The Rainmaker is an American legal drama television series. Based on John Grisham's 1995 novel of the same name and starring John Slattery, it premiered on USA Network on August 15, 2025. In October 2025, the series was renewed for a second season.
A hotshot young lawyer is fired from his prestigious white-collar firm and signs on with a small-time ambulance chaser and her less-than-honest paralegal who work out of a converted former restaurant. He soon finds himself facing off against his former employer in court when he takes on a wrongful death suit involving an African American man who died while undergoing hospital care.
In 2018, it was reported that a television series adaptation of The Rainmaker was being developed by Michael Seitzman and Jason Richman for Hulu with ABC Studios. The series was slated to be set in a shared universe with an adaptation of another John Grisham novel, Rogue Lawyer; both series would have been produced concurrently and contain an intertwining storyline with shared characters, and would have been able to be watched on a parallel or standalone basis. The parallel series concept did not go forward with Hulu.
After signing a first-look deal with Blumhouse Television in 2021, Seitzman began developing The Rainmaker as a standalone project with the studio. Blumhouse would offer it to Lionsgate Television, and USA Network would order it to series in June 2024. It was reported that the series was considered part of a pivot by the channel back towards producing original dramas in the vein of its previous "blue sky" era. On October 23, 2025, USA Network renewed the series for a second season.
On August 12, 2024, it was announced that John Slattery would star as Leo F. Drummond. Two days later, it was announced that Madison Iseman would star as Sarah Plankmore. On August 20, 2024, it was announced that Milo Callaghan would star as the leading role of Rudy Baylor. The next day, it was reported that Lana Parrilla would star as Jocelyn "Bruiser" Stone, and the following day, it was reported that P. J. Byrne would star as Deck Shifflet. On September 4, 2024, it was reported that Robyn Cara would star as Kelly Riker. On September 12, 2024, it was announced that Dan Fogler would star as Melvin Pritcher. On September 27, 2024, it was announced that Wade Briggs would star as Brad Noonan. On October 23, 2024, it was reported that Tommie Earl Jenkins would play Prince Thomas in a recurring role. On January 8, 2026, it was reported that Austin Nichols was cast in a recurring capacity for the second season. On March 9, 2026, it was announced Merle Dandridge joined the cast as a series regular for the second season.
The series premiered on USA Network on August 15, 2025. In Canada, Bell Media confirmed that the series would air on its local version of USA Network.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 50% based on 22 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Stripping John Grisham's novel of its flavor in favor of a more clichéd courtroom format, this Rainmaker adaptation only produces intermittent showers." Metacritic gave the series a weighted average score of 53 out of 100 based on 17 critics, indicating "mixed or average".