While the set-up of a small-town lawyer matching documents and wits with a corporate behemoth might seem more likely to be adapted from a John Grisham book, David E. Kelley's new series for Amazon, Goliath, is taking a fresh look at the idea. See the trailer below.
Kelley is no stranger to legal matters on TV, of course; he was the man who brought us shows such as Ally McBeal and The Practice. He's now happily ensconced away from the ratings-obsessed world of network TV and has come up with something that has darker overtones than anything he could do before. And Amazon snapped his series up without subjecting it to the usual pilot process it has nominally been using to select its shows.
Billy Bob Thornton stars as Billy McBride, who used to be a powerful lawyer but since he burned out, he now spends more time in barrooms than courtrooms, lingering around the swanky/trashy neighborhoods of Venice in California.
When he reluctantly agrees to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit against the biggest client of Cooperman & McBride, the massive law firm he helped create, Billy and his ragtag team uncover a vast and deadly conspiracy, pitting them all in a life or death trial against the ultimate Goliath... led by his old partner, played by William Hurt.
With Dwight Yoakum, Maria Bello and Olivia Thirlby also in the cast, all eight episodes of the first season will be available via the streaming service starting October 14.