The Lincoln Lawyer S2: Which Locations Can You Visit In LA (For Free)?
The first batch of episodes in "The Lincoln Lawyer" Season 2 — based on the book "The Fifth Witness," by Michael Connelly — is now streaming on Netflix, and it's just possible that if you've watched it, you've been struck by its use of real Los Angeles locations. Netflix has turned the location shooting on "The Lincoln Lawyer" into a point of pride, even publishing a "Lincoln Lawyer" tour on its own Tudum site so you can explore the city just like Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) does on the show, with or without a Lincoln of your own.
"The Lincoln Lawyer" showrunner Ted Humphrey spoke to Tudum about the importance of location shooting to the show's overall vibe. "LA is such an atmospheric city — there is a lot more to it than the stereotype of Hollywood and celebrities," Humphrey said. And he mentioned the city's long tradition with crime fiction, most definitively with Raymond Chandler's novels about private eye Philip Marlowe, who was played in Robert Altman's "The Long Goodbye" by Haller associate Legal Siegel himself, Elliott Gould, back in the 1970s.
If "The Lincoln Lawyer" Season 2 has you itching to visit some of the LA landmarks on the show, you can actually do so yourself the next time you're in the city (or even if you live there already).
The locations include upscale spots like the elysian restaurant and The Paseo Club, but there are also a few locations, such as the 6th Street Bridge, that you can visit without having to worry about getting stuck with an oversized check.
The show strived to stay away from the most familiar LA landmarks
"LA, while iconic, is very recognizable — for better or for worse," said Richard DiPatri, location manager for "The Lincoln Lawyer." "I think the key is to present locations that fit the story and the scripts, but also to stay away from the main tourist attractions. Most of that credit goes to the directors and DPs [directors of photography] that ground our scenes in the reality of LA while still making it recognizable."
In Season 2, Episode 4, you might remember an out-of-the-way meeting place between Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) and prosecutor Andrea Freemann (Yaya DaCosta). The two are usually on opposite sides of the justice system, but the downtown LA footbridge that serves as their agreed-upon meeting spot is a kind of neutral territory for them to hash things out outside of the courtroom. You can visit it in real life, and it's located, appropriately enough, close to LA City Hall.
The LA River, which unlike some of the show's other locations is a pretty familiar sight in various films and TV shows (most notably in "Terminator 2: Judgment Day"), has a pedestrian walkway that can be taken in for free as well.
To eat and drink like the Lincoln lawyer, you'll need a somewhat deep pocketbook. But take a stroll near some of these out-of-the-way spots in LA, and you can soak in some ambience from the show free of charge.