CBS is putting Bull out to pasture.
The legal drama will end with its sixth season, which is currently airing on the network. Star Michael Weatherly tweeted Tuesday that “It’s been my privilege to play Dr. Jason Bull but after 6 seasons of incredible storylines, it’s time to pursue new creative challenges and bring his story to a close.” His decision to move on led to the decision to bring the series to an end, sources say.
Bull, based loosely on the work of Dr. Phil McGraw (who’s an executive producer) as a jury consultant, premiered in 2016 and drew strong ratings for CBS. In 2018, the network paid actress Eliza Dushku $9.5 million to settle a sexual harassment claim against Weatherly. She alleged he made a series of inappropriate comments to her while she recurred on the show’s first season. Dushku had originally signed on to the show with the possibility of becoming a regular in season two, but her character was written out following her complaint and the settlement, which was first reported by The New York Times.
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Earlier this year, showrunner Glenn Gordon Caron was let go from the show and dropped from an overall deal at CBS Studios following an internal investigation into allegations that Caron fostered an unhealthy work environment on Bull. Actor Freddy Rodriguez also departed after an investigation.
Kathryn Price and Nichole Millard took over as showrunners for season six.
Bull has continued to put up decent ratings, though its audience has faded somewhat in the past couple of seasons (as have those for many broadcast series). So far this season it’s averaging about 7.4 million viewers, including a week of delayed viewing.
“For six seasons, Bull has established itself as a ratings winner with its fresh take on the judicial process never before seen on television,” CBS said in a statement. “We extend our thanks to the talented cast, Michael Weatherly, Geneva Carr, Yara Martinez, Jaime Lee Kirchner, Christopher Jackson, MacKenzie Meehan, the incredible creative team led by Kathryn Price and Nichole Millard, and our hard-working crew, for bringing to life these innovative stories. We also thank our loyal viewers and look forward to providing them with a final run of compelling episodes filled with the humor, intelligence and twists that have made the drama a fan favorite.”
Paul Attanasio and McGraw created the series. They executive produce with Price, Millard, Jay McGraw, Eric Stoltz and Kati Johnston.
