The Rainmaker is back for Season 2, and Rudy Baylor and his scrappy crew of fellow lawyers are taking on even bigger fights on behalf of the little guy. For stars Milo Callaghan (Rudy Baylor), Lana Parrilla (Jocelyn “Bruiser” Stone), and P.J. Byrne (Deck Shifflet), that underdog spirit remains the heart of the series — even as complicated personal relationships and unexpected surprises threaten to shake things up.
“When the powerful take on the weak with impunity, you call us, and we’ll come save you. From our little taco hut,” Byrne told DECIDER.
Based on John Grisham’s bestselling novel with the same name, The Rainmaker follows Rudy, a young lawyer who takes on powerful opponents alongside the unconventional team at J. Lyman Stone. After his major legal victory in Season 1, Rudy now has more attention — and opportunities — than ever. But just because he’s seemingly earned the “rainmaker” title doesn’t mean he’s ready to leave his people behind.
“We’re the underdogs and we fight the bullies,” Callaghan said. “That’s kind of where (Rudy) belongs.”
Season 2 premiered October 16 on USA Network and follows two major cases. One explores the juvenile detention system through the story of Victor Suffredes (Asher DeLand), a boy caught up in a fight against the system. The other brings Bruiser’s ex-husband, Tom (Austin Nichols), back into her life — and, naturally, things get complicated.
“He’s betrayed her, and she’s sort of dealing with those feelings, those past emotions and contemplating whether or not she should help him,” Parrilla said of Bruiser and Tom’s dynamic in Season 2.
The new season also welcomes Richard Kind as Deck’s estranged father and Merle Dandridge as formidable attorney Amanda Vonn. With new faces shaking up the firm and Rudy and Sarah Plankmore (Madison Iseman) still figuring out where they stand, Season 2 gives fans plenty to look forward to.
Want to know more about when and how to watch? Check out our Season 2 streaming guide.
During their conversation with DECIDER, Callaghan, Parrilla and Byrne teased Season 2’s family drama, courtroom battles and one very shirtless surprise in Episode 7.
Read our full interview below.
DECIDER: Season 1 was described as a David and Goliath story. How would you summarize Season 2’s overall plot?
MILO CALLAGHAN: It’s a David and Goliath story.
P.J. BYRNE: Two Goliaths. There’s two Goliaths this time, for Season 2.
MC: We have two main cases that we follow. One of them sort of explores the plight of childhood and the juvenile system, the detention system in America. P.J. and I spend a lot of time doing that. And then we have another case –
LANA PARRILLA: It involves my ex-husband and his poor decisions.
PJB: Who I hate, by the way. Let’s just clarify that. I hate him.
Bruiser’s ex-husband, Tom, returns, played by Austin Nichols. What new aspects of Bruiser come to light with her husband returning to the story?
LP: First of all, Austin is lovely. I think we met when he was 19, and I’m a couple years older than him. We met in a voice class, so on set, he was doing this vocal warmup, and I was like, “Who’s your teacher?” He told me, and I said, “That was my mentor for years.” So I felt like we already kind of bonded on that level, which was really nice.
Bruiser is definitely triggered by him. He’s betrayed her, and she’s sort of dealing with those feelings, those past emotions, and contemplating whether or not she should help him. And she ends up helping him.
Rudy has plenty of opportunities now that he’s been touted as the rainmaker for Season 1, but he narrows in on Victor Suffredes’ story. What is the thing that pulls him in the most?
MC: Deck plays a huge part in that storyline, and it’s really one of his closest friends realigning his moral compass with true meaning. I think after Season 1, there’s a lot of scope. He’s bought a bar and he has all of this clout. And actually, happiness and meaning are often characterized by the absence of things, as opposed to getting more of them, and he has to get back to his roots.
One of the many things I love about this season is that when you’re dealing with something as hard-hitting as the plight of a child, the connection to the subject matter is so available and authentic to us as actors. I feel like the crew, the writers, everybody really felt that story, so naturally Rudy’s meter for justice kicks in. What do you say, P.J.?
PJB: When the powerful take on the weak with impunity, you call us, and we’ll come save you. From our little taco hut. We have a special button that goes blink.
P.J., Richard Kind joins the show as Deck’s dad. What was it like working with him, and what new qualities of Deck’s come out when he’s with his dad?
PJB: First of all, he’s Richard Kind. He’s the legend. He’s the funniest man in the world. He’s one of our greatest living actors. I’m just in awe of him, obviously, so just to be on set with him is so exciting.
Then we have some very emotional moments because he plays my dad, and kids and their fathers sometimes can bang heads a bit. His dream was for me to be an accountant, to work with him, a father-and-son team. That doesn’t work out. But it’s just a really special relationship, and whenever you’re acting with Richard Kind, it’s always a special day.
Merle Dandridge also joins the cast as Amanda Vonn. She kind of scares me when I watch her on screen. Is she the big bad this season? And what is she like on set?
PJB: She’s lovely. Incredible.
LP: She’s the total opposite of her character, actually.
PJB: When you say “action,” whoo!
LP: Yeah, she’s fierce.
MC: She’s phenomenal. She has such a soul to her, which is beautiful. In a performance like this, when she’s playing somebody who is, on the surface, very closed off and weathered by the system, to have somebody who has access to her soulfulness is really quite poetic and lovely.
