I'm not into courtroom dramas, & I don't have a particular interest in procedurals of any stripe. I did find "Goliath" to be very involving and entertaining. There are some clichéd tropes, as there are to some extent in ALL narrative fiction: the wastrel who has squandered his position of privilege and is handed the means to his own retribution, the big bad corporation pitted against the little guy, the 11th hour testimony to save the day for the plucky litigants...these contrivances in no way detract from what is at heart a good story with vivid, lifelike characters who suffer real consequences. There are a few "types", characters who fulfill a narrative function, but if you're THAT hung up on purity, screw it; you shouldn't be watching television, you should be writing stories and making your own truthful narratives. This is quality entertainment, and easily the best thing I've watched recently. Billy Bob Thornton is perfect, the supporting cast is top- notch, and while it does follow some genre formulae...it's artfully rendered GENRE, people. I suspect that the person complaining that it wasn't up to the standards of Chandler or Connelly (WTF?) suffers from ODC and likes having the last word in any discussion, whether it's regarding crime fiction or upholstery. I found it very entertaining.
