Cobie Smulders has been cast in the upcoming fourth season ofTheLincolnLawyer, ending a career streak that has lasted several years. Smulders began her acting career in 2002, making appearances in TV shows includingTrue ColorsandSmallville.She has had roles in both live-action and animated movies, receiving praise for her voice work as Wonder Woman inThe Lego Movieand her performance as Samantha inUnexpected. Since 2012, Smulders has also been recognized for her role asMaria 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 cameoin an episode of the spinoff seriesHow I Met Your Father.Smulders has made appearances in other successful TV series and is now scheduled to appear in the fourth season ofThe 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 thatSmulders would join the cast ofThe Lincoln Lawyerseason 4, as a character named Allison. There are few details about her character and how she will factor into the show, but according toDeadline,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 inThe Lincoln Lawyermarks her first appearance in a Netflix series sinceFriends from College.
In 2017, Smulders joined thecast ofFriends from Collegeas 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. AfterFriends from College’scancellation, Smulders guest starred in other TV shows, including ABC’sStumptonand FX’sImpeachment: American Crime Story, butaside from a voice role inThe Boss Babyseries,The Lincoln Lawyeris 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 Collegefollows 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.
Despite a star-studded cast, including Keegan-Michael Key, Fred Savage and Billy Eichner,Friends from Collegedid not fare well with Netflix viewers, and received negative reviews for its plot and similarities to other Netflix sitcoms. Despite this reception, Netflix renewedFriends from Collegefor a second season in 2017.Friends from Collegeseason 2 further explores the group’s relationships, before Netflix announced the series' cancellation in 2019.Friends from Collegewas one of several series canceled by Netflix this year, alongsideFuller House, Jessica Jones, andThe 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 cancelFriends from Collegeafter 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 (viaEntertainment Weekly).Friends from Collegescored only 24% onRotten Tomatoes,with both critics and viewers agreeing that while the cast gave strong performances,the series' storyline lacked any depth and comedy to makeFriends from Collegea success on Netflix.
The Lincoln Lawyer’ssuccess with viewers was assisted by its ability to maintain the right balance between drama, humor, and tragedy.
In comparison,The Lincoln Lawyerhas 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 surpassingFriends from College. The Lincoln Lawyer’ssuccess with viewers was also assisted by its ability to maintain the right balance between drama, humor, and tragedy. While the extent of her role inThe Lincoln Lawyerhas yet to be confirmed, Cobie Smulders' casting in the legal series is a step up from her role inFriends from College.
The Lincoln Lawyer
Cast
The Lincoln Lawyer: This legal drama follows Mickey Haller, a Los Angeles defense attorney known for operating from his Lincoln Town Car, as he revives his career after an accident by taking on a high-profile murder case. The series explores challenges within the justice system and Haller’s pursuit of truth.
Friends From College
Created by Francesca Delbanco and Nicholas Stoller, this Comedy series ran from 2017 to 2019 and lasted two seasons. The plot followed a group of Harvard alumni as they attempted to make it through their lives in New York City.
