The verdict is in: “Presumed Innocent” has been renewed for a second season on Apple TV+. The legal thriller, based on Scott Turow’s best-selling novel, has captivated audiences since its premiere on June 12, making it the most-watched drama on the platform to date. The renewal comes just ahead of the season finale, which is set to air on July 24.
The first season of “Presumed Innocent” stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Rusty Sabich, a prosecutor who finds himself accused of murdering a colleague with whom he had an affair. The cast also includes Ruth Negga, Bill Camp, O-T Fagbenle, Chase Infiniti, Elizabeth Marvel, Nana Mensah, Renate Reinsve, Peter Sarsgaard, Kingston Rumi Southwick, and Gabby Beans. While the second season will focus on a new case, it remains unclear which, if any, of the original cast members will return.
Gyllenhaal, who is making his first foray into an ongoing TV role, expressed his enthusiasm for the project. “I was drawn into the story like an audience member after reading the first script,” he said. “I enjoyed the challenge of working in a different medium after years of film and stage work. It’s so interesting to be in a different medium and see how it feels.”
Apple TV+ has not provided specific viewing data, but the streamer claims “Presumed Innocent” is its most-watched drama series to date. Despite this, the show did not make it into Nielsen’s U.S. streaming top 10 charts for its premiere week.
The series is produced by J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions and David E. Kelley Productions in association with Warner Bros. TV. David E. Kelley adapted Turow’s novel and serves as the showrunner. Kelley, along with his DEK Productions partner Matthew Tinker, executive produces the series with Abrams and Rachel Rusch Rich of Bad Robot, Gyllenhaal via his Nine Stories banner, Dustin Thomason, Sharr White, and directors Anne Sewitsky and Greg Yaitanes. Turow and Miki Johnson serve as co-executive producers.
For the second season, Kelley, Tinker, Abrams, Rich, Gyllenhaal, and Thomason will return as executive producers, with Turow again serving as co-executive producer. The new season promises to unfold around a suspenseful, brand-new case, though details remain under wraps.
“Presumed Innocent” has received positive reviews from critics. Aramide Tinubu of Variety described it as “one of the best legal thrillers to arrive on television in years.” However, some critics felt the adaptation fell short of its source material. Ben Travers of IndieWire noted, “As escapist summer fare, it’s diverting enough, but the TV remake makes some desperate gambits to fill out its episodes, and the emptiness underneath its dedicated performances proves just as nagging as the monotonous repetition of the same two queries, hour after hour, all the way through the finale.”
The renewal of “Presumed Innocent” follows a trend of successful limited series becoming ongoing drama series. Like “White Lotus” and “Shōgun,” “Presumed Innocent” will likely have characters who link the seasons. However, there is no clear blueprint for continuing the series from Turow’s body of work. His 1987 bestseller “Presumed Innocent” was followed by the 1990 novel “The Burden of Proof,” which follows the character Sandy Stern from “Presumed Innocent” after the events in that novel. The character was played by Raul Julia in the 1990 film adaptation but does not exist in the TV series. Instead, the show introduced Gabby Beans’s Mya as a defense attorney.
Gyllenhaal’s Rusty Sabich is not a recurring character in Turow’s books, so it is unclear whether Gyllenhaal will return as an actor. “Presumed Innocent” has a true book sequel, the 2011 novel “Innocent,” which again pits Rusty and Tommy Molto (played by Peter Sarsgaard in the series) against each other 20 years later after the mysterious death of Rusty’s wife.
Kelley is known for adding unexpected twists to well-known literary source material, so fans will have to wait and see how Season 1 of “Presumed Innocent” ends for clues about where the series will go next.
In addition to producing “Presumed Innocent” Season 2, Gyllenhaal has a busy slate ahead of him. He is set to star in “The Bride!,” his sister Maggie Gyllenhaal’s punk rock riff on “The Bride of Frankenstein,” and an upcoming sequel to his “Road House” remake that is in development at Amazon.
With the finale of “Presumed Innocent” set to stream on July 24, fans can look forward to more legal drama and suspense in the upcoming second season.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Variety
