Inside the Connection: How Prime Video’s Ballard and Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer Share a Surprising Universe

LOS ANGELES — As streaming giants continue to battle for audience attention, two fan-favorite series from rival platforms are drawing unexpected attention — not for their differences, but for a connection that runs deeper than most viewers realize.

Prime Video’s upcoming crime drama Ballard, set to debut next month, has already stirred buzz with its gritty trailer, star-studded cast, and compelling cold-case premise. Meanwhile, Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer, fresh off its hit third season, continues to gain momentum as one of the platform’s most consistent legal thrillers.

But here’s the twist that fans are now latching onto: Ballard and The Lincoln Lawyer don’t just share a similar tone or L.A. backdrop. They exist in the same universe, connected by characters, bloodlines, and the pen of one acclaimed author — Michael Connelly.

The Connellyverse: A Literary Web Comes to Streaming

Best known for his bestselling crime novels, Michael Connelly is the creator of both The Lincoln Lawyer’s Mickey Haller and Ballard’s Renee Ballard, as well as the iconic Harry Bosch. With over 35 novels to his name, Connelly has crafted an interconnected web of characters navigating the gritty underbelly of Los Angeles — and now, those links are translating from page to screen.

“It’s something we’ve wanted to explore for a long time,” said Connelly in a recent interview. “These characters don’t live in isolated worlds. In the books, they cross paths, share cases, and sometimes even share family. So it makes sense that the shows reflect that, too.”

Who Is Renee Ballard?

Portrayed by Maggie Q, Renee Ballard is a former LAPD homicide detective turned head of the department’s newly formed cold case division. Based on Connelly’s Ballard book series, the Prime Video drama follows her journey as she revives long-forgotten investigations, assembling a team of volunteers, tech experts, and retired officers to help solve unsolved crimes.

Viewers may already recognize her name — and her face.

Ballard made her on-screen debut during the final episode of Bosch: Legacy earlier this year, a move that quietly introduced her to fans of the larger “Connellyverse.”

“We dropped Renee in at the end of Bosch: Legacy as a way of passing the torch,” said Ballard showrunner Marsha Lucas. “And now she’s front and center.”

Mickey Haller: The Lincoln Lawyer’s Charismatic Core

Meanwhile, over on Netflix, The Lincoln Lawyer — led by Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as the suave, morally gray attorney Mickey Haller — continues to enthrall fans with its mix of courtroom drama and gritty L.A. mystery.

Though The Lincoln Lawyer is a separate series, it shares more than a narrative tone with Ballard. In the books, Mickey Haller is the half-brother of Harry Bosch, a relationship that’s been hinted at subtly in the Netflix adaptation but hasn’t yet been fully explored onscreen.

With Ballard picking up where Bosch: Legacy left off, the stage is set for more crossovers and family revelations in the near future.

“You could see a world where Bosch, Ballard, and Haller all intersect,” teased Lucas. “It’s not off the table.”

The Potential for Crossovers — and What Fans Can Expect

Though Ballard and The Lincoln Lawyer air on different platforms — Prime Video and Netflix, respectively — that hasn’t stopped fans from speculating about a potential crossover, especially with Connelly’s universe becoming more unified onscreen.

There are already narrative bridges. Both shows are set in Los Angeles. Both feature overlapping law enforcement agencies. And most importantly, characters like Bosch (Titus Welliver) exist in both worlds — as Ballard’s predecessor and Haller’s estranged half-brother.

“We’ve talked,” Connelly admitted coyly. “There’s interest. But it comes down to rights, timing, and the streaming gods aligning.”

Still, with Ballard launching as a high-stakes, serialized mystery, and The Lincoln Lawyer expected to return for a fourth season in 2026, fans can look forward to more subtle connections — if not full crossovers.

A Shared Universe — Built on Crime, Redemption, and Los Angeles Grit

At its core, both Ballard and The Lincoln Lawyer offer character-driven storytelling that reflects the complexities of justice in a city as sprawling — and morally ambiguous — as Los Angeles. That shared DNA comes from Connelly himself, who remains an executive producer on both shows.

“They’re fighting the same fight, just from different corners of the system,” he said.

With streaming audiences increasingly embracing interconnected storytelling — from Marvel to Yellowstone spin-offs — the Connellyverse may soon rise as television’s next major shared universe.