Parents' Guide to

Bull

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Derivative legal drama is nothing new, way too talky.

TV CBS Drama 2016
Bull Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

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age 10+

Based on 4 parent reviews

Lovebull
Lovebull Adult
November 17, 2020
age 18+

Love Bull

I have enjoyed this show from the beginning. But the opening season this year blew me away. Great job you all. I have never looked up a show to rate it. This is how much I loved this episode. Thank you anf I missed you too.

This title has:

Great role models
Joe bob
Joe bob Adult
August 16, 2018
age 11+

Best show ever

Michal weatherly acts amazingly in bull making it a nice fun show for all.
See all 4 parent reviews

What's the Story?

The main character of legal drama BULL is Dr. Jason Bull (Michael Weatherly), a brilliant and brash psychologist who founded a company that examines the dynamics of jury trials and predicts their outcome. Also on the team at Trial Analysis Corporation are Bull's former brother-in-law Benny Colón (Freddy Rodríguez), who acts as a defense attorney in the company's mock trials; neurolinguistics expert and former Department of Homeland Security staffer Marissa Morgan (Geneva Carr); mouthy millennial and cyberintelligence gatherer Cable McCrory (Annabelle Attanasio); and Chunk Palmer (Chris Jackson), who dresses criminal defendants for success. Together, the team gets to the bottom of just who did what -- and ensures that their clients get a fair shake.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4 ):
Kids say (8 ):

It's hard to escape the feeling that this thoroughly average legal/crime show was cobbled together, Frankenstein's monster-style, out of pieces of other, better shows. You've got the cohesive team of attractive experts similar to those in How to Get Away with Murder or Criminal Minds, led by one brilliant hotshot (Lie to Me, The Mentalist) taking on cases no one else can solve. Bull even cribs the smart, snotty young goth girl from NCIS.

So, not fresh, and not innovative, but at least BULL isn't exploitative, like other criminal case programs in which the camera lingers lovingly on wounds, gore, and scantily clad young dead women. The show won't naturally appeal to teens -- it's too talky for that -- but they might linger if it's on after dinner when they're in the room playing with their phones. Fans of Dr. Phil may get a particular thrill from watching, imagining him in the Weatherly role.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why legal dramas such as Bull are such an enduring staple of network television. What types of ongoing possibilities for plots do they offer? Why would this be attractive for a television series?

  • On this show, Bull's firm tries to win legal cases. Is winning a goal in itself? Can you think of an example of something that's worth winning no matter what the cost? What drives people to compete? Is it ever OK to use people to accomplish a goal without their knowledge?

  • The show's main character, Bull, is based on the former job of Phil McGraw, better known as TV's Dr. Phil. Does this surprise you? Does this character seem different from the Dr. Phil you may know from TV talk shows?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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