'The Rainmaker' USA TV Series Review: A Legal Drama That Knows What It’s Doing

When I hit play on The Rainmaker, USA Network’s big return to scripted television, I expected recycled Grisham drama with a fresh coat of streaming-era gloss. What I got instead? A surprisingly solid legal drama that delivers real character work, engaging courtroom stakes, and a cliffhanger that actually earns its airtime.

Yes, The Rainmaker just did what Suits: LA thought it was doing.

A Familiar Premise with Fresh Energy

Based on John Grisham’s 1995 novel (and the 1997 film with Matt Damon), The Rainmaker 2025 reboot follows Rudy Baylor, a fresh-out-of-law-school underdog who joins a scrappy legal outfit after being fired before his first real job even starts. It is classic David versus Goliath material, but with just enough modern edge to feel relevant.

Milo Callaghan plays Rudy with the kind of low-key charm that makes you root for him without gagging on faux modesty. His boss, Jocelyn “Bruiser” Stone (Lana Parrilla), is a gender-flipped, no-nonsense powerhouse who anchors the show with the kind of cool authority that Suits used to think it had. Add in P.J. Byrne as chaotic sidekick Deck Shifflet, and you’ve got a legal trio that is way more fun to watch than any of us expected.

Relatable Characters, Real Stakes

Where The Rainmaker shines is in its tone. It nails that elusive balance between legal drama and personal story. The characters feel like people, not plot devices. Rudy is earnest but not naive. Sarah, his law-school-turned-firm-rival girlfriend, is complicated in a way that adds tension rather than cheap drama. And Bruiser? She’s the kind of boss who’d rip open a deposition mid-lunch and still tell you when your shoelace is untied.

The show doesn’t drown you in legal jargon, but it also doesn’t treat you like a courtroom tourist. The case they take on in Episode 1—wrongful death involving a corrupt insurance company—is a hook that lands. And the cliffhanger? It does not feel forced. It feels earned.

Better Than Suits: LA? That’s the Tea

Let’s address the obvious comparison: Suits: LA premiered with all the swagger and none of the soul. It gave us high-end law firm politics without any real emotional buy-in. The Rainmaker, in contrast, gives us small-firm scrappiness with real narrative teeth. It is not just another pretty courtroom drama — it actually makes you care about the people inside it.

The Rainmaker manages to be fun without being goofy, smart without being smug. It feels like the show Suits was trying to evolve into before it ran out of steam (and Harvey Specter’s hair product).

USA Network’s Comeback Kid

It is worth pointing out that this is USA Network’s first original drama in four years. And what a comeback. Produced by Blumhouse Television and Lionsgate, developed by Michael Seitzman and Jason Richman, and backed by John Grisham himself, the series shows real intention behind the production. It is not just riding the coattails of a recognizable IP — it is building something new from a trusted foundation.

Also, big shoutout to Milo Callaghan for actually doing the work. According to behind-the-scenes interviews, the guy studied real-life trials, worked with a dialect coach, and even learned the basics of legal procedure. Not bad for a British actor portraying a Tennessee law grad.

Worth Your Watchlist

If you like your legal drama with actual drama — not just long monologues in glass offices — then The Rainmaker deserves a spot on your Friday night queue. It is not revolutionary, but it is entertaining, character-driven, and surprisingly thoughtful. In short: it gets the job done, and does it well.

Stream It On: Fridays at 10 p.m. on USA Network; Next-day streaming on Peacock (U.S.)Available on Crave (Canada) and Stan (Australia)

Episode Count: Season 1 has 10 episodes. And if the premiere is any sign, this series might just earn a full casebook.

Did you catch Episode 1? Drop your hot take in the comments. Are you team Rudy or team “That Firm That Fired Him”? Let’s argue like lawyers, but with better lighting and fewer subpoenas.

What did you think?

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