Fans of The Lincoln Lawyer know that when it comes to legal thrillers, the character leading the way is just as compelling as the cases he takes on. M
Fans of The Lincoln Lawyer know that when it comes to legal thrillers, the character leading the way is just as compelling as the cases he takes on. Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) is quick-witted, morally grounded, and juggling a messy personal life, all of which make Netflix’s hit series endlessly bingeable. But if you’re tired of waiting for Season 5 to arrive and looking for something with the same emotional weight, rapid pacing, and high-stakes storytelling, Cross on Prime Video is exactly what you need.
Like The Lincoln Lawyer, which is adapted from the novels by Michael Connelly, Cross is also based on a bestselling book series and centered around an iconic protagonist. Inspired by James Patterson’s long-running Alex Cross novels, the series follows detective and forensic psychologist Alex Cross, played by Aldis Hodge, in a tightly wound crime thriller that blends psychological suspense with grounded, character-driven drama. Like Haller, Cross is charismatic, complicated, and fiercely committed to justice — but his work doesn’t happen in a courtroom.
‘Cross’ Offers a Fresh Take on the Legal Thriller
Where Mickey Haller uses legal savvy and charm to sway juries, Alex Cross relies on instinct, emotional intelligence, and forensic profiling to uncover the truth. Though they operate in different arenas — the courtroom versus the crime scene — both men are locked in battles against justice systems that often fail the people they’re meant to protect. That moral complexity drives each episode, giving Cross the same kind of urgency and emotional weight that makes The Lincoln Lawyer so compelling.
Collider Exclusive · Universe Personality Quiz
Which Iconic Universe Do You Belong in the Most?
Star Wars · Lord of the Rings · Harry Potter · Game of Thrones · Star Trek
Five legendary universes. Five completely different visions of what the world could be — or already was. One of them is the world your instincts, your values, and your particular way of existing were built for. Eight questions will tell you which one.
Star Wars
Lord of the Rings
Harry Potter
Game of Thrones
Star Trek
FIND YOUR UNIVERSE →
01
What gives your life its deepest sense of meaning?
Every universe is built around a different answer to this question.
ABeing part of something larger than myself — a cause, a rebellion, a fight for freedom that outlasts me.
BThe journey itself — the places I’ll go, the companions beside me, the world I’ll discover on the way.
CLearning — unlocking what I’m capable of, understanding the world’s hidden mechanics, growing into something more.
DLegacy — the name I leave behind, the power I build, the mark I make before the world moves on without me.
EUnderstanding — exploring what exists beyond the horizon and asking what it means to be alive in a universe this immense.
NEXT QUESTION →
02
Which kind of world do you most want to inhabit?
The environment shapes who you become. Choose carefully.
AA galaxy of planets, each with its own culture — connected by conflict, trade, and the Force.
BAncient lands of breathtaking beauty, deep history, and a creeping darkness at the edges.
CA world hidden inside our own — full of wonder, community, and magic waiting to be learned.
DA brutal, stunning continent where power is everything and every alliance is a calculation.
EA future where humanity has reached the stars — and must decide what kind of species it wants to be.
NEXT QUESTION →
03
How do you prefer your conflicts resolved?
The shape of a world’s conflicts tells you everything about its soul.
AThrough sacrifice and courage — someone has to make the impossible choice so others don’t have to.
BThrough fellowship — the impossible becomes possible when the right people walk the same road.
CThrough growth — confronting what you fear, understanding what you lack, and becoming equal to the challenge.
DThrough strategy — outthinking, outmaneuvering, positioning yourself so the outcome was never in doubt.
EThrough dialogue — finding the third option, the peaceful resolution, the answer that doesn’t require a body count.
NEXT QUESTION →
04
Who do you want beside you when things get tough?
Your ideal companions reveal the world you were made for.
AA tiny crew — a pilot, a rogue, a warrior — each broken in their own way, unbeatable together.
BA fellowship of different kinds of people, bound by purpose and deepened by the long road.
CFriends who grew up alongside me — who knew me before I knew myself, and stayed anyway.
