The art of manipulation

MANILA, Philippines – Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 21 years, the name and face of Dr. Phil McGraw will be a familiar one. After Oprah Winfrey used his firm on a court case she was involved in back in 1995, he became a regular guest on her show; and eventually, hosted his own show, that was developed by Oprah’s production house. Now a retired psychologist, Dr. Phil is one of the producers of the new RTL-CBS TV series Bull, that premiered last night, the same day it premieres in the USA (Channel 53 on Sky and Destiny).

Starring former NCIS regular Michael Weatherly as Dr. Jason Bull, the drama takes its inspiration from Dr. Phil’s early days as head of a jury consulting firm, Courtroom Sciences, Inc. (CSI). With the tagline He’ll Get You Off, the series aims to be an insider look into the science and intuition that jumpstarted Phil’s career, and catapulted him to be a household name. While shows such as Lie to Me and The Mentalist may have examined this particular arena of applied psychology, this is the one that draws on Phil’s first-hand experience, and has him credited as a co-scriptwriter — the man who originally put jury consulting in the public radar. The first episode is titled The Necklace and it’s a cerebrally exciting glimpse into this controversial specialty.

The Necklace episode involves the young son of a billionaire accused of killing a young girl who joins them on a cruise holiday in the Bahamas. The girl is a Chinese-American A student, it would seem the odds are stacked against the defendant as it is confirmed that he had sex with the deceased the night before she was discovered floating in the water. Fascinating then to watch how Bull provides his service to the defense team, especially as the appointed lawyers object to his involvement, believing he is no more than a charlatan, his team a “traveling circus.”

As Dr. Bull, Michael plays the role to near perfection. Cocky, supremely confident, yet human and not without his own concealed frailties and doubts, Michael finely balances between being an arrogant SOB on one hand, and on the other, an individual wracked and bothered by his own personal demons. As head of Trial Analysis Corporation (TAC), Michael brings home the message of how jury consulting will always be a team effort; and how it harnesses psychology, technology, intuition and chooses as subjects for analysis, not just the jury members, but also the judge, lawyers and the client — the whole courtroom environment.

Speaking of team effort, regulars of the series include Dr. Bull’s brother-in-law, who plays defense attorney in the mock trials they mount, a female millennial hacker, a neurolinguistics expert who once worked in Homeland Security, an ex-police detective who handles investigative chores and a colorful, flamboyant stylist, who helps with the court appearance of Bull’s clients. Chris Jackson portrays the stylist, and of interest is the fact that he played George Washington in the original Hamilton cast on Broadway.

Based on the first episode that I’ve watched, Bull certainly looks like a great addition to the roster of RTL-CBS drama series, which includes House of Cards.