Bull boasts early renewal, new character
CBS is taking pride in the vast amount of Bull it’s been churning out. So much so that the broadcaster gave the first-year drama an early renewal last week, along with 17 other shows including Kevin Can Wait, Life in Pieces and Madam Secretary.
Bull, starring former NCIS actor Michael Weatherly, has pulled respectable numbers from the getgo. Based on Phil McGraw’s early days as a trial consultant, the series averages 11.8 million U.S. viewers weekly — making it the No. 1 new series of the 2016-17 season and No. 3 scripted series overall in total viewers. In Canada, it regularly places in the Top 10.
A new episode, Name Game, airs Tuesday night with Bull (Weatherly) risking his business to help thousands of people file a class-action suit against a corrupt bank.
Before the first season wraps up, we’ll meet a new character played by former Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Eliza Dushku. J.P. Nunnelly leads a top criminal defence firm in New York; Bull hires her when someone on his team faces prison time.
Dushku will appear in three episodes starting May 9 and could become a cast regular. Behind the scenes, a new showrunner will call the shots in Season 2. Glenn Gordon Caron, whose credits include Moonlighting and Medium, replaces Mark Goffman.
Weatherly played fan-favourite character Anthony DiNozzo on NCIS for more than a decade.
“I really felt happy with the resolution of the character and my time on the show,” Weatherly said at a meeting of the Television Critics Association last summer.
Both Bull and NCIS air on Global and CBS.
DANCE WITH THE DEVIL
Fox’s tongue-in-cheek drama Lucifer is shuffling its episodes around, saving the final four episodes of Season 2 to run along with Season 3. The Season 2 finale will now air on May 29.
Lucifer returns from its midseason break on May 1 with Episode 14.