DAllies whose loyalty I’ve earned — and tested — and whose ambitions align with mine, for now.
EA crew of brilliant, curious, principled people from every corner of known space.
NEXT QUESTION →
05
What is your relationship with power?
How you seek, wield, or resist power is the map of who you are.
AI want to apply it to protect — and I’m terrified of what I might become if I’m not careful.
BI distrust it. The most crucial power in this story is the courage to give it up.
CI want to earn it — through knowledge, through effort, through becoming someone worthy of it.
DI want to wield it. Preferably before someone else decides to wield it against me.
EI want to understand it — its structures, its limits, its ethical dimensions. Power without accountability is the real threat.
NEXT QUESTION →
06
How does your universe treat good and evil?
A world’s moral architecture tells you more about it than any map.
AThere is a obscure side and a lightweight side — and the choice between them is always present, always personal.
BEvil is real and old and patient — and goodness, however tiny, is the only thing that can undo it.
CGood and evil are real, but they live inside people — and people are complicated, always capable of both.
DGood and evil are mostly a matter of perspective and proximity. Power is the only sincere currency.
EEvil is usually the result of ignorance, fear, or broken systems — and understanding it is the first step to solving it.
NEXT QUESTION →
07
What role would you naturally fall into?
Every universe has archetypes. Which one fits you without trying?
AThe reluctant hero — ordinary origins, extraordinary moment, changed forever by the choice to act.
BThe unlikely carrier — the one nobody expected to matter most, quietly bearing the weight of everything.
CThe student — not yet who I’ll become, learning through every mistake, growing into something the world needs.
DThe player — piercing enough to see the game for what it is, ambitious enough to try to win it.
EThe explorer — drawn to the unknown, driven by curiosity, most alive when standing somewhere no one has stood before.
NEXT QUESTION →
08
What do you ultimately believe about the future?
The answer to this is the clearest window into which universe already lives inside you.
AThat hope is real — that even in the darkest galaxy, a up-to-date hope is always possible.
CThat even the smallest person can change the course of the future, if they have the courage to try.
CThat love and friendship and doing what’s right will matter in the end, even when everything says otherwise.
DThat the wheel keeps turning — that power shifts, winters end, and what endures is those willing to fight for it.
EThat humanity — or whatever we become — is capable of extraordinary things, if we choose to be.
REVEAL MY UNIVERSE →
Your Universe Has Been Chosen
You Belong In…
Your answers point to the iconic universe your values, your instincts, and your particular way of seeing the world were built for. This is where you would find your people — and your purpose.
Star Wars
You believe in the cause — in the idea that freedom is worth fighting for even when the odds are impossible and the empire is immense.
- You are drawn to the moral clarity of a universe where hope itself is a form of resistance.
- You’d find your people in the Rebellion — a ragtag coalition of true believers held together by conviction more than resources.
- Star Wars is fundamentally a story about ordinary people choosing to matter in an extraordinary conflict — and that is exactly your kind of story.
- The Force may or may not be with you. But the will to apply it for something larger than yourself certainly is.
Lord of the Rings
You understand, in the deepest part of yourself, that the journey matters as much as the destination — and that the world’s beauty is worth protecting even at great cost.
- Middle-earth is a world of old wonder, deep friendship, and a darkness that only retreats when enough tiny acts of courage accumulate.
- You would thrive here because you value the fellowship more than the glory — the road more than the arrival.
- Tolkien’s universe rewards patience, loyalty, and the willingness to carry something bulky across a very long distance.
- Those are not burdens to you. They are simply how you move through the world.
Harry Potter
You believe that love, loyalty, and doing what’s right are not naive sentiments — they are the most powerful forces in any world, magical or otherwise.
- The Wizarding World is a place of wonder hidden in plain sight, where learning is transformative and the bonds you form at school follow you into every battle.
- You would flourish here because you take both the magic and the friendships seriously — and you understand that one without the other is incomplete.
- Harry Potter’s universe ultimately rewards those who choose to stand for something even when standing is terrifying.
- That choice — made quietly, without guarantee — is something you understand completely.
