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Netflix’s legal drama makes for gripping viewing – but it’s also a compelling advertisement for the American car brand. So, did they pay for it or not?
Mere hours after its July 2023 debut, the second season of legal drama The Lincoln Lawyer quickly shot into the top 10 most-watched shows on Netflix – and stayed there.
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The book-turned-movie-turned-TV show has proven popular fodder for voracious television audiences, who can’t seem to get enough of Mickey Haller – the Los Angeles defense attorney known for conducting business out of his car.
The car – or cars – in question are exclusively models from Lincoln, the luxury division of American car company Ford.
The first season of the show debuted in May 2022 and was based on a 2005 novel of the same name by crime writer Michael Connelly.
In the original book, Mickey Haller travels in a Lincoln Town Car, the brand’s now-discontinued large luxury sedan.
In the subsequent 2011 movie adaptation starring Matthew McConaughey, Haller travels in a black 1986 Lincoln Town Car – and Lincoln is on the record as saying they “didn’t spend a dime” on product placement for the film.
However, the Netflix series starring Manuel Garcia-Rulfo not only features an envy-inspiring 1963 Lincoln Continental convertible, but a newer model from the brand: the Lincoln Navigator.
In fact, the eight-seater large SUV that features in the 2023 show is currently on sale in the United States, which begs the question….
Did Lincoln sponsor The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix?
Given the prominence of Lincoln’s vehicles in the show, it does raise the question of product placement.
So, is The Lincoln Lawyer just a TV show that happens to feature Lincoln cars, or the world’s longest, most creative car ad?
As it turns out, it’s the former.
“We were aware of the project but did not sponsor,” a representative for the brand told Drive.
The representative did not respond to follow-up queries as to whether the series had contributed to an increase in interest in the models.
Which cars are in ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’?
The TV version of Mickey Haller has three main cars: a 1963 Lincoln Continental convertible, and two separate Lincoln Navigators.
The Continental wears custom plates that read “NTGUILTY”, while one Navigator’s plates read “DISMISSD” and the other’s say “IWALKEM”.
The 2024 Lincoln Navigator can seat up to eight people and measures 5.3 metres long, almost 2.4m wide and 1.9m high.
It’s not cheap either – priced from $US82,765 ($AU128,908) for the “entry-level” Premiere model. Clearly that lawyer’s salary is paying off for Mickey Haller.
Author Michael Connelly was inspired to write his original book by real-life lawyer David Ogden.
Ogden told Connelly he didn’t work out of a traditional office, but out of a car driven by a former client.
Connelly also drew inspiration from another lawyer, defense attorney Dan Daly, who would share stories of his cases with Connelly over after-work drinks.
“There is nothing at all absurd about working out of the back of a car,” Daly told Netflix.
“I took cases in Fort Myers years ago. Although I drove myself, I listened to audio tapes of statements and recorded events, such as drug deals. I also made phone calls that I needed to make. There was very little time that wasn’t billed while I was driving.”
The post Did Lincoln sponsor ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ on Netflix? appeared first on Drive.
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