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Bull (2016 TV series)

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This article is about the American legal drama. For the American drama concerning investment bankers, see Bull (2000 TV series). For the British sitcom, see Bull (2015 TV series).
Bull
File:Bull Title Card.png
GenreDrama
Created by
Starring
ComposerJeff Rona
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes86 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Paul Attanasio
  • Phil McGraw
  • Jay McGraw
  • Justin Falvey (season 1-3)
  • Darryl Frank (season 1-3)
  • Mark Goffman
  • Steven Spielberg (season 1-3)
  • Rodrigo Garcia
Running time43 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseSeptember 20, 2016 (2016-09-20) –
present (present)

Bull is an American legal drama television series starring Michael Weatherly. CBS ordered the program to series on May 13, 2016,[1] and it premiered on September 20, 2016.[2]

In May 2019, the series was renewed for a fourth season by CBS. The season premiered on September 23, 2019.

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 not only to select the right jurors for his clients, but also to help his clients' lawyers decide which type of argument will win over jurors best. Bull is inspired by the early career of Phil McGraw, who also serves as an executive producer.

Cast

Main

  • Michael Weatherly as Dr. Jason Bull,[3] a psychologist and holder of three Ph.D.s[4] in psychology, as well as a pilot's license.[5] He hates lawyers himself[5] due to failing the bar exam twice, crushing his dream of becoming a lawyer, and he had a difficult childhood.[6] Bull first appears in the pilot with a scruffy appearance, with long hair, a beard and wearing cardigans with his suits. He wears glasses only for "effect", as it is revealed in the season 4 episode "Fantastica Voyage" that the lenses have no prescription.
  • Freddy Rodriguez as Benjamin "Benny" Colón, Bull's former brother-in-law,[7][8] a former NYC prosecutor,[9][5] and TAC's in-house counsel.[7][10]
  • Geneva Carr as Marissa Morgan, a psychologist, neurolinguistics expert, second-in-command of Bull's team, and licensed sex therapist,[11] who formerly worked at Homeland Security.[7][10] In the season 2 finale, Marissa begins to question her dependency on Bull. In between seasons 2 and 3, Marissa remarries her ex-husband while Bull recovers from his heart attack, causing Bull to become jealous of her happiness.
  • Christopher Jackson as Chunk Palmer, a fashion stylist who formerly worked at Vogue[7] and who, at the University of Georgia,[6] was an All-American football defensive lineman.[12][5] He prepares TAC's clients for court. From season 2, he begins attending law school and establishes an unsteady connection with his previously unknown daughter.
  • Jaime Lee Kirchner as Danielle "Danny" James, the team's lead investigator,[13] who used to work as a police detective in narcotics[7] and for the FBI.[5]
  • Annabelle Attanasio as Cable McCrory (seasons 1–2),[14][15] the team's computer expert who is also a skilled hacker.[10][16] In the middle of season 2, Cable is briefly fired after breaking the law. However, when Cable secretly helps TAC obtain information relating to a case without telling them, Bull deduces this and works up the courage to offer her job back. She is killed off-screen in the season 3 premiere when a bridge she is driving on collapses below her.[17]
  • Mackenzie Meehan as Taylor Rentzel (season 3–present), a cyber expert and Marissa's old colleague from the NSA. After Cable's death, Taylor is hired to fill her position.

Recurring

  • Dena Tyler as Liberty Davis, a new lawyer who occasionally works with Bull's team on trials. Thanks to Bull's help she gains respect and experience as a lawyer.[18]
  • Jill Flint as Diana Lindsay, a prominent lawyer from Texas with whom Bull has history, both professional and romantic.[19][6]
  • Yara Martinez as Isabella "Izzy" Colón, Benny's sister who is also Bull's ex-wife. Bull and Izzy have a tryst while her second marriage is falling apart, which leads to Izzy getting pregnant and later giving birth to a daughter.
  • Gary Wilmes as Kyle Anderson/Robert Allen, Marissa's love interest in season 2.
  • Jazzy Williams as Anna Baker, Chunk's teenage daughter, whom he learns about in season 2.
  • David Furr as Greg Valerian, Marissa's ex-husband whom she remarries prior to season 3. They split up again in season 4.

Episodes

See also: List of Bull (2016 TV series) episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally airedRankAverage viewership
(in millions)
First airedLast aired
123September 20, 2016 (2016-09-20)May 23, 2017 (2017-05-23)515.21[20]
222September 26, 2017 (2017-09-26)May 8, 2018 (2018-05-08)814.37[21]
322September 24, 2018 (2018-09-24)May 13, 2019 (2019-05-13)1611.98[22]
420September 23, 2019 (2019-09-23)May 4, 2020 (2020-05-04)1310.61[23]
516November 16, 2020 (2020-11-16)May 17, 2021 (2021-05-17)168.59[24]
622October 7, 2021 (2021-10-07)May 26, 2022 (2022-05-26)227.37[25]

