Inspired by the early career of Dr. Phil McGraw, Michael Weatherly stars as Dr. Jason Bull. Brilliant, brash and charming, he's the ultimate puppet master combining psychology, intuition and high tech data to learn what makes jurors and the accused tick. Premieres this fall at 9pm/ET, following NCIS, on CBS.
"I'm not actually playing Dr. Phil. I'm playing a guy in a world that Dr. Phil understands better than anyone." ~ Michael Weatherly
Michael Weatherly met Dr. Phil McGraw a few years before he signed onto play a character based on him in CBS' new fall drama Bull.
"He is a really fascinating character," Weatherly told PEOPLE at the CBS Primetime 2016-17 Upfront held Wednesday evening at Carnegie Hall in New York. "He is part Machiavelli, part P.T. Barnum."
At the time of their meeting, Weatherly says he asked the daytime talk show host if he had a moment of insecurity.
"He just stared at me and said, 'No!'" says Weatherly.
Bull is inspired by Dr. Phil's life before he became a television personality when he founded "one of the most prolific trial consulting firms of all time," per a CBS press release. Weatherly plays Dr. Jason Bull, an expert in human psychology who uses his skills to profile jurors, witnesses, and attorneys during trials.
Read the full story at People.com
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