Amazon’s legal series Goliath is set to launch season 3 in October, and the first trailer is chock full of big-name guest stars. The series follows Billy Bob Thornton as disgraced lawyer Billy McBride, who’s looking for redemption by taking on big cases that put the corrupt and powerful in his sights. Created by Jonathan Shapiro and David E. Kelley (a guy who knows a thing or two about making successful legal dramas), the series offers a blend of courtroom drama with a more investigative legal thriller.
In many ways, Goliath is like Amazon’s Bosch, in that it certainly fits into Amazon’s bingeable streaming plans, but it also likely appeals to audiences who’re used to watching procedural crime shows on a weekly basis via traditional broadcast networks and cable channels. Like Bosch, however, Goliath is able to line up a wealth of talent in both its starring roles and in its season-long guest spots. To that end, season 3 of the legal thriller may have wrangled up the series’ most impressive gaggle of guest stars to date.
Season 3 takes Billy on the road to investigate a woman’s death that may be linked to a wealthy farmer’s questionable methods for obtaining water in a drought-prone part of the U.S. The story is quite timely, as water is quickly becoming the latest public resource to be threatened by climate change and capitalism alike, making it a prime (no pun intended) subject for the series. And, as the trailer for season 3 below makes clear, guest stars Dennis Quaid, Amy Brenneman, and Griffin Dunne will make Billy’s latest case one of his most exciting.
“This season, the unexpected death of an old friend leads Billy McBride (Thornton) to take a case in the drought-stricken Central Valley where he comes face-to-face with a new Goliath: a billionaire rancher (Dennis Quaid) and his sister (Amy Brenneman). As Billy and his team pursue the truth, old enemies and personal demons resurface, forcing him to confront his own mortality. Acclaimed guest stars set to join the series this season include: Quaid (The Day After Tomorrow), Brenneman (The Leftovers), Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winner Beau Bridges (Homeland), Griffin Dunne (House of Lies), Sherilyn Fenn (Twin Peaks: The Return), Shamier Anderson (Destroyer), Julia Jones (Westworld), Leslie Grossman (American Horror Story), Graham Greene (Wind River) and Illeana Douglas (Grace of My Heart).”
As Amazon Prime transitions to blockbuster-sized spectacles with the likes of The Boys and the upcoming Carnival Row — not to mention the wallet destroying Lord of the Rings series — it’s nice to see that the streamer is still interested in appealing to an audience for legal and crime thrillers. Those genres have proven to be valuable commodities for services like Amazon, Netflix, and Hulu, and while those companies chase the next Game of Thrones, audiences can still sit back and binge smaller, satisfying programs like Goliath.
Goliath season 3 premieres Friday, October 4 exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.