CRIME DRAMA. “The Lincoln Lawyer” Season 4 / “Parish.” / “The Game.”

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“The Lincoln Lawyer” (Netflix) Season 4. Legal drama, based on Michael Connelly’s book. Lawyer Mickey Haller works in the back of his Lincoln Navigator as he takes on cases in Los Angeles. Manuel Garcia-Rulfo is Mickey.



       Season 4, which is based on Mr Connelly's “The Law of Innocence,” follows Mickey defending himself against murder charges after his former client, Sam Scales, is found dead in his trunk. Mickey, jailed and under house arrest, uncovers a setup by Armenian mobster Alex Gazarian to avenge the past, while navigating a high-stakes trial. 

       This is the first of the popular series that I binge-watched in just two sittings. The consistently deft handling of the support characters wasn't the star in Season 4. But the overall directing and script by Ted Humphrey, Dailyn Rodriguez, Paula Garces et al kept us glued till the end credits. Tight, non-meandering, focused. Truly a David E. Kelley (us creator) masterwork. 🎥💻📽


“Parish” (Netflix) crime drama. Gray Parish, a good man with a troubled past, has given up his life of crime to be a family man. However, when his son is violently murdered, old habits return, sending Parish on a relentless quest with moral intentions and dangerous consequences. 



       This is Giancarlo Esposito's best performance after Gus Fring in “Breaking Bad.” In this grim and gutsy “Parish,” Mr Esposito channels Denzel Washington--defiantly cool, smartly calculated, suave-deadly.

       Yet with all its promise and panache, the series was cancelled after one season. Critics pummeled the show as "predictable, "convenient, and anticlimactic." The depiction of New Orleans also earned a few thumb-downs. I beg to disagree on all counts. I enjoyed this series, period. 🎥💻📽


“The Game” (Britbox) British drama thriller. A recently retired detective becomes obsessed with the unsolved case of a serial killer who stalked his victims when a man with a familiar catchphrase moves in opposite him. 


       This short, 4-episode series has a flimsy plot but it still managed to sustain its dramatic tension and suspenseful intrigue--mostly due to Jason Watkins’ frantically paranoid Huw. A good watch till the end. 🎥💻📽

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