Though he’s greatly known for headlining major movies, Jake Gyllenhaal made a major splash on the 2024 TV schedule via his leading role in Presumed Innocent. An adaptation of Scott Turow’s novel of the same name, the Gyllenhaal’s show earned positive reviews throughout its eight-episode run and could be considered one of Apple TV+’s best shows. With all that in mind, a second season is on the way, and it would seem that some major changes are afoot. So let’s talk about the significant alterations that are on the horizon.
What should be noted up front is that before Presumed Innocent Season 2 was greenlit, the show was conceived as a limited series. So, as Deadline mentions in its report, a second set of episodes wasn’t charted out early on. Scott Turow did produce a sequel book – 2010’s Innocent – but it would seem that the producers are not using that as the source material for Season 2. Per the trade, they’re using Jo Muray’s upcoming novel, Dissection of a Murder, as the basis for the story. This creative move now solidifies the show’s position as a limited series.
A fresh story also marks the arrival of a fresh protagonist and, this time around, a female character will be at the forefront of the legal drama. Dissection of Murder reportedly centers on the character of Leila Reynolds, who finds herself in a tricky situation when landing her first murder trial. Reynolds’ husband turns out to be the prosecutor on the case and, while dealing with legal hurdles, Leila must also seek to keep her own indiscretions from coming to light. (This surely sounds tense, I’ll tell you that.)
Even though this all sounds thrilling, some people may be disappointed to learn that Jake Gyllenhaal’s Rusty Sabich is no longer the lead character. Nevertheless, the actor himself will remain involved behind the scenes. Gyllenhaal is set to stay on board as an executive producer, which is a position he held down amid production on Season 1. The exact extent of his involvement in that regard isn’t totally clear though, at the very least, he could help to ensure some kind of creative continuity.
It honestly makes sense that the producers would opt to move on with a different story for the second season. The first season of the David E. Kelley-created series focused on Rusty Sabich, as he was accused of murdering colleague Carolyn Polhemus, who he was having an affair with. Without going into the specifics of the Season 1 finale, I’ll say that it wraps up Rusty’s story in a logical way, and it arguably wouldn’t have made sense to keep following him as a protagonist.
As of right now, a release window has yet to be announced for the upcoming season of Presumed Innocent. Considering the gaps in releases for seasons of other Apple TV+ shows, it could be some time before the new episodes are completed and released to the public. Hopefully, further updates arrive sooner rather than later, including casting news. I’d imagine that the producers will seek to find a marquee name to play Leila. Time will tell what the formerly Jake Gyllenhaal-led show has in store.
Those who’ve yet to watch the first season of Presumed Innocent or just want to revisit it can do so by streaming all eight episodes now by using an active Apple TV+ subscription.
