Bull (2016 TV series)



Bull is an American drama television series starring Michael Weatherly. CBS ordered the program to series on May 13, 2016, and it premiered on September 20, 2016. The show is based on the early days of talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw's career, when he was a trial consultant.

On October 17, 2016, CBS picked up the series for a full 22 episode season. An additional episode was ordered in November. On March 23, 2017, CBS renewed the series for a second season, which is set to premiere on September 26, 2017.

Premise
The series follows the employees at Trial Analysis Corporation (TAC), a jury consulting firm headed by Dr. Jason Bull, who is a psychologist and "trial science" expert. Bull uses his skills and those of his team to not only select the right jurors for his clients, but to help his clients' lawyers decide which type of argument will win over jurors best.

Main

 * Michael Weatherly as Dr. Jason Bull, a psychologist and holder of three Ph.D.s in psychology, as well as a pilot's license. He hates lawyers and had a difficult childhood.
 * Freddy Rodriguez as Benny Colón, Bull's former brother-in-law, a former NYC prosecutor, and TAC's in-house counsel.
 * Geneva Carr as Marissa Morgan, a psychologist, neurolinguistics expert, and licensed sex therapist, who formerly worked at the Department of Homeland Security.
 * Christopher Jackson as Chunk Palmer, a fashion stylist who formerly worked at Vogue and who, at the University of Georgia, was an All-American football defensive lineman.
 * Jaime Lee Kirchner as Danny James, the team's investigator, who used to work as a police detective in narcotics and for the FBI.
 * Annabelle Attanasio as Cable McCrory, a skilled computer hacker.

Recurring

 * Dena Tyler as Liberty Davis, an inexperienced lawyer who occasionally works with Bull's team on trials.
 * Jill Flint as Diana Lindsay, an opposing lawyer with whom Bull has history, both litigious and romantic.
 * Eliza Dushku as J.P. Nunnelly, a legal fixer.

Broadcast
Internationally, the series premiered in the UK on FOX UK on January 13, 2017. The series premiered in Australia on Network Ten on March 5, 2017. It debuted in New Zealand on Prime Television New Zealand on January 19, 2017.

Reception
The pilot for Bull has received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the first episode received a score of 24% with an average rating of 4 out of 10, based on 21 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "Michael Weatherly's performance is top-notch, but not enough to save a show that relies too heavily on a well-worn series of legal show tropes and an off-putting premise." On Metacritic, the series holds a 40 out of 100, based on reviews from 19 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews."