A new chapter of the Lincoln Lawyer universe is taking shape at Netflix, with Cobie Smulders set to bring Mickey Haller’s half-sister into the center of her own story.

The Lincoln Lawyer Spinoff Starring Cobie Smulders in Development at Netflix

Film & Television   |   Maison Adoré   |   August 2026

Netflix is developing a spinoff of The Lincoln Lawyer starring Cobie Smulders, expanding the legal drama’s world with a new series centered on a character audiences have only recently met.

According to Deadline, which first reported the project, Smulders would reprise her role as Artemisia “Emi” Finch, Mickey Haller’s half-sister. The character made her debut during the Season 4 finale of The Lincoln Lawyer, immediately creating another possible avenue for the franchise to explore.

While details surrounding the project remain limited, the proposed spinoff signals that Netflix sees room to continue building the world beyond Mickey Haller himself.

Meet Emi Finch

Emi Finch enters the story as Mickey Haller’s half-sister, immediately connecting her to one of the central relationships in the franchise while also giving the series an entirely different character to explore.

Her introduction in the Season 4 finale was brief, but the character was significant enough to leave the door open for a much larger story. A dedicated series would allow Netflix to move beyond her connection to Mickey and establish Emi as a lead in her own right.

That distinction could be especially important for the new show. Spinoffs work best when they feel connected to the original series without simply repeating it, and Emi provides an opportunity to build a different corner of the same universe.

Cobie Smulders Returns

Smulders would return to the role for the new project, giving audiences a familiar face while shifting the focus away from the original series’ central character.

For viewers who already know The Lincoln Lawyer, that continuity creates an immediate connection. At the same time, the new series could give Smulders considerably more room to define Emi’s personality, relationships and ambitions.

The casting also gives the proposed spinoff a recognizable lead with an established connection to the franchise, rather than introducing an entirely unfamiliar protagonist.

Expanding the Lincoln Lawyer Universe

The original The Lincoln Lawyer follows Mickey Haller, a defense attorney in Los Angeles whose unconventional approach to law—and preference for working from the back seat of his Lincoln Town Car—has become one of the defining elements of the series.

A spinoff centered on Emi could widen that universe by allowing the franchise to explore a different perspective while maintaining the legal, family and personal connections audiences already recognize.

It could also give Netflix the opportunity to build another long-running character-driven drama around a familiar world rather than starting from scratch.

That approach has become increasingly common across television, particularly for established streaming franchises with characters who have enough history and personality to support stories of their own.

What the Spinoff Could Become

At this stage, much of the project remains under wraps. The available details establish Emi as the central character and Smulders as the returning star, but the broader storyline and format have not been fully revealed.

That leaves plenty of room for speculation about the direction of the series.

Will Emi remain closely tied to Mickey’s legal world, or will she develop a professional and personal life that exists largely outside it? Will the new series continue to explore the complicated Haller family history? And how much of the original ensemble could eventually appear?

Those questions may become clearer as the project moves forward.

A New Lead for a Familiar World

The most intriguing part of the potential spinoff is the possibility of seeing the Lincoln Lawyer universe from a completely different point of view.

Mickey Haller has always been the engine of the original series, but Emi Finch offers Netflix a chance to create a character whose story does not have to be defined solely by her connection to him.

If the project moves forward as planned, the challenge will be making Emi feel like more than a supporting character who received her own show. She will need a voice, a world and a story strong enough to stand independently.

For now, Netflix appears to be betting that audiences are interested in finding out what comes next.

And with Cobie Smulders returning as Emi, the franchise may be preparing to take its next turn from one courtroom—and one Lincoln—to another.