Bull

***Bull*** is an American legal drama television series created by Phil McGraw and Paul Attanasio. It was ordered the program to series on May 13, 2016 and it premiered from CBS on September 20, 2016 and has concluded on May 26, 2022. The series is based on the early days of talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw's career when he was a trial consultant.

## 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 to help his clients' lawyers decide which type of argument will win over jurors best.

## Cast

### Main

* Michael Weatherly as Dr. Jason Bull
* Freddy Rodriguez as Benjamin "Benny" Colón (season 1-5)
* Geneva Carr as Marissa Morgan
* Jaime Lee Kirchner as Danielle "Danny" James
* Annabelle Attanasio as Cable McCrory (Season 1–2)
* Christopher Jackson as Chunk Palmer
* MacKenzie Meehan as Taylor Rentzel (Season 3–6)
* Yara Martinez as Isabella "Izzy" Colón (Season 5–6; Recurring: Season 1–4)

### Recurring

* Dena Tyler as Liberty Davis
* Jill Flint as Diana Lindsay
* Eliza Dushku as J.P. Nunnelly
* Gary Wilmes as Kyle Anderson/Robert Allen
* Amy Hohn as Judge Volk
* Victor Williams as AUSA Rosenberg
* David Furr as Greg Valerian
* Jazzy Williams (aka Jazzy Kae) as Anna Baker
* Donovan Christie Jr. as ADA Kenneth Kiehl
* Matt Dellapina as Erik Rentzel
* Ollie Robinson as Mauricio Rentzel
* Sam Daly as Bradley Lena
* Melissa Navia as Tidal
* Erich Bergen as ADA Robert Jones

## Production

### Development

On February 2, 2016, it was announced that CBS had given the production a pilot order. The episode was written by Dr. Phil McGraw and by Paul Attanasio, who was expected to executive produce alongside Phil McGraw, Jay McGraw, Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank, Mark Goffman, Steven Spielberg, and 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. An additional episode was ordered in November. On March 23, 2017, CBS renewed the series for a second season. which premiered on September 26, 2017. On April 18, 2018, CBS renewed the series for a third season which is set to premiere on September 24, 2018. On May 9, 2019, it was announced that CBS renewed the series for a fourth season. On May 9, 2019, following the renewal, it was announced that executive producers Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank, 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.

On May 6, 2020, *Bull* was renewed for a fifth season, with the further announcement in October 2020 that the season would be trimmed to 16 episodes due to production schedules being shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 15, 2021, CBS renewed the series was for a sixth season and was premiered on October 7, 2021.

On January 18, 2022, with 12 episodes remaining, CBS made the announcement that the sixth season would be the series last, setting the series finale for May 26, 2022.

### 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 3 in order to direct an independent film.

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. In May 2019, Amblin Television announced they will no longer produce the series, with Spielberg, Falvey, and Frank no longer serving as executive producers.

After appearing as a recurring character in the first four seasons, Yara Martinez was upgraded to series regular for season 5. On May 21, 2021, it was announced that Freddy Rodriguez would depart the series along with series producer and showrunner Glenn Gordon Caron. Two of the show's writers, Kathryn Price and Nichole Millard, are expected to take over as co-showrunners for season 6.

## Broadcast

Internationally, the series premiered in the UK on FOX 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. 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. In the Philippines, the program was aired on GTV by 2021.

## Reception

### Critical response

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".

## Other media

 *Bull: Season 2* | 22
 *Bull: Season 3* | 22
 *Bull: Season 4* | 20
 *Bull: Season 5* | 16

### Streaming

All episodes are also available with Paramount+ (formerly CBS All Access) including several episodes which stream live.

## References

1. ↑ https://deadline.com/2020/05/cbs-renewals-1202927097/
2. ↑ https://deadline.com/2020/10/cbs-november-premiere-dates-fbi-spinoff-most-wanted-bull-seal-team-the-unicorn-1234601170/
3. ↑ https://deadline.com/2021/04/ncis-ncis-blue-bloods-bull-magnum-p-i-s-w-a-t-renewed-cbs-mark-harmon-1234735150/
4. ↑ https://deadline.com/2021/07/cbs-fall-premiere-dates-2021-young-sheldon-ncis-csi-blue-bloods-1234790700/
5. ↑ https://deadline.com/2022/01/bull-end-season-6-cbs-1234914833/

## External links

* *Bull* on CBS Wiki (Fandom)
* *Bull* on Television Wiki
* *Bull* on Wikipedia
* *Bull* on IMDb