Bull (2016 TV series)

• Michael Weatherly as Dr. Jason Bull,[5] a psychologist and holder of three Ph.D.s[6] in psychology, as well as a pilot's license,[7] who now owns and operates Trial Analysis Corporation (TAC). He hates lawyers himself[7] due to failing the bar exam twice, crushing his dream of becoming a lawyer, and he had a difficult childhood.[8] Bull first appears in the pilot with a scruffy appearance, with long hair and 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,[9][10] a former NYC prosecutor,[11][7] and TAC's in-house counsel.[9][12]
• Geneva Carr as Marissa Morgan, a psychologist, neurolinguistics expert, second-in-command of Bull's team, and licensed sex therapist,[13] who formerly worked at Homeland Security.[9][12] 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. Marissa and her husband separate again, with the divorce being finalized early in season 5.
• Christopher Jackson as Chester "Chunk" Palmer, a fashion stylist who formerly worked at Vogue[9] and who, at the University of Georgia,[8] was an All-American football defensive lineman.[14][7] 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, Anna. Chunk's actual first name is revealed in the first episode of the fifth season during an online celebration of his passing the bar exam.
• Jaime Lee Kirchner as Danielle "Danny" James, the team's lead investigator,[15] who used to work as an NYPD detective in narcotics[9] and for the FBI.[7]
• Annabelle Attanasio as Cable McCrory (seasons 1–2),[16][17] the team's computer expert who is also a skilled hacker.[12][18] 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.[19]
• MacKenzie Meehan as Taylor Rentzel (seasons 3–present), a cyber expert and Marissa's old colleague from the NSA. After Cable's death, Taylor is hired to fill her position. A single mother, Taylor insists to Bull before accepting the position that her son's needs will always come before TAC's.
• Yara Martinez (season 5; seasons 1–4 recurring) 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, Astrid. Subsequently, she and Bull are shown living together.

• Dena Tyler as Liberty Davis, a new lawyer who occasionally works with Bull's team on trials. With Bull's help, she gains respect and experience as a lawyer.[20]
• Jill Flint as Diana Lindsay, a prominent lawyer from Texas with whom Bull has history, both professional and romantic.[21][8]
• 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, and finalize their divorce in season 5.

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.[27] An additional episode was ordered in November.[28] On March 23, 2017, CBS renewed the series for a second season. which premiered on September 26, 2017.[29][30] On April 18, 2018, CBS renewed the series for a third season which is set to premiere on September 24, 2018.[31][32] On May 9, 2019, it was announced that CBS renewed the series for a fourth season.[33] 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.[34] In May 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.[35]

Michael Weatherly, Geneva Carr, Freddy Rodriguez, Chris Jackson and Jaime Lee Kirchner were part of the pilot's main cast. Annabelle Attanasio, a main cast member for the first two seasons, did not return for Season 3 in order to direct an independent film.[19] MacKenzie Meehan was added to the Season 3 main cast, with her character filling a role very similar to the one previously played by Attanasio.[36]

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.[37] In May 2019, Amblin Television announced they will no longer produce the series, with Spielberg, Falvey, and Frank no longer serving as executive producers.[38]

After appearing as a recurring character in the first four seasons, Yara Martinez was upgraded to series regular for season 5.[39]

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."[42] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 40 out of 100 based on 19 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[43]