Goliath (TV series)

Goliath is an American legal drama streaming television series by Amazon Studios. The show was commissioned with a straight-to-series order of eight episodes on December 1, 2015 and premiered on October 13, 2016, on Prime Video. On February 15, 2017, Amazon announced the series had been renewed for a second season and confirmed that Clyde Phillips was joining the series as showrunner. The trailer for season 2 was released on May 1, 2018. Season 2, consisting of eight episodes, was released on June 15, 2018. On December 11, 2018, the series was renewed for a third season, which premiered on October 4, 2019. On November 14, 2019, Amazon announced the series was renewed for a fourth and final season.
Premise.
"Goliath" follows "a down-and-out lawyer (Thornton) as he seeks redemption. His one shot depends on getting justice in a legal system where truth has become a commodity, and the scales of justice have never been more heavily weighed toward the rich and powerful."
Production.
Development.
On May 14, 2015, it was announced that Amazon had issued a pilot order for the series, then titled "Trial", based on a script by David E. Kelley and Jonathan Shapiro. On December 1, 2015, Amazon announced that it was bypassing the pilot process with the project and was instead issuing a straight-to-series order consisting of a ten-episode first season to premiere in 2016. The first season would ultimately come to consist of eight episodes total. On August 7, 2016, it was announced that the first season would premiere on October 13, 2016.
Casting.
On June 25, 2015, it was reported that Kevin Costner was in talks to join the series in the lead role of Billy McBride. By June 30, he had exited talks. On July 23, 2015, it was confirmed that Billy Bob Thornton had been cast in the role. In August, Olivia Thirlby and Maria Bello joined the main cast. On September 14, Sarah Wynter was cast in the series regular role of Gina Larson. In November, Molly Parker and Britain Dalton joined the production as series regulars. The following March, Nina Arianda and Tania Raymonde were also announced as part of the main cast. In June, Dwight Yoakam and Harold Perrineau were cast in recurring roles. In August, the final casting announcements, of Diana Hopper and Jason Ritter in recurring roles, were made.
For the show's fourth and final season, Brandon Scott and Geoffrey Arend will join the main cast, while Obba Babatundé and Elias Koteas will appear in recurring roles.
Setting.
"Goliath" is set and filmed in Santa Monica, California. The venue Chez Jay, which Billy McBride frequents and often works out of, is a real-life bar and restaurant.
Renewal.
On February 15, 2017, Amazon announced the series had been renewed for a second season. In that announcement, it was also confirmed that Clyde Phillips was joining the series in season two as the day-to-day showrunner. Kelley, Shapiro and Ross Fineman were set to remain in their roles as executive producers.
Reception.
Critical response.
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds an approval rating of 78% based on 36 professional reviews, with an average score of 6.04/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Compelling performances from an excellent cast—led by standout Billy Bob Thornton—propel David E. Kelley's "Goliath" into must-watch TV territory." On Metacritic the first season has a weighted average score of 65 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
On Rotten Tomatoes, season two has an approval rating of a rating of 88% based on reviews from 8 critics. It was noted for showing much more division between critic and audience scores than the first season. Among Amazon Prime subscribers, season two scores 2.7 out of 5 stars with more than 4,700 reviews posted, 43% of which are rated one-star.
On Rotten Tomatoes season three has an approval rating of a rating of 80% based on reviews from 5 critics.