Bull (2016 TV series)

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Fandom
Name: Bull
Abbreviation(s):
Creator: Phil McGraw and Paul Attanasio
Date(s): September 20, 2016 – May 26, 2022
Medium: Television series
Country of Origin: United States
External Links: Official website
at IMDb
at Wikipedia
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

Bull is an American legal drama television series starring Michael Weatherly.

The series follows the employees at Trial Analysis Corporation (TAC), a jury consulting firm headed by Dr. Jason Bull, who is a psychologist and trial-science expert. Bull uses his skills and those of his team not only to select the right jurors for his clients, but also to help his clients' lawyers decide which type of argument will win over jurors best. Bull is inspired by the early career of Dr. Phil McGraw, who also serves as an executive producer.

Main Cast

  • Michael Weatherly as Dr. Jason Bull, a psychologist and holder of three Ph.D.s in psychology, as well as a pilot's license, who now owns and operates Trial Analysis Corporation (TAC).
  • Freddy Rodriguez as Benjamin "Benny" Colón, Bull's former brother-in-law, a former NYC prosecutor, and TAC's in-house counsel.
  • Geneva Carr as Marissa Morgan, a psychologist, neurolinguistics expert, second-in-command of Bull's team, and licensed sex therapist, who formerly worked at Homeland Security.
  • Christopher Jackson as Chester "Chunk" Palmer, a fashion stylist who formerly worked at Vogue and who, at the University of Georgia, was an All-American football defensive lineman. He prepares TAC's clients for court.
  • Jaime Lee Kirchner as Danielle "Danny" James, the team's lead investigator, who used to work as an NYPD detective in narcotics and for the FBI.
  • Dena Tyler as Liberty Davis, a new lawyer who occasionally works with Bull's team on trials. With Bull's help, she gains respect and experience as a lawyer.
  • Jill Flint as Diana Lindsay, a prominent lawyer from Texas with whom Bull has history, both professional and romantic.
  • Annabelle Attanasio as Cable McCrory (seasons 1–2), the team's computer expert who is also a skilled hacker. In the middle of Season 2, Cable is briefly fired after breaking the law. However, when Cable secretly helps TAC obtain information relating to a case without telling them, Bull deduces this and works up the courage to offer her job back. She is killed off-screen in the season 3 premiere when a bridge she is driving on collapses below her.
  • MacKenzie Meehan as Taylor Rentzel (seasons 3–present), a cyber expert and Marissa's old colleague from the NSA.

Fandom

In April 2021, there were a total of 133 works on AO3 and 73 on FFN. In April of the following year, the number changed to 150 on AO3 and 80 (include 13 crossovers) on FFN. This is a very small number if compared with success of other fandoms that Weatherly was part of, such as Dark Angel where he played Logan or, more recently, NCIS where he played the handsome and charming Anthony DiNozzo.

Even with few works, the fandom already has some common slash besides heterosexual pairings being them:

  • Jason Bull/Benny Colón
  • Benny Colón/Chunk Palmer
  • Jason Bull/Marissa Morgan
  • Jason Bull & Marissa Morgan
  • Jason Bull/Isabella Colón
  • Sarah Bull/Benny Colón
  • Robert Jones/Chunk Palmer
  • Benny Colón/Reader
  • Jason Bull/Chunk Palmer

There is also a minority gen based on the interaction of the TAC Team Family Dynamic.

Crossovers

The main cross between fandoms would obviously be with NCIS, with the vast majority of the works working both Weatherly characters, Tony and Bull, as brothers, look-alikes, doppelgängers, the same person with double identity, or their counterparts from an alternative universe. Some works also work with Tony leaving NCIS and creating a new identity for himself, then becoming Bull, at which point the crossovers diverge. Some follow NCIS canon with Tali being his daughter; others do not even mention her. Other crossover fandoms include:

Controversies

Eliza Dushku appeared in the final three episodes of the first season in a recurring role that was intended to become a regular role in Season 2. However, following a complaint Dushku made about Weatherly making sexually suggestive comments about rape,[1] she was fired. In December 2018, The New York Times reported that CBS reached a confidential settlement with Dushku which would pay her $9.5 million, her anticipated salary over four seasons as a regular cast member.[2]

In May 2019, Steven Spielberg and his company Amblin Television announced that they were pulling out of producing the show (which had been under their auspices for its first thee seasons) in the wake of reports that star Michael Weatherly had harassed his former costar Eliza Dushku on the set and that CBS had attempted to cover it up.[3]

Fanworks

Fanfiction

Crossovers

  • Familiar Face, New Romance by SpencnerTibbs Luvr (KliqzAngel) » Chunk Palmer heads to dinner and sees a familiar face coming out of an antique shop. Only it isn’t who he thinks it is, and by the end of the evening he’s damned happy he was wrong. (Anthony DiNozzo/Chunk Palmer)
  • Taurophobia by SASundance » A ripple of anticipation ran through the crowd as Director Leon Vance made an appearance on the walkway outside MTAC. He was accompanied by the redheaded Secretary of the Navy, Sarah Porter, and an obviously reluctant and seething Assistant Director Owen Granger. Pride thought that he seemed barely able to contain his fury. It was time for the daily proclamation of banned words. (Gen)
  • My Brother by kensi54382 » Tony is having a hard week at work. Then he discovers something life-changing. While dealing with all of this, he meets Jason Bull, and ends up with answers that he didn't even know he had been searching for. (Gen)
  • Fixing a Fractured Family by dustytiger » After ordering the same drink at a coffee shop Penelope Garcia finds her eldest brother again, Doctor Jason Bull. (Gen)

Not-Crossovers

  • It's a secret, okay? by Wild_Freckles » Bull was watching him. He could feel those analytical eyes roaming over him, picking up tiny secretive details that he couldn’t help but send out. A little part of him hoped that Bull couldn’t tell what he was thinking, didn’t notice the way his face was heating up and the twitch in his fingers every time Bull said his name. That tiny voice was put to rest when Benny snuck a glance at Bull over the rim of his glass, and he grinned like a Cheshire cat. There’s no way he didn’t notice. All he could hope for was that he wouldn’t embarrass him by bringing it up. It wasn’t right, feeling so much for his sister’s ex-husband. (Jason Bull/Benny Colón)
  • This is My Family at AO3 or at FFN by RandmWriter » Five Times Chunk's Teammates Defended Him and One Time He Returned the Favor (Gen)
  • Slice Of A Very Unpredictable Life by Munchkin Pumpkin » Bull/Benny mpreg fanfiction. One night, celebrating a successful win of a particularly stressful and tasking case, emotions high, Bull and Benny fall into a lustful trap. Now they must deal withe consequences of their irresponsible act. (Jason Bull/Benny Colón)

Fanart

Archives, Communities & Resources

References

  1. ^ "Bull (TV Series 2016– ) - Trivia - IMDb". 2021-04-26. Archived from the original on 2021-10-28.
  2. ^ "CBS Paid the Actress Eliza Dushku $9.5 Million to Settle Harassment Claims". 2018-12-14. Archived from the original on 2021-10-28.
  3. ^ "Bull (TV Series 2016– ) - Trivia - IMDb". 2021-04-26. Archived from the original on 2021-10-28.