Production

Development

On February 2, 2016, it was announced that CBS had given the production a pilot order. The episode was written and author by Paul Attanasio who were expected to executive produce alongside Phil McGraw, Jay McGraw, Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank, Mark Goffman, Steven Spielberg, Rodrigo Garcia. Production companies involved with the pilot include Amblin Television, Atelier Paul Attanasio, Stage 29 Productions and CBS Television Studios. On May 13, 2016, CBS officially ordered the pilot to series. A few days later, it was announced that the series, would premiere in the fall of 2016 and air on Tuesdays at 9:00 P.M. On November 4, 2016, CBS picked up the series for a full season of 22 episodes.[26] An additional episode was ordered in November.[27] On March 23, 2017, CBS renewed the series for a second season. which premiered on September 26, 2017.[28][29] On April 18, 2018, CBS renewed the series for a third season which is set to premiere on September 24, 2018.[30][31] On May 9, 2019, it was announced that CBS renewed the series for a fourth season.[32] On May 9, 2019, following the renewal it was announced that executive producers Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey and Steven Spielberg along with his production company Amblin Television would be departing the series after the third season following the harassment controversy surrounding series star Michael Weatherly.[33]

Casting

Michael Weatherly, Geneva Carr, Freddy Rodriguez, Chris Jackson and Jaime Lee Kirchner were part of the pilot's main cast. Annabelle Attanasio did not return for season three in order to direct an independent film.[17]

Eliza Dushku appeared in the final three episodes of the first season in a recurring role that was intended to become a regular role in season 2. However, following a complaint Dushku made about Weatherly making sexually suggestive comments, she was fired. In December 2018, The New York Times reported that CBS reached a confidential settlement with Dushku which would pay her $9.5 million, her anticipated salary over four seasons as a regular cast member.[34] In May 2019, Amblin Television announced they will no longer produce the series, with Spielberg, Falvey, and Frank no longer serving as executive producers.[35]

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.[36] It debuted in New Zealand on Prime Television New Zealand on January 19, 2017.[37] The second season was premiered in Australia on Network Ten on October 15, 2017. In Italy, it debuted on Rai 2 on November 13, 2016. In France, it debuted on M6 on June 22, 2018.

The first two seasons aired on Tuesday nights, but starting from season 3 the show was moved to Monday nights.

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has an approval rating of 26% based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 3.99/10. The website's critical 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."[38] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 40 out of 100 based on 19 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[39]

Ratings

Viewership and ratings per season of Bull
Season Timeslot (ET) Episodes First aired Last aired TV season Viewership
rank		 Avg. viewers
(millions)		 18–49
rank		 Avg. 18–49
rating
Date Viewers
(millions) 		Date Viewers
(millions)
1 Tuesday 9:00 pm 23 September 20, 2016 (2016-09-20) 15.56[40] May 23, 2017 (2017-05-23) 8.54[41] 2016–17 5 15.21[42] TBD 2.2/7[42]
2 22 September 26, 2017 (2017-09-26) 10.06[43] May 8, 2018 (2018-05-08) 11.76[44] 2017–18 8 14.37[45] TBD 1.9[45]
3 Monday 10:00 pm 22 September 24, 2018 (2018-09-24) 7.33[46] May 13, 2019 (2019-05-13) 7.19[47] 2018–19 16[48] TBD TBD 1.5[48]
4 TBA September 23, 2019 (2019-09-23) 6.42[49] TBA TBD 2019–20 TBD TBD TBD TBD

