Lincoln Lawyer Officially Switching Protagonists in Season 5 as Emi Finch Takes Center Stage

A new character joins Haller

Season 5 adapts Michael Connelly’s 2023 novel Resurrection Walk, which follows The Law of Innocence, the book behind season 4. The new version adds Artemisia “Emi” Finch, a character created for the television series.

Cobie Smulders will play Finch, Mickey Haller’s long-lost sister, alongside Manuel Garcia-Rulfo. Although Haller has half-sisters in Connelly’s books, they do not appear in the novels.

Why Finch replaces Bosch

In Resurrection Walk, Haller works with his half-brother Harry Bosch. Netflix does not have the rights to include Bosch in The Lincoln Lawyer, so the adaptation gives Finch a pivotal part in Haller’s case instead.

The series has finished filming its fifth season. Michael Connelly, the author and an executive producer, confirmed the Netflix release window; the story also describes the expected date as March 2027.

A spinoff signals a transition

At least one season 5 episode is expected to serve as a backdoor pilot for a planned Finch spinoff. The new series does not yet have a name and is expected to continue the franchise after The Lincoln Lawyer ends.

The article compares this handoff to Bosch: Legacy setting up Ballard. Netflix’s planned Finch series would shift the focus from Haller to an original character, with David E. Kelley continuing as executive producer.

A wider Connelly screen universe

Connelly continues to publish novels featuring Haller and Bosch. His more recent protagonist, Detective Sergeant Stilwell, is also being adapted for HBO. The planned Finch series would give Netflix room to develop a new character’s backstory within The Lincoln Lawyer universe. It would also feature Smulders in the leading role.