The show was commissioned with a straight-to-series order of eight episodes on December 1, 2015[3] and premiered on October 13, 2016, on Amazon Prime Video.

[11] On May 14, 2015, it was announced that Amazon had issued a pilot order for the series, then titled Trial, based on a script by David E. Kelley and Jonathan Shapiro.

[39] On December 1, 2015, Amazon announced that it was bypassing the pilot process with the project and was instead issuing a straight-to-series order consisting of a ten-episode first season to premiere in 2016.

[4] On June 25, 2015, it was reported that Kevin Costner was in talks to join the series in the lead role of Billy McBride.

[42][43] For the show's fourth and final season, Brandon Scott and Geoffrey Arend joined the main cast, while Obba Babatundé and Elias Koteas appear in recurring roles.

This announcement also provided the casting additions of more than half a dozen actors including Dennis Quaid and Amy Brenneman as Wade and Diana Blackwood, Season 3's billionaire siblings who become the antagonists after the accidental death of Billy's friend Gene's wife.

The site's critical consensus reads, "Compelling performances from an excellent cast—led by standout Billy Bob Thornton—propel David E. Kelley's Goliath into must-watch TV territory.