Goliath

TV Show Name: Goliath
Year of Release: 2016

Directors: Lawrence Trilling, Alik Sakharov, Dennie Gordon, Bill D'Elia, Anthony Hemingway

Stars: Billy Bob Thornton, William Hurt, Maria Bello, Molly Parker, Olivia Thirlby, Nina Arianda, Tania Raymonde, Sarah Wynter, Britain Dalton, Damon Gupton, Dwight Yoakam, Harold Perrineau, Julie Brister, Diana Hopper, Kevin Weisman, Patrick Robert Smith, Ever Carradine, Joshua James, Jason Ritter, Sarah Baker, Ken Weiler, Ana de la Reguera

Genre: Drama

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis:

"Goliath" is the latest show coming from the penmanship of creator David E. Kelley, prolific author of such iconic shows such as "Picket Fences", "Ally McBeal" and "The Practice", to name but a few, this time around with the partnership of Jonathan Shapiro (who has worked on his shows as writer since the 90s). "Goliath" focuses on the story of disgraced attorney Billy McBride. Once a powerful lawyer, head of his own firm - with a partner, the also charismatic Donald Cooperman - he has since fallen from grace, and is now dealing with alcohol addiction, and living in a run down apartment by the beach in California. He's approached by an inexperienced lawyer by the name of Patty Solis-Papagian, to help her get a settlement with a big arms manufacturer, who employed a man who apparently committed suicide. Billy decides to take the case, who is also being handled by his former firm. As his investigation starts probing deeper, more incidents start occurring, and a tangled web of corruption and criminal intent starts unraveling.
"Goliath" is a show that has slick production values, and a cast that brings verisimilitude to the situations being depicted. The show is most successful when it depicts the ruthlessness behind corporate behaviors and attitudes, but it gets tampered down by the glossiness with which it also paints the interactions between all the characters. It tries to have a certain amount of grit, but marries everything with a tone that is almost "Dynasty" style, with dramatic cliffhangers and occurrences, which removes the impact that the show could potentially have. It's a somewhat entertaining show, but it can't hide some of the sillier aspects of creating a serious dramatic show, with some soap opera tones. The show benefits from a crackling cast, with Billy Bob Thornton, Molly Parker, Nina Arianda and William Hurt, all creating very strong performances. A middling effort from an interesting writer/creator of content.