We’re Getting ‘Presumed Innocent’ Season 2, but Will Jake Gyllenhaal Return?
If an accused must be presumed innocent until proven guilty, and Jake Gyllenhaal’s Rusty Sabich is yet to be proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, then can we expect him to return for a season 2 of the Apple TV+ series?
This is just one of the many questions floating around in fans’ minds after the announcement that Presumed Innocent has already been renewed for a second season, which came just days before the penultimate episode of season 1 airs. And it’s just as exciting to ponder where the story will go next as it is to try and figure out who the murderer is. I mean, I’ve been looking at a new suspect every episode this season!
The series, created by David E. Kelly, had its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival before releasing on June 12, 2024, with weekly episodes dropping in, and a season finale set for July 23, 2024. The series has gotten rave reviews for being an engaging legal thriller with great character development, and praise for the performances of its lead cast—Jake Gyllenhaal, Ruth Negga, Bill Camp, and Peter Sarsgaard. Presumed Innocent also became Apple TV+’s most-watched drama series.
Following its success, and exactly a month after its premiere, on July 12, 2024, it was announced that Apple TV+ had renewed Presumed Innocent for a second season. Here’s everything we know about it.
What will Presumed Innocent season 2 be about?
Initially ordered as a miniseries, Presumed Innocent is an adaptation of American author Scott Turow’s debut novel of the same name. The novel was also adapted into a film back in 1990, in which Harrison Ford played the character, Rozat ‘Rusty’ Sabich, currently being reprised by Jake Gyllenhaal.
But this isn’t Turow’s only work to have been adapted for the screen. His second novel, The Burden of Proof, was also turned into a TV miniseries, starring Héctor Elizondo back in 1991. Furthermore, a pilot was shot for a TV adaptation of his third novel, Pleading Guilty, but it was never picked up.
All of Turow’s novels are legal thrillers set in the legal community of a fictional county in Chicago, Illinois, with some characters from previous novels making appearances in the other. In fact, the character of Sandy Stern, the protagonist in Turow’s second novel, was featured in the film adaptation of Presumed Innocent (played by Raul Julia) as a top defense lawyer that Rusty hires to fight his case.
According to the announcement, Presumed Innocent season 2 will “unfold around a brand new case.” So one could assume that the show might follow the path of author and co-executive producer Turow’s novels and continue to play around in the same sandbox, with some of the characters from season 1 making an appearance.
It is worth noting that the character of Stern has not yet appeared in the series, seemingly replaced by Gabby Beans, who plays the defense attorney Mya, helping Horgan on Rusty’s case. Perhaps that’s a character worth exploring?
More could be revealed in the final two episodes and we’re going to have to wait and watch!
Do we have a cast for season 2?
The character of Rusty Sabich does not return in any of Turow’s other books until his 2010 novel Innocent, set some 20 years after Presumed Innocent, when Rusty and his former colleague Tommy Molto go face-to-face again. This leaves the question open about whether Jake Gyllenhaal is returning for the second season.
What we can confirm is that Gyllenhaal will be returning as executive producer alongside David E. Kelly, J.J. Abrams, Matt Tinker, Dustin Thomason, and Rachel Rusch Rich, with author Scott Turow also returning as co-executive producer.
When will Presumed Innocent season 2 air?
With the renewal only just announced, there is no confirmation about a possible release date quite yet. But let’s hope that it decides to take the road less traveled and not make us wait for two to three years, unlike a few other beloved series that make us wait forever, much like long-drawn cases tied up in litigation!
Have a tip we should know? tips@themarysue.com
