Morris Chestnut in "When the Bough Breaks" (2016) — Morris Chestnut in “When the Bough Breaks” (2016)

After Fox announced its cancellation of “Rosewood” just over a month ago, we all wondered what would be next for the star of the series Morris Chestnut. We now have an answer: Chestnut has booked a co-starring role opposite Billy Bob Thornton on the upcoming second season of Amazon’s original legal drama series “Goliath.”

In “Goliath,” Thornton stars as Billy McBride, formerly a brilliant and personable lawyer who founded the law firm, Cooperman McBride, with Donald Cooperman, which they worked together to grow into a large successful company. But McBride washed out of the firm and became an alcoholic after a murder suspect he got acquitted on a technicality went on to kill an entire family. He lives in an extended-stay hotel by the Santa Monica Pier.

Chestnut has signed up to play Chief Deputy District Attorney Hakeem Rashad, who lost the murder suspect case to McBride and holds a grudge against him. When he learns McBride has taken over the case of a teenager accused of a double murder, he steps in to handle the case personally. He is determined to crush Billy and his defense team, while scoring a big win for the prosecutor’s office.

The show was commissioned with a straight-to-series order of eight episodes which premiered on October 13, 2016, on Amazon Video. On February 15, 2017, Amazon announced the series had been renewed for a second season which will premiere some time next year.

At the 74th Golden Globe Awards, Billy Bob Thornton won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama for his work on the series.

Deadline was first to report the news on Chestnut’s casting.

Goliath

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