Viewers Deliver Their Verdict on ‘Suits’ New Replacement After Critics’ Negative Reviews

The television adaptation of John Grisham‘s novel The Rainmaker finally debuted on August 15 on USA Network. The legal drama starring Milo Callaghan, Lana Parrilla, and John Slattery in major roles was not met with the warmest reception from critics. The show debuted with a 50% score on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, a score that has now fallen to 47%. However, viewers had the opportunity to experience the story, and their outlook could not be more different from that of critics. Rotten Tomatoes’ users have given the show a strong 76%, indicating that it resonated more with them. However, critics had the opportunity to see numerous episodes, so it’s possible that as new episodes are aired on Friday, viewers could feel differently.

The Rainmaker is one of the earliest attempts by USA Network to recapture the corner of television they had mastered in the Suits and White Collar era. “Fresh out of law school, Rudy Baylor (Callaghan) goes head-to-head with courtroom lion Leo Drummond (Slattery) as well as his law school girlfriend (Madison Iseman). Rudy, along with his boss and her disheveled paralegal, uncover two connected conspiracies surrounding the mysterious death of their client’s son,” reads the show’s official logline. Jeff Ewing reviewed the series for Collider and noted that while the show works just fine, it has some rough edges. Part of his review reads:

“The Rainmaker certainly isn’t a bad series — too many elements work for it to be such. That said, in the first half available thus far, there’s a limited amount of success in the adaptation. Some performances fail to consistently fill their characters’ shoes, while other characters are electric to watch but woefully underutilized. The initial moments tease devastating reveals and growing danger as The Rainmaker proceeds, but there’s never a guarantee that everything clicks, and it ends with pizzazz. The Rainmaker may yet end up a fairly solid legal drama by the time the final credits roll, but at best it will prove an uneven one. In the meantime, the jury’s still out.”

What To Expect in the Next Episode of ‘The Rainmaker?’

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New episodes of The Rainmaker air on Fridays at 10 PM ET. In Episode 3, Rudy continues trying to balance his career and relationships. “Bruiser discovers that her father, J. Lyman Stone’s murky history with Leo may complicate Dot’s case. Rudy and Deck uncover unsettling information about the missing nurse, Jackie. Meanwhile, tensions swirl when Rudy and Sarah take the bar. Rudy helps out his neighbor Kelly, putting himself at risk in the process,” reads the episode’s official logline.

Watch The Rainmaker on USA Network and stay tuned to Collider for further updates.