Bull – “Pilot” Advance Review. Guilty or Not Guilty?

Season 1, Episode 1

Air Date: Tuesday, September 20, 2016, 9/8c on CBS

Rating: ★★★★★

“Don’t give up on people; they’re all we got.” – Dr. Jason Bull

Dr. Bull trying to figure out Brandon.

When the body of Alyssa Yang (Teresa Ting) washes up on shore, the prime suspect quickly becomes Brandon Peters (Luke Slattery), a teenager who is rumored to have had a relationship with Alyssa. Will the jury only see a spoiled rich kid who is used to getting his way or will they focus on what the evidence shows?

Fearing what the jury will do and with money no object, Brandon’s father, Pete Peters (Frederick Weller), hires Dr. Jason Bull (Michael Weatherly) and his trial consulting firm, Trial Analysis Corporation, to ensure the trial goes his way. Using psychology, intuition, and high tech data, Bull assures the Peterses he will bring their boy home. Is Dr. Bull all he claims to be or is everything he says a bunch of bull, no pun intended?

Bull is inspired by the career of Dr. Phil McGraw. Before Oprah Winfrey made Dr. Phil a household name, McGraw co-founded Courtroom Sciences Inc. (CSI), one of the most prolific trial consulting firms in the country at the time. I admit, when I first read Weatherly had been cast to play the Dr. Phil role in a Dr. Phil influenced series, it seemed like an interesting choice. Perhaps Dr. Phil had a great head of hair when he was younger. Or maybe as the seasons progress, Weatherly’s hairline will recede. I’m only teasing.

Michael Weatherly as Dr. Jason Bull

To be honest, I couldn’t help wonder why Weatherly decided to leave such a popular show like NCIS and jump right into a brand new series. After playing Agent Anthony DiNozzo for 13 years on the hit CBS series, did Weatherly fear becoming typecast? Will fans only see his DiNozzo character when watching his new series? Thankfully, the answer is no. In fact, by the end of the Bull pilot, I found myself asking – DiNozzo who? Perhaps it’s because Bull wears glasses and DiNozzo didn’t; after all, it worked for Clark Kent and Superman.

The good news about Bull is that Weatherly is heavily featured in the “Pilot.” Weatherly’s charisma is infectious and watching him on screen simply makes you feel good. The bad news is, because the pilot heavily features Weatherly, it doesn’t allow the audience to connect with the rest of the cast. Bull’s name is easy to remember but after watching “Pilot,” I couldn’t remember the names of his team members. Fortunately, there is still a whole season left to get to know them.

Speaking of Bull’s team, it is made up of Benny Colon (Freddy Rodriguez), a defense attorney who handles mock trials; Marissa Morgan (Geneva Carr), a neurolinguistics expert who previously worked for Homeland Security; former NYPD detective Danny James (Jamie Lee Kirchner); and hacker Cable McCrory (Annabelle Attanasio). Rounding out the cast is Chuck Palmer (Chris Jackson), a fashion-conscious stylist who Bull often brings in to clean up a client’s appearance to make them more jury friendly. The diverse backgrounds of the characters should allow for some interesting storylines outside the courtroom.

Finding the right jury.

The look of Bull is very sleek and sexy, and I’m not just talking about Weatherly. Bull and his team use some amazing technology to analyze the jurors in order to predict their behavior. The Trial Analysis Corporation is full of TV and computer monitors, high tech gadgets, and sleek, modern looking furniture, all of which give the offices a clean, metallic, shiny look. It’s fascinating to see the level at which a jury is analyzed as every inch of their lives is reviewed to better gauge how each might vote in a trial.

As strange as it may sound, my biggest complaint about Bull is that Bull is too perfect. With his good looks and his three Ph.D.s, Bull is the smartest man in any room he’s in. You never get the feeling Bull could ever be wrong. His work is his life and vice versa. Since no one is ever perfect, the addition of some kind of imperfection would have been welcomed, as it would make Bull seem more realistic. I’m not looking for anything like a secret mistress but as a viewer, I want to feel like Bull is capable of occasionally making a mistake—in other words, that he’s human.

The writers appear to be so confident Weatherly’s charm will carry Bull that the first trailer for the new series gives away 99% of every major plot point of “Pilot,” including the shocking twist and jury verdict. Why the producers would intentionally do this is beyond me. Yet, despite knowing the entire plot, Bull is still very enjoyable and worth checking out.

Tune in to the series premiere of Bull Tuesday, September 20 at 9/8c, only on CBS.

Tweet me @Staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about Bull – “Pilot.”

For more information on Bull, visit the official website.

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Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.