro, give even Mickey Haller a run for his money.

The Night Of is ultimately a TV show, yet like so many top-notch small-screen limited series for the streaming age, it has the look and feel of a cinematic classic.

The Night Of is a sublimely constructed, many-layered legal mystery masterpiece, worthy of comparison with some of the best thriller movies of all time. It’s ultimately a TV show, yet like so many top-notch small-screen limited series for the streaming age, it has the look and feel of a cinematic classic. John Stone might not have the charm of The Lincoln Lawyer’s Haller, but he doesn’t have to when The Night Of wraps up its story in one self-contained set of episodes. The miniseries is still one of the most intensely gripping dramas streaming on any platform.

3 Reasonable Doubt (2022–Present)

Starring Emayatzy Corinealdi & MicKinley Freeman

Reasonable Doubt is the show on this list that’s perhaps most directly comparable to The Lincoln Lawyer. The series follows the exploits of a defense lawyer based in LA, only Jax Stewart tends to work with more upmarket clients than Mickey Haller’s suspected criminals. Having wracked up two seasons and counting, Reasonable Doubt has entertained audiences and critics alike with its meaty plotlines and sharp dialogue. Emayatzy Corinealdi owns the show’s lead role like she was born to play it, while her legal team provides enjoyable subplots with clear parallels to Lorna, Cisco, and Izzy’s stories in The Lincoln Lawyer.

It does feel as though Jax Stewart is very much intended to be a mirror image of Haller, with her ex-husband popping up in episode plots repeatedly, just as Neve Campbell’s character Maggie does in The Lincoln Lawyer. Reasonable Doubt is the legal drama to watch for anyone who follows Mickey Haller’s story for his personal life rather than courtroom theatrics or the technical aspects of his profession.

2 Presumed Innocent (2024-Present)

Starring Jake Gyllenhaal & Ruth Negga

Even though it was originally intended to be a one-off miniseries, Presumed Innocent has been renewed for a second season, given how compelling the first one proved to be. Like The Lincoln Lawyer, the series is based on a book, which was first adapted for the big screen before finding its way onto a streaming platform. Jake Gyllenhaal plays a lawyer who’s also suspected of murder, just as Mickey Haller will be in season 4 of The Lincoln Lawyer.

Presumed Innocent is a stylish update on Alan J. Paluka’s movie adaptation of Scott Turrow’s original novel, with its courtroom scenes in particular coming in for special praise.

Gyllenhaal’s Rusty Sabich has to draw on his brilliance as a prosecutor to defend himself against charges that could lead to him spending his life in jail. Presumed Innocent is a stylish update on Alan J. Paluka’s movie adaptation of Scott Turrow’s original novel, with its courtroom scenes in particular coming in for special praise. The show’s characters might not be quite as sympathetic or three-dimensional as The Lincoln Lawyer’s legal professionals, but it’s hard not get pulled in by its riveting plot, which thrives on the moral ambiguity of the drama’s principal figures.

1 Goliath (2016-2021)

Starring Billy Bob Thornton. William Hurt, & Mark Duplass

If The Lincoln Lawyer is fundamentally about the fortunes of Mickey Haller himself, then fans of the Netflix show will find his kindred spirit in Billy McBride, the protagonist of Prime Video’s legal drama Goliath. McBride is a world-weary veteran of the legal profession with little-to-no faith in the justice system. What’s more, like The Lincoln Lawyer’s protagonist Goliath’s central character is a recovering addict, who gets roped out of retirement and into representing defendants, against his better judgment.

Billy McBride is even more irreverent than Mickey Haller, and refuses to observe even the most basic manners of his profession, often provoking the ire of judges and legal opponents alike. Like the TV version of Haller, McBride is the creation of David E. Kelley, who surely drew direct inspiration from his work on Goliath to adapt The Lincoln Lawyer for Netflix. He worked on the shows back-to-back, starting on the latter just as the former was coming to an end.

In fact, it’s hard to imagine the Mickey Haller we see in The Lincoln Lawyer today existing without Billy McBride blazing a trail before him. The Netflix sensation has drawn inspiration from various sources, the obvious being Michael Connelly’s own approach to writing legal fiction. Yet Goliath is probably the closest thing to The Lincoln Lawyer that came before it, and is a series that virtually all of its fans are bound to enjoy.