Bull

Bull stands for a lot of things in our world. One of the uses applies to Wall Street. A Bull market is an aggressive up market, one we have recently experienced.

In this show, Bull stands for more than that. I believe it stands for the way many people carry themselves in the business world, as in full of....

The pace and the dialog are so fast and at so high a level of business-speak that those only half-listening or not familiar with the market might have some trouble keeping up and/or understanding all that is going on; especially the references to insider knowledge and trading.

For those who keep up they will be rewarded with a well written, intelligent, and entertaining show. The cast is very good, especially Donald Moffat and Stanley Tucci. The younger part of the ensemble will get better as they "get" their characters filled out.

I am looking forward to the upcoming episodes and strongly recommend it.

What's up with the lighting on this show? I never notice these kinds of things, but I could not help noticing that in several scenes of the show one character's face was half lost in shadow, while another character's balding head was hit by a spotlight(?) which created this blinding reflection. Very distracting.

Sometimes the notable thing about a show isn't the show at all. This is one of the most glaring examples of that. And this is another show with the same title as a different show on this list of The 400 Most Notable TV Shows Set in New York City.

Many people know the term "Bull Market" as it relates to business. It's Wall Street lingo for how well Stocks are doing. Bull Markets are charging ahead, with investors buying up stocks, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising and lots of money to be made because there's lots of confidence in how everything is progressing.

That is the world of "Bull," where this particular team of investment bankers are working to start their own firm, and intend to do it by breaking away from the institution that gave them the space and the skills to become proficient.

Leading the charge is George Newbern (who appeared on this NYC 400 list as part of the cast of #361's sitcom, "Working Girl"). Here, Newbern plays Robert Roberts III, who intends to shatter his family business, run by Granddad Robert Roberts (Donald Moffat) and Father Robert Roberts II (Ryan O'Neal) so he can finally escape the shadow he's been living under his whole life.

There was definitely some of the flavor of those old-time 1980s Nighttime Soaps like "Dallas" and "Dynasty" with the struggle for power within a family, the ensemble of players trying to gain the upper hand and the betrayal of family blood for the potential for big money.

Robert the Third intended to poach the team of staffers to help him accomplish his goal of independent success. And everyone agrees to go along because they all have their own personal motivations for wanting a new beginning.

But how can this upstart bunch of start ups make the grade? They can't use the clients from their current bank, and they don't have any means to allow them to attract big supporters, just based on their reputations (or complete lack thereof).

Enter Hunter Lasky, played by Stanley Tucci (who we last saw at 379's "3 lbs"), a hyper-driven investment lawyer that maybe can drum up, fabricate or simply smoke-and-mirror this new firm into being the hottest thing on the Street since NASDAQ got formed and turned everything upside-down.

In fact, March 10, 2000 was the high water mark for the so-called dot com marketplace at the time.

New York plays a part because there's no more cutthroat business area on the planet than Wall Street, and there's nobody who knows more about how the market works than those that work the market. It is the seat of all business for the nation and there really is no other place a show like this could have been set.

Also notable is that this program was the first ever original series produced by TNT, then known as Turner Network Television, which had been running the catalog of classic films that Ted Turner acquired the rights to show prior to branching out into other forms of entertainment.

But the most notable thing about the series is that shortly after it began, the Stock Market had its "Dot Com Bubble" burst, and Wall Street took a free fall into a "Bear Market." Suddenly, nearly within days or even hours, companies that looked valuable on paper became as worthless as paper. It was a huge readjustment in the marketplace and it ended the speculative reach of most players on the scene.

As such, "Bull," this 2000 series, came to an abrupt, and very memorable, end... with nothing to do because of the show itself, but everything to do with how reality changed around it.

This show KICKS BUTT! While it has already shown a couple of re-runs, I think it gives people a chance to live vicariously through each of the characters. Not that I consider myself a Ruffo, but I wouldn't mind making a bid on Ashton Paper! These characters are tough, smart, and classy. It seems like they're always one step ahead, and that's a good place to be.

BULL / (2000) ***1/2 (out of four)

It is so difficult these days to find involving, thought-provoking television programming. Far too many programs feature shallow characters, disposable stories, and a wasteful cast; in our present generation TV has become a tool to reduce boredom instead of enriching audience's lives and portraying their culture. Turner Network Television (TNT) will launch their first-ever dramatic series in August and has ordered thirteen episodes of the one-hour long production. I do not watch much television, but "Bull" is one array that I definitely would consider viewing on a weekly basis. The show is interesting, dramatic, and offers more artistic merit and fine performances than most sitcoms can dream about.

"Bull" details the choice of several Wall Street investment bankers to break away from a financial firm in order to start their own business. There is Robert "Ditto" Roberts III (George Newbern), who is used to being treated with spoiled tactics and generous income because his enormously wealthy grandfather, "The Kaiser"(Donald Moffat), owns his previous company. Carson Boyd (Christopher Wiehl), laid off recently at the firm and his open to any new developments that will provide his family with steady income. Marissa Rufo (Alicia Coppola) just resigned from the big-time firm because she is tired of the moguls hurting others for the cash they already obtain. Also Alison Jeffers (Elisabeth Rohm) and Corey Granville (Malik Yoba), who risk everything in order to join "Ditto" on his quest for new ideas.

Dialogue is what this production is all about; many of the characters just stroll around in office buildings, so what they say had better be interesting. It is. The writers provide the characters with sufficient intelligence making the dialogue smart, decisive, edgy, and it clearly defines the culture in which the characters inhabit.

The characters are vividly detailed through convincing dialogue, actions, subplots, and relationships; the individuals here are free to explore their territory and examine their material by contributing more than it has to offer. There are several subplots offering variety and help to propel the story along smoothly.

When we think of good performances, normally that means there is a combination of good casting and a solid, convincing actor portraying a character. "Bull" contains ethical acting throughout. Donald Moffat is probably one of the more effective performers here, with his alluring personality and devious arrogance that brings his corporate tycoon to life in many perspectives. George Newbern furnishes his character his enthusiasm and eccentricity. Alicia Coppola is believably panicked and stressed over personal matters that are not yet explored. Christopher Wiehl is perfect for his grief stricken role.

Arrogant investment bankers are not usually the type of characters audiences are likely to sympathize with, but "Bull" offers a wide variety of relateable characters, one who will surely make contact with the feelings of an audience. "We have six completely different characters; everybody can relate to at least one of them," explains producer Michael S. Chernuchin in the press notes. To some extent he is in the fault when placing such a variance of characters all over the board, assuring the production will not miss because the targets are accustomed. However, there is a central motivation here, which justifies the production's actions. It will be interesting to see if this series will flourish or bomb, but being the timely, smart spectacle that it is, my money is on its success.