How Prime Video’s Ballard Is Secretly Linked to Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer

Inside Michael Connelly’s Expanding Crime Universe on Streaming

LOS ANGELES — In a television landscape increasingly defined by shared universes, Prime Video’s upcoming crime drama Ballard is joining the conversation with more than just cold cases and complex characters. The new series, centered on Detective Renee Ballard, not only spins off from Bosch: Legacy but also shares narrative DNA with Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer. The surprising connection? Both series exist in the same universe — one originally crafted by bestselling crime author Michael Connelly.

Set to premiere this week, Ballard stars Maggie Q as the determined and unorthodox Renee Ballard, a former homicide detective who now leads the Los Angeles Police Department’s cold case division. While the series introduces new characters and plotlines, it’s deeply rooted in a universe Connelly fans already know well.

And that universe is a big one — stretching across three major series, two streaming platforms, and over two dozen novels.

The Connelly Universe: A Web of Justice, Betrayal, and Redemption

For longtime readers of Michael Connelly’s books, the connections between Ballard, Bosch, and The Lincoln Lawyer are no surprise. Connelly has long interwoven his characters into each other’s stories, creating an expansive Los Angeles-based narrative world that reflects both the city’s beauty and its shadows.

What’s new is how streaming platforms have begun to bring those characters — and their stories — to screen in overlapping timelines.

“Michael’s characters live in the same world, deal with the same broken systems, and often cross paths in unexpected ways,” said Ballard showrunner Dana Kaye. “This show builds on that foundation.”

From Bosch: Legacy to Ballard

Before headlining her own series, Detective Renee Ballard made her first live-action appearance in the finale of Bosch: Legacy earlier this year. That surprise cameo served as a narrative hand-off, closing the chapter on Harry Bosch’s solo arc while launching Ballard’s.

The two characters — Bosch and Ballard — have worked together in Connelly’s novels, specifically in The Late Show and The Night Fire, where Ballard emerges as Bosch’s trusted partner and protégé. In the books, Bosch encourages Ballard to take over a cold case unit and carry forward the legacy of pursuing justice at all costs.

The series picks up at this turning point, with Ballard inheriting not just unsolved cases, but also Bosch’s relentless attitude and moral code.

“She’s not Bosch 2.0,” said Maggie Q in a recent press interview. “She has her own scars, her own methods — but the drive for justice? That’s what links them.”

Enter Mickey Haller: The Lincoln Lawyer Connection

On the surface, Ballard and Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer appear to be very different shows. One is a gritty police procedural steeped in forensics and detective work. The other is a fast-paced courtroom drama following Mickey Haller (played by Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), a slick L.A. defense attorney who operates out of the back seat of his Lincoln.

But beneath their stylistic differences lies a major connection: Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller are half-brothers.

This familial tie, revealed in Connelly’s novels, has yet to fully play out onscreen — largely due to the characters being divided across platforms. Bosch and Ballard exist on Prime Video, while Haller operates on Netflix. Still, fans are holding out hope that future seasons may acknowledge the bond or even spark a crossover event.

“There’s so much potential,” Connelly said during a recent Q&A. “The characters are aware of each other in the books — they’ve even worked on the same cases. It’s a matter of logistics now.”

Shared Themes, Shared City

Beyond character ties, Ballard and The Lincoln Lawyer share deeper thematic parallels. Both series explore the broken mechanics of the justice system — from unsolved murders and buried police misconduct to legal loopholes and moral ambiguity.

They’re also grounded in a richly detailed portrayal of Los Angeles — not just as a backdrop, but as a living, breathing character in its own right.

“L.A. isn’t just where these stories happen,” said Kaye. “It’s why they happen. It’s a city of contradictions — glamor and decay, progress and injustice — and that duality drives both Ballard and Haller.”

What Comes Next?

With Ballard’s first season tackling high-profile cold cases and the emotional toll of reopening long-dormant wounds, fans are eager to see how deep the Bosch-Haller-Ballard triangle may run.

Meanwhile, The Lincoln Lawyer is expected to return to Netflix in early 2026 with its fourth season — potentially opening the door for more overt universe-building.

“We’d love to explore that someday,” said Maggie Q. “Even a phone call or shared case file would be enough to send fans into a frenzy.”

Conclusion: One Author, Two Platforms, Infinite Possibilities

What started as a string of crime novels has now grown into one of the most expansive multi-platform story universes in modern television. Whether you’re a die-hard Bosch fan, a courtroom junkie following Haller, or about to dive into Ballard, one thing is clear: Michael Connelly’s L.A. universe is just getting started.