References

  1. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 13, 2016). "'Training Day', 'Bull', 'MacGyver', 'The Great Indoors', Matt LeBlanc Comedy & Jason Katims Drama Picked Up By CBS". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
  2. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (June 21, 2016). "CBS Sets Fall 2016 Premiere Dates, Slates JonBenet Ramsey Limited Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  3. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 10, 2016). "Michael Weatherly to Star in CBS Drama Pilot 'Bull' After 'NCIS'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  4. ^ "Bull 2016". ShareTV. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d e "The Woman in 8D". Bull. Season 1. Episode 2. September 27, 2016. CBS.
  6. ^ a b c "Callisto". Bull. Season 1. Episode 5. October 18, 2016. CBS.
  7. ^ a b c d e "The Necklace". Bull. Season 1. Episode 1. September 20, 2016. CBS.
  8. ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (December 5, 2016). "Bull Sneak Peek: Will Jason Ride to His Ex-Wife's Defense?". Yahoo! TV. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  9. ^ "'Bull' exclusive: Freddy Rodriguez on joining new CBS series, playing Benny, and watching TV evolve". CarterMatt.com. September 23, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  10. ^ a b c Clarissa (May 18, 2016). "BULL Preview: First Look at CBS' New Michael Weatherly Drama". the TV addict. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  11. ^ Petski, Denise (March 3, 2016). "Geneva Carr Joins CBS Drama Pilot 'Bull'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  12. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 14, 2016). "'Hamilton' Co-Star Christopher Jackson Cast in CBS Pilot 'Bull'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  13. ^ Petski, Denise (March 25, 2016). "Jaime Lee Kirchner Joins CBS Drama Pilot 'Bull'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  14. ^ "BULL (CBS)". The Futon Critic. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  15. ^ The Futon Critic Staff. "Development Update: Thursday–Friday, July 12–13". The Futon Critic. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  16. ^ "Acting Comes Naturally for Bull's Annabelle Attanasio" (Press release). CBS. December 6, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  17. ^ a b Petski, Denise (July 16, 2018). "'Bull': Annabelle Attanasio Exits Ahead Of Season 3". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  18. ^ McCally, Karen (November–December 2016). "A 'Geeky, Frazzled' Star of Screen". Alumni Gazette. University of Rochester. Retrieved May 25, 2017 – via Rochester Review.
  19. ^ Pena, Jessica (September 15, 2016). "Bull: Jill Flint (The Night Shift) to Guest on CBS Drama". TV Series Finale. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  20. ^ de Moraes, Lisa (May 26, 2017). "Final 2016–17 TV Rankings: 'Sunday Night Football' Winning Streak Continues". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  21. ^ de Moraes, Lisa (May 22, 2018). "2017-18 TV Series Ratings Rankings: NFL Football, 'Big Bang' Top Charts". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  22. ^ de Moraes, Lisa (May 21, 2019). "2018–19 TV Season Ratings: CBS Wraps 11th Season At No. 1 In Total Viewers, NBC Tops Demo; 'Big Bang Theory' Most Watched Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
  23. ^ Porter, Rick (June 4, 2020). "TV Ratings: 7-Day Season Averages for Every 2019-20 Broadcast Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  24. ^ Porter, Rick (June 8, 2021). "2020-21 TV Ratings: Complete 7-Day Ratings for Broadcast Network Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  25. ^ Porter, Rick (June 8, 2022). "2021-22 TV Ratings: Final Seven-Day Numbers for Every Network Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  26. ^ Stanhope, Kate (October 17, 2016). "'Bull,' 'Kevin Can Wait' and 'MacGyver' Grab Full-Season Pickups at CBS". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  27. ^ Holloway, Daniel (January 6, 2017). "'Kevin Can Wait,' 'Man With a Plan,' 'Great Indoors' Land Additional-Episode Orders From CBS". Variety. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  28. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 23, 2017). "CBS Renews 5 Freshman & 11 Returning Series, Including 'MacGyver', 'Superior Donuts', 'Life In Pieces' & 'Hawaii Five-O'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  29. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (June 1, 2017). "CBS Sets Fall 2017 Premiere Dates For 'Young Sheldon', '9 JKL' & Returning Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  30. ^ Ausiello, Michael (April 18, 2018). "Hawaii Five-0, Madam Secretary and Bull Among CBS' 11 Latest Renewals". TV Line. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  31. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (July 9, 2018). "CBS Fall 2018 Premiere Dates: 'Big Bang' & 'Young Sheldon' To Help Launch 'Magnum PI' & 'Murphy Brown' Revival". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  32. ^ Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (May 9, 2019). "'Bull' Renewed For Season 4 By CBS". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
  33. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 9, 2019). "'Bull': Steven Spielberg & Amblin TV Pull Out Of CBS Drama Over Michael Weatherly Harassment Controversy". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  34. ^ Abrams, Rachel; Koblin, John (13 December 2018). "CBS Paid the Actress Eliza Dushku $9.5 Million to Settle Harassment Claims". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  35. ^ Porter, Rick (May 9, 2019). "Steven Spielberg's Amblin TV Leaves CBS' 'Bull' Over Harassment Scandal". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
  36. ^ Knox, David (February 22, 2017). "Airdate: Bull. Bumped: 24: Legacy". TV Tonight. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  37. ^ "prime display page". Prime. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  38. ^ "Bull: Season 1 (2016–2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  39. ^ "Bull (2016): Season 1 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  40. ^ Porter, Rick (September 21, 2016). "Tuesday final ratings: 'NCIS,' 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' adjust up, 'This Is Us' & 'Bull' steady". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  41. ^ Porter, Rick (May 24, 2017). "'Dancing With the Stars' finale adjusts up, 'iZombie' adjusts down: Tuesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
  42. ^ a b de Moraes, Lisa (May 26, 2017). "Final 2016-17 TV Rankings: 'Sunday Night Football' Winning Streak Continues". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 27, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  43. ^ Porter, Rick (September 27, 2017). "'Bull,' 'Voice,' 'This Is Us' adjust up, 'L&O True Crime' and 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' down: Tuesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  44. ^ Porter, Rick (May 9, 2018). "'The Voice' and 'Chicago Med' adjust up, 'Bull' adjusts down: Tuesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  45. ^ a b de Moraes, Lisa (May 22, 2018). "2017-18 TV Series Ratings Rankings: NFL Football, 'Big Bang' Top Charts". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  46. ^ Welch, Alex (September 25, 2018). "'The Big Bang Theory' adjusts up, 'The Good Doctor' adjusts down: Monday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  47. ^ Rejent, Joseph (May 14, 2019). "'The Voice' adjusts down: Monday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  48. ^ a b Schneider, Michael (2019-05-22). "100 Most-Watched TV Shows of 2018-19: Winners and Losers". Variety. Retrieved 2019-09-09.
  49. ^ Rejent, Joseph (September 24, 2019). "'9-1-1' and 'Bob Hearts Abishola' adjust up: Monday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
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