A new crime show based on another book series byThe Lincoln Lawyer’s author, Michael Connelly, has been brought to the small screen in a Prime Video show, and it just copied Mickey Haller’s shocking season 3 twist. Netflix has adapted three, soon to be four, ofConnelly’sThe Lincoln Lawyerbooks, with the show becoming one of the streaming platform’s most popular shows.
However, three more TV shows based on the author’s books have been brought to the screen. The newest addition is Prime Video’sBallard, which centers on an LAPD detective named Renee Ballard who leads the underfunded and volunteer-led cold cases department. By the end of season 1, theidentity ofBallard’s serial killeris revealed, giving her team a much-needed win. Unfortunately, the police corruption case takes a shocking twist that will be familiar to fans ofThe Lincoln Lawyer.
Ballard Being Arrested For A Crime She Didn’t Commit In Season 1’s Ending Repeats Mickey’s The Lincoln Lawyer Twist
Ballard’s Twist Heavily Parallels The Lincoln Lawyer’s Twiste
At the end ofBallardseason 1, Renee Ballard gets wrongfully arrested for the murder of Lieutenant Robert Olivas. The massive twist is shocking for two big reasons. Firstly, in theBallard & Boschbooks, Olivas doesn’t die. As such, even fans who know the book series couldn’t have predicted the twist. Secondly,the twist was used in another Michael Connelly adaptation just nine months ago.
Season 3 of Netflix’sThe Lincoln Lawyerends with Mickey Haller getting wrongfully arrested for the murder of Sam Scales, whose body is found in his trunk. This sets up the central conflict for season 4. The parallels go even further than that, though. Shortly before the deaths, Renee and Mickey got angry at and threatened Olivas and Sam Scales, respectively.
Because the two main characters had a very public feud with the dead people, they’re in for the fight of their lives. It’s unclear whether Renee Ballard is getting set up, but it seems highly likely since her team exposes theLAPD conspiracy inBallardseason 1. If she is being set up, that makes the two twists even more similar.
Protagonists Being Investigated Over Crimes They Didn’t Commit Is A Michael Connelly Character Tradition
Almost Every Main Character In The Lincoln Lawyer Books Has Faced This
While the parallels between Renee Ballard and Mickey Haller’s situations are uncanny, the idea of protagonists getting investigated for crimes isn’t new when it comes to Michael Connelly’s books and TV shows. On the contrary,it’s an extremely common trope.
Though he hasn’t appeared onscreen yet,Connelly’s protagonist Jack McEvoygets investigated for the murder of a woman with whom he had a one-night stand in the bookFair Warning. One-off protagonist Henry Pierce gets investigated for the disappearance and suspected murder of a woman named Lilly in his only book, titledChasing the Dime.
Harry Bosch has gone through it in the Bosch books and TV show. In theLincoln LawyerbookThe Law of Innocence, Mickey goes through it with theSam Scales case, which will be brought to the small screen inThe Lincoln Lawyerseason 4. It only feels fair that Renee Ballard experiences this beloved character tradition in theBallardTV show.
