Cobie Smulders has been cast in the upcoming fourth season of The Lincoln Lawyer, ending a career streak that has lasted several years. Smulders began her acting career in 2002, making appearances in TV shows including True Colors and Smallville. She has had roles in both live-action and animated movies, receiving praise for her voice work as Wonder Woman in The Lego Movie and her performance as Samantha in Unexpected. Since 2012, Smulders has also been recognized for her role as Maria Hill throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Additionally, Smulders is renowned for her work in television and, arguably, her most recognized TV role is as Robin Scherbatsky in the popular sitcom, How I Met Your Mother, for which she received a People’s Choice Award nomination in 2014. Smulders later portrayed Robin in a 2022 cameo in an episode of the spinoff series How I Met Your Father. Smulders has made appearances in other successful TV series and is now scheduled to appear in the fourth season of The Lincoln Lawyer, a role that will allow her to break an unexpected six-year streak in her career.
The Lincoln Lawyer Is Cobie Smulders’ First Live-Action Netflix Show Since Friends From College Ended In 2019
Smulders Played Lisa In Friends From College
In 2025, it was reported that Smulders would join the cast of The Lincoln Lawyer season 4, as a character named Allison. There are few details about her character and how she will factor into the show, but according to Deadline, it has been confirmed that Smulders’ Allison has a strong connection to the protagonist, Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), which could allow further exploration into Haller’s legal work and expand the series into a potential fifth season. Smulders’ role in The Lincoln Lawyer marks her first appearance in a Netflix series since Friends from College.
In 2017, Smulders joined the cast of Friends from College as Lisa, a hedge fund lawyer who struggles in her personal life and strives to fulfill her wish to become a mother through IVF. The series ran for two seasons on Netflix before it was officially canceled in 2019. After Friends from College’s cancellation, Smulders guest starred in other TV shows, including ABC’s Stumpton and FX’s Impeachment: American Crime Story, but aside from a voice role in The Boss Baby series, The Lincoln Lawyer is her first Netflix show in six years.
Why Friends From College Was Canceled After Just 2 Seasons
Friends From College Wasn’t A Huge Hit For Netflix
Created by Francesco Delbanco and Nicholas Stoller, Friends from College follows a group of lifelong friends, who each graduated from Harvard and are trying to find their place in New York City in their 40s. As the series progresses, Smulders’ Lisa discovers her husband Ethan’s long-term affair with Sam, their friend from college, and ends up cutting herself off from everybody as she tries to rebuild her life. The second season concludes with Lisa ending her relationship with her new boyfriend, Charlie, and taking the right steps to properly move on from her husband and friend’s betrayal.
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Yaya DaCosta’s Andrea Freeman won’t be back in The Lincoln Lawyer season 4, leaving the show with a big choice to make regarding Mickey’s romances.
Despite a star-studded cast, including Keegan-Michael Key, Fred Savage and Billy Eichner, Friends from College did not fare well with Netflix viewers, and received negative reviews for its plot and similarities to other Netflix sitcoms. Despite this reception, Netflix renewed Friends from College for a second season in 2017. Friends from College season 2 further explores the group’s relationships, before Netflix announced the series’ cancellation in 2019. Friends from College was one of several series canceled by Netflix this year, alongside Fuller House, Jessica Jones, and The Punisher.
The Lincoln Lawyer’s Critical Acclaim Far Surpasses Friends From College
A Rotten Tomatoes Score Of 90% Compared To Friends From College’s 24%
One of the main reasons why Netflix decided to cancel Friends from College after only two seasons was, evidently, its largely negative reception from critics. Upon its original release, the series was harshly criticized for its clichéd plot, lack of a balanced focus on all members of the ensemble, and lack of believable on-screen chemistry between the lead actors (via Entertainment Weekly). Friends from College scored only 24% on Rotten Tomatoes, with both critics and viewers agreeing that while the cast gave strong performances, the series’ storyline lacked any depth and comedy to make Friends from College a success on Netflix.
The Lincoln Lawyer’s success with viewers was assisted by its ability to maintain the right balance between drama, humor, and tragedy.
In comparison, The Lincoln Lawyer has been widely praised by critics and viewers for its engaging plot, faithfulness to the Michael Connolly book series, and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo’s performance as Mickey Haller. It holds an impressive score of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, far surpassing Friends from College. The Lincoln Lawyer‘s success with viewers was also assisted by its ability to maintain the right balance between drama, humor, and tragedy. While the extent of her role in The Lincoln Lawyer has yet to be confirmed, Cobie Smulders’ casting in the legal series is a step up from her role in Friends from College.
Sources: Deadline, EW, Rotten Tomatoes
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8/10
Release Date
May 13, 2022
Network
Netflix
Directors
David E. Kelley
Writers
David E. Kelley
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Manuel Garcia-Rulfo
Mickey Haller
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Release Date
2017 – 2019-00-00
Network
Netflix
Directors
Nicholas Stoller
Writers
Nicholas Stoller
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