Some brilliant mind – was it Forrest Gump director Robert Zemeckis? –  once came up with the bromide that life was like a box of chocolates – You never know what you’re going to get. Though a simple sort of thought, it certainly rings true today with the great news from our pals over at The Hollywood Reporter that the Netflix series The Lincoln Lawyer has been renewed for a third season – a total of ten new episodes. Yay, right? But don’t get too excited: For every door that opens, one closes a Chinese fortune cookie once proclaimed. In this case, the door closing is that of actress Neve Campbell bidding adieu to the popular series and her fan-favorite character. First Scream and now The Lincoln Lawyer, Neve? Nooooo!

For anyone living under a proverbial rock who may have missed the first two seasons of The Lincoln Lawyer, the series (from Ally McBeal auteur David E. Kelley and based off of the popular series of books from wordsmith Michael Connelly) follows L.A. Big Wheel lawyer Mickey Haller (a perfectly cast Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) whose reputation, career and Lincoln Town Car  get an altogether better makeover after he takes on a high-profile murder case.

Word ‘round industry campfire has it that Campbell departed organically rather than in a huff due to the diminished role which her character played in the sophomore season of the series. Additionally, her character is AWOL in the fifth book in The Lincoln Lawyer series from Connelly. Not coincidentally, the fifth book is the one up for adaptation in the upcoming third season of the show. Tellingly, the creators have left the door wide open for the possibility of Campbell’s return in future seasons, should they get that far.

In a press release touting the season three renewal, Big Wheel for Netflix Peter Friedlander said that  “We’re thrilled to bring back The Lincoln Lawyer for a third season. Ted Humphrey and Dailyn Rodriguez have taken us deeper into Mickey Haller’s world, building out characters and stories that have connected with our global audience, and we look forward to seeing what they have in store for everyone’s favorite lawyer. The show continues to top our global lists and it’s a testament to the work from a creative powerhouse team including Michael Connelly, David E. Kelly, Ross Fineman and our partners at A+E Studios.”

Of course, there’s still the matter of that ever ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes which will have to be resolved before even one scene of the next season of The Lincoln Lawyer is filmed, let alone written. Hang in there little campers; it’s always darkest before dawn!