What happened to Andy in The Lincoln Lawyer? (Yaya DaCosta exit explained)

The Lincoln Lawyer has returned to Netflix with its fourth season, and the streamer also already went ahead and renewed the hit legal drama series for a fifth season. Both seasons promise to reunite fans with the characters they know and love, most especially Mickey Haller. However, season 4 will have one familiar face from the previous two seasons noticeably absent.

Before season 4 had even premiered, it had been confirmed that Yaya DaCosta would not be returning to reprise her series regular role as Andrea "Andy" Freemann. DaCosta, who previously appeared in shows Chicago Med and Our Kind of People, first joined the cast of The Lincoln Lawyer in a recurring role in season 2 before joining the main cast for season 3.

Andy began as a close friend to his ex-wife Maggie and a courtroom foil for Mickey, but their relationship blossomed into a romantic one in season 3. DaCosta appeared in season 3 as a series regular even though Andy wasn't featured in the Michael Connelly book upon which the season was based. But why isn't the character and actress seen in The Lincoln Lawyer season 4?

Why did Yaya DaCosta leave The Lincoln Lawyer as Andy?

When Netflix first announced The Lincoln Lawyer season 4, Yaya DaCosta's name was omitted from the initial cast list, which signaled that Andy wouldn't be featured in the season. She isn't in The Law of Innocence, the Connelly book the season is based on. Netflix had also confirmed that Neve Campbell would return as a full-time series regular after taking on a more recurring role after the first season, though Campbell's return didn't impact DaCosta's role.

DaCosta broke her silence on her exit from The Lincoln Lawyer in an interview with TV Insider in April 2025, providing fans with some insight into why Andy wouldn't be in season 4. The actress confirmed that after the season 3 ending, which didn't include a proper send-off for Andy, that the audience would likely be as blindsided as she was to not see her character back on screen.

"Andrea’s absence was not expected or explained to the audience. Sometimes when things like this happen, the writers will give an explanation in a conversation between two characters who are on the show. Or someone will make a phone call and pretend the disappeared character is on the other end. Who knows what they’ll do? I’m just focusing on the now and future," DaCosta told TV Insider.

When the outlet asked DaCosta how she felt about Andy being written out of The Lincoln Lawyer season 4 without explanation, she said, "My satisfaction is irrelevant. I have faith in the ultimate divine plan for my career and for my life." While she doesn't appear to be holding any grudges, she also didn't mince words when expressing that either way, her feelings didn't factor into the decision.

However, when The Lincoln Lawyer season 3 dropped, showrunner Ted Humphrey seemed to suggest that past characters could still pop up in future seasons. "You never say never. First of all, obviously we’ve got to get another season and then hopefully seasons after that," he told TV Insider. "Andrea is a great tool in our toolbox that we would love to find another way to use."

Minor season 4 spoilers from this point forward.

Now that The Lincoln Lawyer season 5 has been renewed, you never know who could pop up based on Humphrey's previous statement. Andy was briefly mentioned early on in season 4, though her absence wasn't explained. Clearly, she still exists in the universe. Season 4 also featured a cameo from season 2 star Lana Parrilla, so cameos appear to be in the cards. But Cobie Smulders' surprise character appears to be the new focus for season 5. We'll have to see what happens!

Watch The Lincoln Lawyer only on Netflix.