Rudy Baylor Returns to Court as ‘The Rainmaker’ Announces Season 2 Renewal
New face. New case. Same Rudy
It’s not a hoax! Milo Callaghan will reprise his role as Rudy Baylor, as USA Network just announced the season 2 renewal of hit legal drama The Rainmaker. The President of the network, Val Borland, announced on Thursday, October 23 ahead of the season 1 finale, that the series will return after becoming the most successful freshman series on the network in the last 7 years. Boreland stated,
“Along with our brilliant showrunner Michael Seitzman and our partners at Lionsgate and Blumhouse, we’re thrilled to build on the momentum and deliver another compelling chapter of this gripping legal drama for our viewers.”
According to data, The Rainmaker tallied 16 million viewers across all platforms and 4 million of them belonged to the 18-49 demographic. In addition, the season finale was the most viewed episode of the season, making this one successful show.
And it All Comes Down to This
The finale of The Rainmaker was one for the books, as Rudy (Callaghan)—along with Brusier (Lana Parrilla) and Deck (P.J. Burne)—faces off with his girlfriend(?) Sarah (Madison Iseman) and her extremely intimidating boss Leo Drummond (John Slattery) in the wrongful death lawsuit filed by Dot Black (Karen Bryson) against Great Benefit Hospital. Throughout the entire build up to the case, Rudy and Sarah start on a journey to being good lawyers, a journey that quickly splits in the pilot episode as personal motivating factors come to light. The line continues to be etched into concrete as Sarah’s actions prove she will do whatever it takes—even use her boyfriend’s person life against him—to win. Her shrewd ways make her a formidable adversary in the courtroom for Rudy, his team, and Dot Black.
While Sarah threw successful haymakers, one thing to know (and admire) about Rudy is that he does not stay down. He gets back up every single time. And while Sarah’s path to acceptance within the workplace psychologically and emotionally sucker-punches him, it is through the support of his mother, the tough love of his boss Bruiser, the friendship of Deck, and the unwavering belief of Dot that allows him to soar beyond his own believed capabilities—ultimately proving that he is a lawyer of integrity and true justice.
Comfort Shows are Back
Josh Grisham’s novel is one that many fans love, and they are also champions of Francis Ford Coppola’s film adaptation in 1997, starring Matt Damon. But what makes the series different and how do the fans connect to this newer version of the story? Nostalgia. Many fans expressed that although the series made some poignant changes to the source material—Bruiser going from a man to a woman and Dot Black going from a white woman to African American—the show captured the essence of the book through compelling writing, strong performances, and a simplistic film style that reminded them of past legal dramas.
From start to finish, the A-story is heartfelt, gut-wrenching, and relatable as a mother simply wants to get to the truth of what actually happened to her son. This alone appeals to the heartstrings of viewers, as it is very easy to imagine just how devastating one would be if a loved one went to be seen for the flu just for you to receive a phone call that they are no longer among the living. And yet The Rainmaker went even further with the emotional foundation of the show. Effectively weaved between the A-story are the artful components of the ensemble’s lives that breathes fresh life into an old story and gives the freshman series the legs to continue to grow. But is that all The Rainmaker needed to keep the audience coming back? In June, in a note sent to press, creator and showrunner Michael Seitzman had this to say,
“Maybe it’s the David-and-Goliath legal thriller, the dangerous romance or the coming-of-age story. For me, above all, it’s the characters. They jumped off the page in John’s book and were a joy to expand upon in our show. Not to mention, Milo Callaghan, who plays Rudy Baylor, is your next crush.”
Don’t let the 16 million viewers answer the question for you. You be the judge.
All 10 episodes of The Rainmaker are available to stream now on Peacock. Check out the trailer below.