‘One Tree Hill’ Star to Recur in USA’s ‘The Rainmaker’

Austin Nichols is going from Tree Hill to Charleston.

Deadline reports that the One Tree Hill star has joined the cast of The Rainmaker Season 2 on USA Network in a recurring role.

He will portray the ex-husband of Lana Parrilla’s Bruiser, a minor-league baseball coach and former player who finds himself in the middle of a dangerous conspiracy. Along with Parrilla, Nichols joins cast members Milo Callaghan, John Slattery, Madison Iseman, and P.J. Byrne. The series follows a fresh-out-of-law-school lawyer who goes head-to-head with a courtroom lion as well as his law school girlfriend, as he uncovers two connected conspiracies with his boss and her disheveled paralegal surrounding the mysterious death of their client’s son.

Developed by Michael Seitzman and Jason Richman, The Rainmaker is based on John Grisham’s 1995 novel of the same name. The series premiered in August and was renewed for Season 2 that October. The season finale was the most-viewed episode of the season on USA Network and, in total cross-platform viewership of Season 1 to date, USA says The Rainmaker is the most-viewed freshman series in seven years.

“The verdict is in — The Rainmaker is returning for season two on USA Network,” said Val Boreland, president of entertainment at Versant, at the time of the renewal via Variety. “Along with our brilliant showrunner Michael Seitzman and our partners at Lionsgate and Blumhouse, we’re thrilled to build on the momentum and deliver another compelling chapter of this gripping legal drama for our viewers.”

Nichols is best known for his role as Julian Baker on One Tree Hill. He joined The CW drama in Season 6 in a recurring role and was upped to series regular beginning with Season 7 until the show ended with Season 9. He can most recently be seen in 2025’s I Know What You Did Last Summer and is reportedly going to appear in the upcoming seventh season of Virgin River, premiering on March 12 on Netflix. Additional credits include Due West, Six Triple Eight, The Christmas Classic, Walker, Ray Donovan, Bates Motel, The Walking Dead, and The Mob Doctor.

Additional details about The Rainmaker Season 2 have not been revealed, but it shouldn’t be long until production starts and more information is shared. The Season 1 finale aired in October, so it might still be some time until Season 2 is here.