Fall Preview 2016: Are we bullish on Michael Weatherly’s ‘Bull’?

For the latest chapter in our Fall Preview Series here at CarterMatt, we’re chronicling a show in “Bull” that certainly has some power attached to it from top to bottom. After all, you’ve got a series with Dr. Phil McGraw as an executive producer, Michael Weatherly as a star, and his former show “NCIS” as a lead-in. Every single element of this suggests that CBS is going to give it a five-season renewal at the start. That doesn’t always work out, but this is clearly one the network is banking on.

Is it worth that investment? Using the trailer and what we know about the series as a guide, we’re going to try to break it down.

Premiere Date and Timeslot Competition – Tuesday, September 20 at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time. The show is coming on after “NCIS” as mentioned, which is prime real estate. It has moderate competition elsewhere, but we really don’t think that there is necessarily anything that is a direct competitor in terms of tone or substance.

Logline – “A drama inspired by the early career of Dr. Phil McGraw as the founder of one of the most prolific trial consulting firms of all time. Brilliant, brash and charming, Dr. Bull (Michael Weatherly) is the ultimate puppet master as he combines psychology, human intuition and high tech data to learn what makes jurors, attorneys, witnesses and the accused tick.”

Cast – Weatherly, Freddy Rodriguez (“Six Feet Under”), Geneva Carr, Chris Jackson, Jaime Lee Kirchner, and Annabelle Attanasio.

Trailer – What we don’t like about this trailer is that, like some other ones out there for the new season, it basically gives away the majority of the pilot. There’s less of a reason to watch now, and we think that a two-minute trailer likely could have accomplished everything needed. We do like, however, that this is a courtroom show, and that Weatherly is clearly looking to change up his style and performance after playing Tony DiNozzo for so long.

Overall Take – This has all of the makings of a hit. The cast seems well-placed, it looks like there’ll be some comedy, and we like that we’re getting a take here that somewhat different than many other procedural shows. As for how profiling jurors and accusers holds up week-to-week, that will be the challenge for “Bull.”

Are you planning to watch?