Since The Lincoln Lawyer wrapped up its third season, viewers have been left in that in-between space. The kind that lingers after the last episode fades and the main character disappears from the screen. Mickey Haller, with all his contradictions and clever detours through the legal system, brought a very specific tone to the show. Fast-paced but thoughtful, sharp but emotional, legal but never too procedural.
It’s not just about missing the courtroom drama. It’s about finding another story that captures the same atmosphere. Something with a central figure who carries more than just the plot forward. A series that gives a little of that same grounded tension, with characters who observe more than they speak and who are shaped by what they’ve lost as much as by what they do.
Cross brings a new kind of investigation
Available on Prime Video, Cross introduces a different world. Instead of a lawyer, it centers on Alex Cross, a detective and forensic psychologist based on the novels by James Patterson. The setting shifts from courts to crime scenes, but what stands out is the weight the main character carries. He’s not just solving crimes. He’s processing them. And that gives the show a kind of quiet intensity.
Alex Cross doesn’t fill Mickey Haller’s shoes. He walks in a different direction. But there’s something familiar in how he moves through his world, the way he reads people, how he handles pain, and how the cases around him are always tied to something more internal.
A darker tone that still connects
The emotional tone in Cross is heavier. It leans more into psychological depth and trauma. The pace is deliberate, not rushed. Viewers follow scenes that hold tension not through action but through silence and proximity. A quiet moment in an empty room can be as unsettling as any chase or confession.
And that’s where it aligns with The Lincoln Lawyer. Both shows rely on the strength of their lead. Not just in what the character does, but in what he withholds. Cross carries the story not with grand statements but with presence, with the sense that something beneath the surface is always pulling.

Familiar patterns under a different lens
There are clear structural differences. The Lincoln Lawyer is driven by court strategy and legal maneuvering. Cross follows crime investigations and personal reckonings. But the core idea is similar. A complex man operating in high-stakes situations, weighed down by history, pushed forward by instinct. Both characters are defined as much by what they try to control as by what they’ve failed to.
That’s why Cross works as a placeholder, even if it doesn’t share the exact formula. It taps into a similar emotional frequency. The narrative centers on choices that matter and consequences that linger.
Acting and atmosphere hold the focus
Aldis Hodge plays Alex Cross with restraint. His performance doesn’t demand attention. It earns it. Small reactions. Deliberate stillness. When a character in a crime drama holds back, it’s usually because the script needs to fill time. In Cross, silence has a purpose. It’s there to show what’s not being said. What can’t be.
The Lincoln Lawyer approaches tension differently, but the effect is similar. Both shows avoid obvious spectacle. They let emotion build in the background through grief, confusion, or hesitation. Cross finds suspense in the pauses between actions and lets the audience follow those threads without oversimplifying the emotional weight.

Anticipating what's next for The Lincoln Lawyer
While the article doesn’t mention future seasons directly, the previous installment left several unresolved threads involving Mickey Haller’s personal life and career. Those narrative arcs, including his family dynamics and lingering past choices, remain open. If the show returns, it’s likely that these elements would continue to shape the tone, focusing less on isolated cases and more on long-term character development.
Cross fills the gap with a different rhythm
While waiting for The Lincoln Lawyer to return, Cross offers something meaningful. Not a replacement. Not an imitation. But a series that understands the appeal of emotionally driven storytelling. With a lead character who doesn’t need to explain everything and a plot that resists easy answers.
Prime Video found in Cross a show that may not mirror Mickey Haller’s world, but still explores what happens when justice and memory collide. It's a different rhythm, but one that resonates.

Closing thought
The break between seasons can feel long, especially when a character like Haller is involved. While the legal world waits to reopen its courtroom doors, Cross steps in with its own weight and its own questions. A different kind of investigation. A different kind of silence. But just enough to hold attention until the gavel falls again.