"Goliath" is the newest show by super-producer/writer David E. Kelly.
It stars Billy Bob Thornton and features some great supporting actors like Maria Bello (ex-wife/rival attny), Olivia Thirlby (rival attny), Sarah Wynter (client), Tania Raymonde (hooker/paralegal), and Molly Parker (attny in rival firm.) William Hurt plays a demonic figure (ala "The Natural") who sits in the dark and uses a clicker to show his anger or disdain for people (you'll just have to see it.)
Kelly tells a personal story of how he promised his kids he wouldn't write any more lawyer shows. But this isn't like anything you've seen from this prolific writer. Bad words, drinking, drug use, violence...it follows the trend of the edgier shows that have been coming out. It's an Amazon Prime original so they can get away with challenging the audience.
And it does.
Taking place in Santa Monica with locations at the famous dive bar Chez Jay, "Goliath" features an attorney on the edge of slipping away from the legal world until he's approached with a redemption-type case. The storyline of redemption borrows heavily from "The Verdict" the Lumet/Newman/Mamet courtroom masterpiece that for me never gets old.
The main storyline is Billy Bob vs a "goliath" of a law firm that he founded in a wrongful death case. The law fim he faces has unlimited resources; he has an old mustang and an overdue bar tab. So it's David vs Goliath for the very soul of the legal profession - or something. Again, very Verdict-esque.
The series runs eight episodes and covers both personal and professional disasters that Billy Bob's character must overcome. If you like "Bad Santa" (I did!) you'll like this character. In many ways it's probably just Billy Bob being an exaggerated version of himself but Kelly And co-producer/creator Jonathan Shapiro seemed to channel Thornton perfectly through this character.
Oh sure, there were points where I got frustrated with the writing. There's a few moments in the courtroom where you wonder what happened to the attorneys on either side as a character testifies without restraint or objection, which would never happen. And a cheeseball moment where - well, you know it when you see it. Some characters seem to blink in and out without warning and you wonder why theut were there in the first place. And as with a lot of shows, the middle sags a bit. But it captured my attention and held it throughout.
The ending is just okay; a bit pat and anti-climatic. Why the corporation's CEO did what he did just doesn't make a lot of sense given what we know about corporate culture in today's world. All-in-all this is a damned good show with lots to like.
I guess for me, the world created by the storyline was the most compelling and would make me want to re-visit it again in (hopefully) Season 2.
I'm going to suggest that you watch at least the 1st two episodes because something happens at the end of the 2nd ep that is wholly unexpected.
That alone made me want to see more.