John Grisham’s The Rainmaker: TV Adaptation Scores Lower On RT Than 1997 Movie

A new John Grisham television adaptation has debuted to a lower score compared to the movie version. Grisham adaptations tend to find an audience, regardless of the decade they’re in. That was made evident with the debut of Cross on Prime Video earlier this year. Led by star and producer Aldis Hodge, the detective drama has become one of the streamer’s biggest hits.

Going back to the 1990s, however, Grisham’s books had a moment of being box office gold. This was most evident with the 1993 legal thriller The Firm, which was one of Tom Cruise’s earlier standout performances. The film grossed $270.2 million against a reported $42 million budget, becoming the author’s most successful adaptation. Another adaptation has now moved to TV.

USA Rainmaker Adaptation Has Revealed Its Rotten Tomatoes Score

The Rainmaker is making its way to USA Network. It is based on Grisham’s 1995 novel of the same name, centering on a young lawyer who squares off against a legal titan. The series currently sits at 50% on Rotten Tomatoes, with 6 reviews so far. There is an even split between reviews that lean positive and reviews that lean negative.

USA Network’s adaptation of The Rainmaker is the second, coming after the 1997 movie, which was directed by Francis Ford Coppola and featured Matt Damon in the lead role of Rudy S. Baylor. The film was met favorably, earning $45.9 million at the domestic box office. It sits at 82% on Rotten Tomatoes, with 60 reviews from critics.

With a cast that includes Claire Danes, Jon Voight, Mary Kay Place, Mickey Rourke, Danny DeVito, Danny Glover, Roy Scheider, Virginia Madsen, and Teresa Wright in her final film role, Ford’s Rainmaker has more reviews, which is to its benefit. The final score for the USA Network show will likely change as more reviews are added.

What To Know About USA Network’s The Rainmaker

The Rainmaker‘s story centers on Rudy Baylor. Just out of law school, Rudy faces off against the legendary Leo Drummond. To complicate matters further, he also has to face off against Sarah Plankmore, his ex from law school. Rudy, working with his boss and her paralegal, soon discovers two connected conspiracies.

The project hails from Blumhouse Television. Michael Seitzman, who previously created the medical drama Code Black, serves as showrunner and executive producer alongside Grisham, Jason Blum, and David Gernert. It premieres on August 15 at 10 PM ET on USA Network, with episodes being available to stream on Peacock a week later.

Although the general reaction to the series is mixed so far, ScreenRant‘s review of The Rainmaker was positive, with Grant Hermanns writing that the courtroom saga eventually settles into its groove. It may be worth sampling to see if it’s worthwhile, particularly with legal dramas being relatively rare on the small screen.