John Grisham’s workhas led to some of the best legal thriller adaptations in film, whether it’s the paranoia-driven heights of Tom Cruise’sThe Firmor the cat-and-mouse fun of John Cusack’sRunaway Jury. But where the movies have succeeded in translating his novels for the screen, there have only been a handful of TV adaptations, none of which have replicated the formula of their books.
This is where USA Network’sThe Rainmakercomes in. The second adaptation of Grisham’s 1995 novel, after the 1997 Matt Damon-led film, centers on Rudy Baylor, a recent law school graduate who finds himself fired from a prestigious firm and, with nowhere else to go, starts working for an ambulance chaser firm, beginning with a high-profile wrongful death suit.
Bringing the book to a modern setting, developers Michael Seitzman (Code Black) andJason Richman (Stumptown)make some smart choices with the material. In addition to being fired from his cushy job, the show also introduces a well-realized romantic conflict in the courtroom, while the central case is tweaked to better fit a TV runtime and tackle some important social commentary.
The Rainmaker Gets Good Once It Settles Into Its Groove
Wherethe Francis Ford Coppola-helmed filmplays pretty true to Grisham’s novel, USA’sadaptation starts off by giving us a deeper-layered background for Rudy. We get a pretty good picture of his troubled family life, particularly the death of an unknown relative and his mother’s relationship with an abusive man.
Additionally, we see our protagonist in a happy relationship with Sarah Plankmore, a fellow law school graduate who similarly got a job at the prestigious Tinley Britt. Even as he’s let go from the firm, the two maintain their relationship in what, for a while, is a healthy way that doesn’t subsequently risk her career.
However, the pilot’s pacing and storytelling attempt to squeeze in so much setup for the rest of the season that it feels dizzying. Within minutes of meeting Rudy, we’re watching him lose his job, and then quickly finding his new one, while also meeting the curious characters at both firms.
All the while, Rudy is trying to quickly adjust to the life of an ambulance chaser and his new partner, the ethically questionable Deck Shifflet. The cherry on top of the overstuffed sundae, we also get introduced to a character novel fans know is key to Rudy’s arc, as well as one of the show’s central mysteries.
InThe Rainmakershow, however, Seitzman and Richman make Ray’s death part of a bigger threat while adding more layers to him.
Thankfully, this is all fairly forgivable once we get to episodes 2 through 5 (which were provided for review). It’s then that the comedy starts to find its rhythm, the character arcs begin to take root, and the intrigue around the central mystery of Donny Ray’s death really grows in fascinating directions.
One of my favorite things about the show thus far is specifically how it’s changed Donny Ray’s case. In Grisham’s novel, Ray was a twentysomething terminally ill young man with leukemia who dies after his insurance carrier, Great Benefit, declined coverage for a bone marrow transplant from his identical brother.
InThe Rainmakershow, Seitzman and Richman make Ray’s death a bigger threat while adding more layers to him. A recovering drug addict who dies from apparent tuberculosis during a trip to the hospital, we’re actually given a reason to care about Ray beyond his death and his mother’s grief. We’re also all the more captivated to find out why he died, and for those responsible to be held accountable.
The Cast All Nail Their Roles
While the material mostly shines once it gets going,The Rainmakergreatly benefits from having a great cast carrying the proceedings forward. Milo Callaghan, a fresh facecoming off ofRivalsandThe Spanish Princess, does show the occasional awkwardness as Rudy, indicative of a newer actor. But he manages to capture much of the heart and passion of the titular character.
The Boys' P.J. Byrne also proves to be a welcome successor to Danny DeVito as the fast-talking, slightly unethical Deck, whileOnce Upon a Time’s Lana Parrilla feels like she walked off a ’30s neo-noir for the delightful gender-flipped take on Deck and Rudy’s boss, Bruiser. Madison Iseman also meaningfully chronicles Sarah’s embrace of her rising power, while Robyn Cara is heartbreaking as Kelly.
One of the most welcome surprises ofThe Rainmakercast is that of Dan Fogler as Melvin Pritcher, a nurse accused of murdering his mother in a fire and with suspicious ties to Ray’s death. Having first loved his work as a comedian with the likes ofBalls of Fury, he proves decidedly haunting as Melvin, one of the show’s key antagonists.
With only five episodes seen,The Rainmakerstill has a few growing pains to overcome, namely some of the more predictable conflicts between Rudy and Sarah. But it’s actually a welcome change to see a Grisham novel get a solid TV treatment the way his counterparts have with the likes of Michael Connelly’sThe Lincoln LawyerandJames Patterson’sCross.
The Rainmakerpremieres Friday, August 15 at 10 p.m. EST on USA Network.
