With shooting for The Lincoln Lawyer’s fourth season due to start this February, showrunners have announced a shock exit from the cast. Yaya DaCosta, who played Mickey Haller’s primary love interest Andrea “Andy” Freeman throughout season 3, is leaving the show. While it wasn’t clear whether Mickey and Andy could ever rekindle their relationship, it comes as a big surprise that DaCosta’s character is being written out of The Lincoln Lawyer altogether.

Transforming Andy from Mickey’s professional rival into his lover was a major deviation from the show’s source material, Michael Connolly’s novel series. The decision to have this story arc for Andy replace Mickey’s relationship with Kendall Roberts in The Lincoln Lawyer’s third season won plaudits from critics and audiences alike. Although she’s brilliant and ambitious, Andy has also revealed her vulnerabilities to Andy, which has led to him opening up emotionally more than he did in previous seasons. The decision not to explore this dynamic further in season 4 presents Netflix’s show with new challenges, and DaCosta with different career opportunities.

Andrea Freemann Isn't In The Law Of Innocence Book That The Lincoln Lawyer Season 4 Is Adapting

There's No Place For Her In The Book's Main Storyline

The Lincoln Lawyer will continue with its trend of adapting Connolly’s novels about Mickey Haller in chronological order for its season. This trend means that the show will follow up its storylines from The Gods of Guilt, on which season 3 was based, with an adaptation of The Law Of Innocence for season 4. Andrea Freemann isn’t in either of these novels by Connolly, since the storyline of Mickey and Andy getting together was an original development by showrunners of the streaming series.

However, the main narrative threads in The Gods of Guilt allowed room for Mickey to start a new relationship. In the book, this relationship was with Kendall Roberts, but in the show, it was with Freemann. On the other hand, the main plot in The Law Of Innocence, the sixth book in Connolly’s series, doesn’t allow for such a relationship to continue, whether it’s with Kendall or Andy.

Changing this plot would mean the show diverges from Connolly’s book altogether, which the showrunners clearly don’t plan on doing. The Lincoln Lawyer rose to the top of US streaming charts in the final third of 2024 primarily through following Connolly’s thrilling courtroom storylines, after all. For that reason, it's understandable that there just isn't any room for Andrea Freeman in the story to come.

What Andy's Exit Means For The Lincoln Lawyer Season 4's Story

Mickey's Ex-Wife Maggie Will Return, As She Does In The Law Of Innocence

DaCosta’s departure from The Lincoln Lawyer, signaling the end of Andy as a main or even recurring character, almost certainly means a return to the romantic storylines depicted in Connolly’s books. The Law Of Innocence sees Mickey’s ex-wife Maggie Mherson come back into his life, as she devotes extensive time to working on the defense for his own murder trial. This central plot means that Neve Campbell will return as Maggie for every episode of The Lincoln Lawyer’s new season.

Mickey and Andy may have had their moments together, but their relationship is about to be consigned to the past. Ted Humphrey recently told ScreenRant. It’s Maggie who’ll be by Mickey’s side as he fights to clear his name, despite all the evidence against him following season 3’s dramatic finale.

What's Next For Yaya DaCosta After The Lincoln Lawyer Season 3

She Could Return To Her Most Famous Role, Or Move On To Big-Screen Projects

Meanwhile, the actor who played Andy Freemann in seasons 2 and 3 of The Lincoln Lawyer will be free to pursue other projects. With more time on her hands, we could see Yaya DaCosta return to her recurring role as April Sexton in Chicago Med, as she did two years ago. One Chicago fans have been missing her character since she left the medical drama in season 6, but it’s still uncertain whether she'll ever return show’s main cast.

Instead, DaCosta might try her hand at a big-screen role, for the first time since 2019. Her work in The Lincoln Lawyer, all three Chicago One series and the single-season drama Our Kind Of People have left her little room in her schedule for movie acting. Nevertheless, with a much bigger profile off the back of her part in arguably Netflix’s biggest show, she’ll be in high demand should she be looking for a return to the silver screen.