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2 • December 9 - 15, 2018 • Brainerd Dispatch By Kyla Brewer TV Media S ome TV dramas rely on pulse- racing action and big-budget special effects, while others draw audiences in with clever writing and charismatic performances. Viewers looking for such smart TV may want to check out CBS's lat- est Monday night hit. Psychologist and trial science expert Jason Bull (Michael Weath- erly, "NCIS") helps clients win cas- es in the drama "Bull," airing Monday, Dec. 10, on CBS. He em- ploys a team of experts as he uses high-tech data analysis, as well as his intuition and knowledge of the human psyche, to figure out what makes people tick in the hopes of tipping the scales of justice. Now in its third season, the show was created by screenwriter Paul Attanasio ("Quiz Show," 1994) and psychologist Phil McGraw ("Dr. Phil"), and was in- spired by McGraw's early career as a trial consultant. The show pre- miered on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016, to more than 15 million viewers, which was a huge audience for a freshman series. Much of the show's success has been attributed to Weatherly's sol- id performance as Bull, who heads up the Trial Analysis Corporation (TAC), a top trial consulting busi- ness. Although "Bull" is billed as being "inspired by" the life of tele- vision personality and author McGraw, Weatherly recently clari- fied that the program isn't bio- graphical. In a November inter- view about the show's third sea- son with ET Canada, the actor talked about McGraw's ongoing involvement with the production. "[What] Phil McGraw helps with a lot is the trial science and the analysis of how to best move forward in a jury trial," he ex- plained. "How do you prep your witnesses, how do you select or deselect a jury ... that process is fascinating, and it is a component of the show, but we're not follow- ing the life of Phil McGraw." Weatherly seems well suited to take on the role of the fictional Bull, who holds three PhDs in psy- chology, as well as a pilot's license. Having failed the bar exam him- self, Bull isn't generally fond of lawyers, but seems to have found his niche in trial consultation. Be- fore Weatherly snagged the star- ring role in this drama, he was well known to TV fans as Anthony Di- Nozzo in "NCIS," a role he played from that show's premiere in 2003 until his departure in 2016. He's also known for his work in the TV soap opera "Loving" and the prime-time series "Dark Angel," the latter of which earned him two Saturn Award nods and a Teen Choice Award nomination. Weatherly now brings his on- screen charisma to his leading role. Sometimes brash, sometimes charming, Bull uses a variety of techniques as he tries to predict how jurors, defendants, witnesses and others might behave during a trial. His services include case in- vestigation, assembling mock ju- ries and conducting mock trials with the help of his talented team of experts. Bull's clever former brother-in- law, lawyer Benny Colón (Freddy Rodriguez, "Six Feet Under"), serves as the team's official legal counsel during mock trials and provides invaluable legal guidance as they prepare for cases. Bull also relies on Marissa Morgan (Geneva Carr, "Law & Order: Criminal In- tent"), a neurolinguistics expert who used to work for the Depart- ment of Homeland Security. She provides him with real-time analy- sis of how jurors may react to the team's tactics. One-time NYPD de- tective Danny James (Jaime Lee Kirchner, "Mercy") serves as the group's lead investigator. Bull even employs a stylist to help cli- ents prepare to make good im- pressions at trial. Former Universi- ty of Georgia all-American line- man Chunk Palmer (Christopher Jackson, "Oz") ensures TAC clients dress for success. New to the regular cast this season is Mackenzie Meehan ("The Wolf of Wall Street," 2013) as Taylor Rentzel, Morgan's old colleague from her days at Home- land Security. A working mom, Rentzel was hired as the team's coding and computer hacking ex- pert following the death of Cable McCrory (Annabelle Attanasio, "The Knick"), who perished in a tragic bridge collapse in the sea- son 3 opener. The character was killed off because Attanasio want- ed to take advantage of another professional opportunity that would conflict with "Bull's" pro- duction schedule. The loss of Cable has left some fans shaken, but time marches on for the CBS drama — this time in a new time-slot. After two years on Tuesday evenings, the show made the jump to Mondays this season, and the ratings have taken a bit of a dip. Season 1 averaged more than 15 million viewers and sea- son 2 drew just a little over 14 mil- lion. Unfortunately, season 3's new night hasn't been as kind to the show, which has been pulling in a little more than six million viewers on average against such competition as ABC's "The Good Doctor" and NBC's "Manifest." It may be that viewers are still adjusting to the new night for the smart drama, which offers a new perspective on the ethics of the le- gal system. Fans who may have lost track of Bull and his col- leagues will want to tune in as they use psychology and technolo- gy to tackle another case in a new episode of "Bull," airing Monday, Dec. 10, on CBS. A winning combination Courtroom drama is just the beginning in 'Bull' Cover Story this week Geneva Carr in a scene from "Bull" The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon A woman in Australia just gave birth to a 12-pound baby without any pain meds. The doctor said, "You're amazing!" while the baby was like, "I am never gonna hear the end of this." A restaurant in Chicago is serving the spaghetti dish from the movie "Elf," which is pasta topped with maple syrup, Pop Tarts and candy. Or as that's known in Chicago, "a salad." I saw that "The Grinch" is in theaters this weekend. And get this, they just added an emotional new scene where Jeff Sessions reunites with his family in Whoville. Jimmy Kimmel Live Ted Cruz is the only vampire that ages faster than a human being. If Donald Trump ever ends up on money, it should be a sock full of nickels you use to beat people up with. Trump, of course, was unhappy with Sessions for recusing himself in the Russia investigation. You know how it goes — you recuse, you lose, Jeff. Late Night With Seth Meyers Subway officials in New York are rewriting the script that conductors use when making announcements to passengers. From now on, all announcements will begin with, "You should buy a car." A woman in Ohio was arrested this week for allegedly stealing more than $1,600 worth of Girl Scout cookies. But they let her off with a warning because it turned out they were the gluten-free kind. A luxury hotel in the Maldives has opened a $50,000-per- night underwater villa in the Indian Ocean. And if you love real estate that's underwater, try Trump's hotels. Weekend Update With Colin Jost and Michael Che People magazine has named Idris Elba 2018's Sexiest Man Alive. Idris Elba is also what your wife calls that thing she hides in her dresser. One state that really surprised me was Florida. In their ballot initiatives, they let felons vote, banned greyhound racing and banned indoor vaping. So basically, they banned Florida. Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty received almost 70,000 write-in votes for governor of Pennsylvania. Even though Gritty is already serving a lifetime term as king of my nightmares. Late Laughs 001803279r1

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