“Lincoln Lawyer” juggles sleek and serious drama

The latest “Lincoln Lawyer” mini-series (shown here) is sleek, smart and kind of fun.
It also puts Netflix back in its sweet spot – light mini-series that thrust a hero into weirdly complicated cases.
Other streamers also do that, of course. The best is Hulu’s annual “Only Murders in the Building,” which wraps its fourth season Tuesday (Oct. 29).
But Netflix does it most often. It’s had Vince Vaughn in the 10-part “Bad Monkey,” Arnold Schwarzenegger in the eight-part “FUBAR,” Edgar Ramirez in the seven-part “Florida Man.” And its most consistent success is “The Lincoln Lawyer,” with Manuel Garcia-Ruffo; it recently released its third 10-part season.
Certainly, there are flaws here. The heroes are all big, beefy guys (although Schwarzenegger does get a quick surprise in that department). The stories tend to feel padded and prolonged; “FUBAR,” in particular, starts and ends well, but sags in the middle. And “Lincoln Lawyer” has the mean habit of inserting bad news at the end – leaving it to hang there until the next year.
Still, each of these accomplishes the ideal: Create a complicated story, full of twists and turns, but wrap it in bright settings and appealing characters.
For “Lincoln Lawyer,” that means giving us:
— Mickey Haller (Garcia-Ruffo), a savvy lawyer who used to keep his papers in the trunk of his Lincoln. Born in the U.S. and raised on a Mexican ranch, he manipulates the system while often defending the little guy.
— His first ex-wife (Neve Campbell), a prosecutor. She moved to San Diego and mostly is confined to flashbacks, but their teen daughter is still vital.
— His second ex-wife Lorna (Becki Newton). She works at his office, while scrambling to get her own law degree.
— Cisco (Angus Simpson) who was once in a biker gang, Now he’s Mickey’s investigator … and Lorna’s new husband.
— Izzy (shown here with Haller), a dancer and former client, hired by Mickey as his driver and clerk.
Lots of other people wind through the stories. Many are colorful or odd or thoroughly eccentric, but don’t dismiss this as mere fluff.
At the core are good people on the verge of losing everything. Our hero, backed by a band of misfits, tries to save the day. That’s Netflix’s sweet spot.