‘The Rainmaker’ TV Series Trailer Revealed: It’s Rudy Baylor vs. the World

A Mad Man is heading to court. USA Network will once again be airing original scripted drama, and The Rainmaker is the first example of that.

The series adapts the John Grisham novel of the same name and comes from Michael Seitzman, Jason Richman, John Grisham, David Gernert, and Jason Blum.

It’s heading to the network sooner than you might expect, so read on for everything we know about that character and more.

When does The Rainmaker premiere?

The series will premiere on USA Network on Friday, August 15, at 10/9c. Episodes will be available to stream one week after airing on Peacock.

Is there a trailer for The Rainmaker?

Yes! USA revealed the first trailer for the series on June 4 (embedded above). It gives us a glimpse of how Rudy Baylor (Milo Callahan) will have to face one of the biggest legal eagles around to get to the bottom of the mysterious death of a client’s son.

Is The Rainmaker an adaptation?

Yes! The book by John Grisham was originally published in 1995. According to its description, it “tells the story of a young man barely out of law school who finds himself taking on one of the most powerful, corrupt, and ruthless companies in America — and exposing a complex, multibillion-dollar insurance scam. In his final semester of law school Rudy Baylor is required to provide free legal advice to a group of senior citizens, and it is there that he meets his first ‘clients,’ Dot and Buddy Black.

Their son, Donny Ray, is dying of leukemia, and their insurance company has flatly refused to pay for his medical treatments. While Rudy is at first skeptical, he soon realizes that the Blacks really have been shockingly mistreated by the huge company, and that he just may have stumbled upon one of the largest insurance frauds anyone’s ever seen — and one of the most lucrative and important cases in the history of civil litigation. The problem is, Rudy’s flat broke, has no job, hasn’t even passed the bar, and is about to go head-to-head with one of the best defense attorneys — and powerful industries — in America.”

It then became a film in 1997. Its cast included Matt Damon as Rudy S. Baylor, Danny DeVito as Deck Shifflet, Claire Danes as Kelly Riker, and Jon Voight as Leo F. Drummond.

What is The Rainmaker TV series about?

“Fresh out of law school, Rudy Baylor goes head-to-head with courtroom lion Leo Drummond as well as his law school girlfriend,” reads the logline. “Rudy, along with his boss and her disheveled paralegal, uncover two connected conspiracies surrounding the mysterious death of their client’s son.”

Who stars in The Rainmaker TV series?

John Slattery stars as Leo F. Drummond, one of Grisham’s most iconic characters. Drummond is a legendary lion of the courtroom and senior partner at Tinley Britt, the powerful firm that Rudy Baylor is up against. Madison Iseman has been cast as Sarah Plankmore, a recent law school graduate and Rudy’s girlfriend.

Playing Rudy is Milo Callaghan, an inexperienced attorney who has to step up and face one of the toughest attorneys in the business. Lana Parrilla stars as Rudy’s new boss, Jocelyn “Bruiser” Stone.

Also starring in the show are P.J. Byrne, Dan Fogler, Wade Briggs, and Robyn Cara.  

The Rainmaker, August 15, 10/9c, USA Network