YOU KNOW HIM as Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo on NCIS, a role he played for 13 seasons. Now, Michael Weatherly is taking the lead in the brand new show BULL — a different role, sure, but one that keeps him close to the twists and turns of the justice system.
Weatherly was quoted as saying, “I’m gonna miss his repressive sense of humor, what I won’t miss is wearing that gun, that was uncomfortable.”
BULL draws inspiration from the early career of Dr. Phil McGraw, co-founder of top trial consulting firm Courtroom Sciences, Inc. (CSI), which has provided trial consulting services for Fortune 500 companies as well as talk show host Oprah Winfrey.
“It’s been amazing to play a character who is all about human connection, he’s about finding out why we do the things we do, but he’s also about getting to the truth of something,” Weatherly said in another interview.
This blogger caught the first episode at Greenbelt Cinema on September 14, ahead of its US airing on September 21. The Wednesday premiere airs at 9pm, first and exclusive on RTL CBS Entertainment.
Courtroom drama
In this new series, Weatherly trades law enforcement for trial analytics. His character, trial consultant Dr. Jason Bull, does everything he can to get his clients the justice they deserve.
“What’s fascinating about the whole world of trial analytics and the sciences of it is that they’re looking at things that you don’t think about,” Weatherly said.
“He (Dr. Bull) looks at a jury trial and looks at the identities of everybody involved from the judge to the attorneys, to the jury, and the witness and defendant, and he figures out what everyone’s thinking,” he added.
Dr. Bull knows all too well that the 12 ordinary people who make up a jury hold the power to decide someone’s fate in court — and that each of them walks in with their own preconceived notion of the truth. That’s exactly why winning a trial often comes down to winning over the jury.
Behind the scenes
Dr. Bull understands that even the smallest details — relationship status, clothing, hairstyle — can turn a jury against a defendant. To avoid an unfavorable outcome, he works with a team of experts to keep his clients on their best behavior and prepared to say the right things on the witness stand.
His team includes a lawyer who plays defense attorney in mock trials, a neurolinguistics expert formerly with the Department of Homeland Security, a former New York Police Department detective, a haughty millennial hacker, and a fashion stylist.
“What this show really looks at are the choices that we make, and who we think we are versus how other people think we are, and it starts to get to a hall of mirrors. It takes very complex people to figure out complex people,” Weatherly said.
BULL also stars Freddy Rodriguez (Ugly Betty, Six Feet Under), Geneva Carr (Rescue Me, Law and Order: Criminal Intent), Annabelle Attanasio (The Knick, House M.D.), Chris Jackson (Oz), and Jaime Lee Kirchner (The Mob Doctor, Mercy) alongside Weatherly.
Catch the premiere on September 21, Wednesday, 9pm, the same day as the US, first and exclusive on RTL CBS Entertainment.