Goliath

:

Season 1
Season #: 4, 3, 2, 1
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 115 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 88 out of 115
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 115
  3. Negative: 11 out of 115
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User Reviews

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  1. bonhoff73
    Nov 7, 2016
    5
    A show that veers between the sublime and the ridiculous.The sublime is the ever watchable Thornton who brings his ageing slacker persona to the small screen but somehow remains believable with it.
    The bad- who wrote and directed this show? the script and direction are redolent of an afternoon tvm, and the great acting talent incorporated into the show takes turns to phone in their    A show that veers between the sublime and the ridiculous.The sublime is the ever watchable Thornton who brings his ageing slacker persona to the small screen but somehow remains believable with it.
    The bad- who wrote and directed this show? the script and direction are redolent of an afternoon tvm, and the great acting talent incorporated into the show takes turns to phone in their performances.
    whoever came up with the arch villain character played by William hurt needs to reassess their screenwriting skills.    … Expand
  2. greyfoot
    Nov 2, 2016
    6
    I agree with Adspe completely--"disjointed and pretentious" is dead on.

    There were attempts at artistic flavor, but the photographers, the directors, and especially the writers simply weren't skilled enough to pull them off. They were trying for Stanley Kubrick in some scenes, but they ended up with Michael Bay. Especially annoying was William Hurt's character: a villain who could    I agree with Adspe completely--"disjointed and pretentious" is dead on.

    There were attempts at artistic flavor, but the photographers, the directors, and especially the writers simply weren't skilled enough to pull them off. They were trying for Stanley Kubrick in some scenes, but they ended up with Michael Bay.

    Especially annoying was William Hurt's character: a villain who could have been interesting but was merely rendered comical. The burn scars, the dark penthouse, the clicker--what was this, a Bond movie? Totally unnecessary. In Hurt's more than capable hands, he could have conveyed menace and evil beautifully, but all the schlock hindered him.

    Furthermore, the pacing was deplorable. Too many scenes that lasted WAY too long. Found myself screaming at the screen "Get on with it!"

    Too bad. There are some great elements--wonderful performances, a sense of realism, and a terrific moral center. But 'Goliath' was trying to do too many things at once, trying to be something that it wasn't. I'll give it a 6 myself just because of the performances (despite one of the best actor's performances being stifled by comic-book banality), but a great deal of the show failed. If there's a second season, let's hope it improves.    … Expand
  3. Adspe
    Oct 16, 2016
    6
    This is a series that has everything, great actors, wonderful productions values, an interesting story.
    But the simple truth is it falls short.
    It is disjointed and pretentious. Big things happen for dramatic affect when a smaller event using a bit of finesse would of worked much better. The big failure was the writer, it is like they were trying to hard, wanting to tick every box. Not    This is a series that has everything, great actors, wonderful productions values, an interesting story.
    But the simple truth is it falls short.
    It is disjointed and pretentious. Big things happen for dramatic affect when a smaller event using a bit of finesse would of worked much better.
    The big failure was the writer, it is like they were trying to hard, wanting to tick every box.
    Not the worst TV you will watch. I have rated it 6, it should have been better and I wanted it to be better.
    But it is not. The production lacked finesse !    … Expand
  4. jeremyp
    Oct 15, 2016
    6
    Slick, glib, shallow with Thornton doing "bad Lawyer" to the max. William Hurt as the evil incarnate head of a Walmart sized law firm with secret cameras everywhere is a laugh. Unbelievable! Too bad Michelle Pfeiffer didn't have a say.
  5. ambientdrop
    Oct 29, 2016
    6
    This had all the makings of a really good show, but just fell short. Billy Bob is great as usual. William Hurt is good in the role of a comically evil lawyer. There are other shows I wish I would have watched before this, but you could do worse.
  6. globalhawk
    Nov 26, 2016
    5
    Great cast makes the most of a terrible script and poor direction. Thornton and his scrappy crew make the show watchable but the plot is ridiculous and pretentious, and the pace of many scenes too slow. The legal case is ludicrous and courtroom machinations are dumb or impossible even for the low standards of TV. Yet the show is still compelling due to excellent acting by Thornton and someGreat cast makes the most of a terrible script and poor direction. Thornton and his scrappy crew make the show watchable but the plot is ridiculous and pretentious, and the pace of many scenes too slow. The legal case is ludicrous and courtroom machinations are dumb or impossible even for the low standards of TV. Yet the show is still compelling due to excellent acting by Thornton and some interesting secondary characters. Lastly, it's a shame they wasted the talents of Wm Hurt on a shallow, cardboard, uninteresting villain.… Expand
  7. TheBraveFencer
    Jun 18, 2018
    5
    Season1 was a decent start to a procedural centered around lawyers, it took some interesting turns and the pacing was alright. Sadly it had small problems and Season2 just amplified those problems while getting rid of all the good stuff.

    The police corruption goes to mythological levels, seemingly everywhere all at once and completely unstoppable. Then the cartel gets mythological    Season1 was a decent start to a procedural centered around lawyers, it took some interesting turns and the pacing was alright. Sadly it had small problems and Season2 just amplified those problems while getting rid of all the good stuff.

    The police corruption goes to mythological levels, seemingly everywhere all at once and completely unstoppable. Then the cartel gets mythological powers too, with an unstoppable skinny guy that has a hook-hand. He's just some skinny dude, but there he is beating everyone like he's friggin' Conan The Barbarian.

    The pacing is all over the place, characters are all one-dimensional and seem to be okay when all of their witnesses get killed by ̶o̶l̶y̶m̶p̶u̶s̶ corrupt police. Oh so the kid just broke out of solitary confinement, made his police caretaker disappear, and scrawled out that he was the killer on a blackboard.....the cops reaction to this: IT MAKES SENSE. WHAT?!?!?!?! That is atrocious writing.

    Anyway, this is where I drop the series for good. 2 years spent in-between seasons and this is what we get...lol.    … Expand
  8. StavNeuse
    Jul 2, 2018
    5
    Billy Bob Thorton is always good, the problem lies with the antagonist. An old man with a burned face who is an intelligent lawyer, it just seemed so far-fetched. It has all been done before, but nonetheless, it was entertaining.

Awards & Rankings

47
#47 Most Discussed TV Season of 2016
93
#93 Most Shared TV Season of 2016

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
65

Generally favorable reviews - based on 26 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 26
  3. Negative: 0 out of 26
  1. The Lincoln Journal Star
    Reviewed by: Jeff Korbelik
    Nov 7, 2016
    83
    In “Fargo,” Thornton’s character was pure evil, but in Goliath he's just flawed--despicable at times, but with a good heart that shows often as he pursues justice against his old law firm and partner. This one’s quite bingeworthy.
    Read full review
  2. Slate
    Reviewed by: Willa Paskin
    Oct 20, 2016
    80
    The show has the kind of jaunty professionalism of a John Grisham novel, in which an outmatched lawyer takes on a, yes, goliath, and usually wins at great personal expense.
    Read full review
  3. Vox.com
    Reviewed by: Emily VanDerWerff
    Oct 17, 2016
    70
    Kelley and Shapiro are a little too in love with their quirks to create a show that doesn’t occasionally tip over into unearned melodrama and/or Gothic horror, and the series’ understanding of lesbian relationships, in particular, is straight out of 1992. But at its core, where it counts, Goliath does more good than bad.
    Read full review
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