We have incredible women in our show this season, as we did last season. Between Lana and Maddie, Libby, Mo, Karen — we have such an incredible cast, and it changes the energy on set in a really positive way, I think.
LP: It does. I think it balances it better.
PJB: Merle’s special, though, because she comes from Broadway. She knows how to fill a big, gigantic theater, so she can really own a courtroom. It’s kind of spectacular to watch her in action.
LP: She owns the well. That’s what they call it, right?
MC: Yeah, don’t put that on there. I called it a well yesterday, and a lawyer was like, “That’s not called the well.” I was like, “It’s called whatever I say it’s called.”
PJB: They call it the well in Ireland.
Lana, Bruiser was a man in the original John Grisham novel. What did it mean for you to take this very masculine role and make it your own?
LP: Honestly, it was an honor. I’ve never played a man before. I’ve always been one of the boys, though, I have to say. I’m still friends with my high school boys, and that’s like 33 years now. I’m the only girl in the group, so I feel really comfortable with the boys, and it was easy to step into her shoes.
But also, being a woman brings a whole different energy, and she’s very maternal with Rudy. (P.J. and I’s) dynamic is great because we’re very brother and sister with each other.
In fact, I can’t see Bruiser as a man anymore. I know it exists on film with the Coppola film and Mickey Rourke and all, but I feel like it was the one role that you could gender-bend and it works.
Another firm is trying to poach Rudy in the first episode, and there’s a question of why he hasn’t been offered a partner position. Is there a rivalry there?
LP: I don’t think it’s a rivalry. I think she just wants to make sure he’s ready for it. This is her firm, so there’s a lot to protect, and she’s always worried about money, too. That means paying him more. We’re not quite there yet. But it’s less about the money, I think it’s more just him. He won one case, and it was a big, huge deal, but she doesn’t want him to get ahead of himself too soon.
PJB: Yeah, too much too fast.
Rudy could go to a bigger client or firm and have that partnership. Why does he want to stick with these guys and the taco hut?
LP: We would kill him otherwise. We would never let him go. Are you kidding? Absolutely not.
PJB: Because you love me. You love me.
MC: There’s a lot of backstory behind where he comes from, you know, he’s a blue-collar guy. And these are his people. I feel like if he had been able to stay at the Trent and Brent firm, I don’t think that would’ve been a successful, spiritual journey into and of himself. Fundamentally, the heart of our show is David and Goliath. We’re the underdogs and we fight the bullies, and that’s kind of where he belongs.
LP: He’s such a moral character as well. He doesn’t feel like he fits in one of those white-shoe firms. They’re a bit dirty.
MC: It’s also kind of fun in the grand scheme of things. He doesn’t want to work for somebody who’s telling him when to eat lunch.
P.J., Deck has a moment in the premiere when he learns that he has a knack for solving puzzles. How fun was it cracking that code and what can you tell us about that?
PJB: It’s great. I didn’t even know that was coming, so that was wild. And then the fact that he has this sort of extra talent, that he is a puzzler — I was like, “Guys, I’m a puzzler. Don’t worry about it.”
They threw a lot at us this year. This show is kind of a detective show, an action show, a law show, a comedy, a drama. They threw a lot at us this year, and now that we know our characters so well, I think we were ready for it.
One genre you didn’t mention was romance. Milo, this season your character and Sarah are kind of at odds. Is there any hope for Sarah and Rudy? Could there be a new love interest?
MC: I think there’s always hope. Michael had something that he said to Maddie and me when we started filming Season 1. He said, “Rudy and Sarah are like a bird and a fish who fell in love. Where are they going to live?”
That’s the whole play out of their relationship in Season 1. As they grow and mature, I’m not sure where that metaphor goes, but I think maybe there’s an opportunity in maturity for them to meet on a level playing field. But we’ll have to see.
PJB: Yeah, Maddie lives with me now, so that’s good.
Before I let you guys go, is there one thing that you’re most excited for the fans to get into this season? Is it a storyline, a funny line of dialogue, a scene? Is there anything that you’re chomping at the bit for them to experience?
MC: Episode 7, P.J. takes his shirt off, and that’s a treat.
LP: That’s a major spoiler, by the way. Major spoiler.
PJB: You’re welcome. You’re welcome, America.
MC: We were ambitious in Season 1, but Season 2 is really where we get to explore the multitudes of the backgrounds of these characters that we love. There’s obviously a huge storyline for Bruiser with her ex-husband. We meet Deck’s dad. We see a lot of Maddie’s parents and their family dynamic, and maybe she gets to explore why Sarah made the decisions that she made.
We’ve got all these new characters as well –—Austin’s character, Merle’s character, Liam O’Halloran and Libby Kay. They’re people who are just fantastic, who’ve come onto our show and really elevated and taken the material that Michael so fantastically provides with the writing team.
This interview was edited for length and clarity.
New episodes of The Rainmaker Season 2 air Fridays at 10:00 p.m. ET on USA Network, Syfy, and E!, with next-day streaming on demand. Season 1 is currently streaming on Peacock and Prime Video.
Additional reporting by Meghan O’Keefe.