From Grisham to Streaming: Does "The Rainmaker" 2025 Deliver?

Fresh out of law school, Rudy Baylor goes head to head with courtroom lion Leo Drummond as well as his law school girlfriend, Sarah. Rudy, along with his boss, Bruiser, and her disheveled paralegal, Deck, uncovers two connected conspiracies surrounding the mysterious death of their client's son.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OxvtkU9Z08

So, The Rainmaker. The new series where freshly minted law grad Rudy Baylor tries to take on the corporate sharks before they chew him up, spit him out, and send him a billable hours invoice for the trouble.

Milo Callaghan steps into Rudy’s shoes, and honestly, he plays the wide-eyed idealist well. He’s got that fresh-out-of-law-school optimism, the kind that makes you believe justice is possible… until you remember the justice system is usually just two rich guys in expensive suits arguing over commas in a contract. His big obstacle? John Slattery as Leo F. Drummond. And let me tell you, Slattery makes this guy radiate seasoned predator energy. He’s not just a lawyer; he’s a lion in a three-piece. Watching him dismantle a case is like watching a surgeon - precise, clinical, and with zero bedside manner.

Adding fuel to Rudy’s already bonfire-sized problems is Sarah Plankmore, played by Madison Iseman. She’s the law school girlfriend turned professional rival. Their scenes together feel like a twisted mix of flirtation and competition, like two people who might kiss or sue each other depending on the lighting. It adds some drama, but it also veers dangerously close to “teen soap” territory when the stakes should be higher.

Thankfully, the series anchors itself with Lana Parrilla as Jocelyn “Bruiser” Stone, Rudy’s boss. Parrilla nails it - she’s tough, calculating, and has the kind of presence that tells you she didn’t climb the legal food chain by playing nice. She’s the type of mentor who throws you into the deep end, then critiques your swimming form while sipping a scotch. Her foil, or maybe ballast, is P.J. Byrne’s Deck Shifflet. Disheveled, insecure, and occasionally brilliant, Deck looks like he accidentally wandered into the legal profession after losing a bet. He provides levity but also a sense of how chaotic and desperate Rudy’s environment really is.

Then there’s Melvin Pritcher, played by Dan Fogler. And here’s where things get interesting. At first glance, he’s the comic relief - rumpled shirts, oddball energy, the guy you underestimate. But the show starts dropping breadcrumbs that maybe Melvin isn’t just the bumbling side character. There’s a lurking menace in his performance. The kind of vibe where you think he might be intentionally playing dumb while he moves pieces around behind the scenes. If they’re setting him up as a shadow villain or the hidden hand behind the conspiracies, it’s a brilliant twist. Fogler’s got range, and giving him a darker edge could elevate the whole show.

Plot-wise, the series takes Rudy and company into a case involving the mysterious death of a client’s son - and two conspiracies that spiral outward like legal Russian nesting dolls. It’s solid material. Insurance fraud, backroom deals, and the kind of moral rot that makes you wonder how many families got steamrolled by companies chasing profit margins. It’s grounded, believable, and when it clicks, it hits hard.

Now, let’s talk pacing. The first episode unloads information like a dump truck. Characters, motives, subplots - all flying at you in rapid succession. It’s ambitious, but it risks overwhelming the viewer. Legal dramas need complexity, sure, but they also need clarity. Right now, it feels like the writers are eager to impress instead of trusting us to settle into the story. Let's hope that heals itself with time.

The dialogue? Sometimes sharp, sometimes way too theatrical. There are moments where characters talk like they’re delivering closing arguments in a murder trial when all they’re doing is sitting at a diner. Tone it down, folks. Not every scene needs to feel like it’s auditioning for a monologue award.

The acting? A mixed bag. The younger cast members bring energy but also tend to overplay their hands. It’s early days, and hopefully, with time, they’ll grow into the roles instead of throwing everything at the wall. Slattery and Parrilla, on the other hand, glide through with the confidence of pros who could read traffic court transcripts and still make it compelling.

One choice that doesn’t quite land for me is the gender-swapping of some roles from the written material. Look, it’s 2025 - casting flexibility is a given - but here it feels less like creative reinvention and more like unnecessary tinkering. The source material already had strong character dynamics; it didn’t need adjustments for the sake of adjustments.

That said, the show does a smart thing: it doesn’t handcuff itself to the Grisham novel. Instead, it expands on character backstories and relationships. That gives it room to breathe and evolve. If you’re going to adapt something for TV, that’s the way to go. Nobody needs a line-for-line reenactment; they need a reason to tune in beyond déjà vu.

So what’s the verdict? The Rainmaker is a promising start with rough edges. The bones of a compelling legal drama are here: a scrappy underdog, a ruthless opponent, a shady system, and just enough moral ambiguity to keep things interesting. It needs to slow down, let the characters breathe, and trust the story to carry itself without constant theatrics.

And if Melvin really is more villain than comic relief? This series could shift from “solid legal drama” to “must-watch thriller.” Sometimes the scariest monsters aren’t in the courtroom - they’re the ones standing right next to you, smiling while they quietly pull the strings or stab you in the back.

Final Rating: 7.0 / 10

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