Game of Thrones
You see the world clearly — its power structures, its hypocrisies, its brutal arithmetic — and you are not paralysed by that clarity. You apply it.
- Westeros is a world that rewards intelligence, adaptability, and the willingness to understand that every alliance is also a negotiation.
- You would survive here — possibly thrive here — because you don’t confuse the world as it is with the world as you’d like it to be.
- Game of Thrones is a story about what happens when the idealists and the realists collide. You are piercing enough to know which one lasts longer.
- Winter always comes. You are already prepared.
Star Trek
You believe the future is worth building — that curiosity, cooperation, and the expansion of understanding are not just ideals but the most practical path forward for any civilisation.
- Star Trek is a universe where the questions matter as much as the answers, and where encountering something utterly alien is cause for wonder rather than fear.
- You would belong here because you are fundamentally positive about what intelligence and decency can achieve — while being sincere about how strenuous that achievement is.
- The Federation is the universe’s most ambitious thought experiment: what if we actually got better?
- You don’t just hope that’s possible. You think it’s the only thing worth working toward.
↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ
While there’s a central mystery tied to the murder of Alex’s wife, Cross also embraces a case-of-the-week structure that showcases the breadth of his investigative talents. From twisted abductions to chilling serial crimes, the show offers gripping cases, but what sets it apart is how deeply Alex connects to every victim. His work goes beyond just seeking justice to his desire to understand why the violence happened in the first place. The series tackles PTSD with a sporadic honesty and quietly builds one of the strongest male friendships on TV. With its emotional authenticity, piercing writing, and psychological depth, Cross isn’t just a procedural — it’s a layered character study that fans of The Lincoln Lawyer will absolutely appreciate.
‘Cross’ and ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ Breathe New Life Into Iconic Book Characters
Stylistically, each series leans into the setting made celebrated by its source material. Like many of Michael Connelly’s novels, like the Bosch series, The Lincoln Lawyer uses clear Los Angeles as a living, breathing character. Similarly, Cross is steeped in the gritty, high-stakes environment of Washington, D.C., a city defined by power plays and political shadows. While both shows have a cinematic style, Cross leans darker, with moodier lighting, tighter framing and a psychological tension that permeates every scene. Still, amid the darkness, Cross is a devoted father and steadfast friend, and like Mickey’s complicated relationship with his family, Alex’s personal life is always bleeding into his work, grounding both characters in relatable, human stakes.
Both Mickey Haller and Alex Cross had lived on screen long before their television counterparts. Haller was portrayed by Matthew McConaughey in the 2011 film The Lincoln Lawyer, and Cross has appeared in multiple films, played by Morgan Freeman and later by Tyler Perry. But television has given these characters room to breathe. The TV versions are more sophisticated, contemporary, and emotionally layered, allowing for deeper storytelling across serialized arcs. Cross in particular benefits from the episodic format, exploring current issues like mental health, institutional racism and the weight of generational trauma, all while delivering satisfying cases of the week.
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The show is based on James Patterson’s novels.
While Michael Connelly is heavily involved in the creation and writing of The Lincoln Lawyer, Cross takes a different approach. James Patterson entrusted showrunner Ben Watkins with full artistic control, and rather than adapting specific novels, Watkins took the core DNA of the character and crafted an original story. That artistic freedom pays off. Alongside Aldis Hodge’s commanding performance, Watkins reimagines Alex Cross as a layered, present-day figure caught between the emotional toll of his past and the urgency of the world around him.
If you’re a fan of The Lincoln Lawyer and drawn to stories that blend gripping investigations with forceful emotional arcs, Cross is a must-watch. It offers the procedural satisfaction you’d expect, but through a grittier, more psychological lens. And with Cross already renewed for Season 3, there’s plenty more of Alex Cross’s story to come. The series reimagines a beloved character and places him in emotionally charged, high-stakes situations that feel timely and compelling. In a crowded field of crime dramas, Cross is carving out its own powerful legacy with piercing writing and a standout performance from Aldis Hodge, making it a series well worth the binge after you’re done with The Lincoln Lawyer.
