If you’ve ever binged The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix or Bosch on Prime Video, you might think Mickey Haller and Harry Bosch live in completely separate worlds. But fans of Michael Connelly’s bestselling books know better.
In the novels, Mickey and Harry don’t just cross paths. They share DNA.
Yes, they’re half-brothers! Connelly’s interwoven literary universe ties together the street-hardened LAPD detective and the charming defense attorney in ways that TV adaptations have yet to embrace fully.
The connection was first revealed in The Brass Verdict (2008), where Haller and Bosch team up on a case. Awkwardly and reluctantly. By the book’s end, Mickey pieces it together: they both share the same father, criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller Sr.
Harry was the result of an affair between Haller Sr. and a sex worker named Marjorie Lowe. Mickey came later, the son of Haller Sr. and Mexican actress Elena. So far, this shared lineage hasn’t been acknowledged on-screen…yet. And the reason isn’t a creative one, but corporate.
Bosch’s rights lie with Amazon Studios, while The Lincoln Lawyer belongs to Netflix. Co-showrunner Dailyn Rodriguez confirmed to TV Insider that, “We can’t really use that character [Harry Bosch]… It’s unfortunate.”
So, fans shouldn’t hold their breath for a TV crossover unless the two studios miraculously join forces. Until then, there’s a lot to learn about these two characters.
Michael Connelly’s Universe Runs Deep
Connelly crafted these characters with precision.
Mickey Haller was based on real-life defense attorney Daniel F. Daly, who told Connelly, “There is no client as scary as an innocent man,” a quote that later became an epigraph in The Lincoln Lawyer.
Haller’s method (working out of the backseat of his Lincoln) is based on another real-life lawyer, David Ogden. It’s this blend of legal realism and personal drama that makes Connelly’s characters so convincing.
Meanwhile, Harry Bosch is steeped in noir traditions, with jazz records, a relentless drive for justice, and a rough upbringing in L.A.’s foster system. His world feels like Raymond Chandler updated for the 21st century.
Will There Be a Mickey Haller and Harry Bosch Reunion?
Even though they work opposite ends of the justice system (Bosch as a relentless homicide detective, Haller as a slick defense attorney), they have more in common than not. They’ve both battled corruption, wrestled with fatherhood, and faced down ghosts of their past.
In Bosch: Legacy, Season 1, Episode 8, a flashback references this shared history. A young Bosch meets his lawyer father and a boy who says, “Alright, alright, alright.” It’s a wink to McConaughey’s Haller in the 2011 Lincoln Lawyer movie.
Legally speaking, the shows might not be united; however, Michael Connelly’s books still carry weight for readers searching for complex character development. And though there is no overt crossover, Bosch and The Lincoln Lawyer have ties via common actors who have appeared in both shows like Adam J. Harrington, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, and Bryan Michael Nunez.
Almost tragically, in an age of cinematic universes, these two formidable actors (played by Titus Welliver and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) stay apart. But co-showrunner Ted Humphrey told Collider, “I guess you never say never.”
