After the first season of Presumed Innocent became a critical hit (personally, I didn’t love it), everything pointed to Apple TV+ continuing to follow the twisted story of Rusty Sabich. The character, created by Scott Turow in 1987, is a staple of American legal fiction. His story didn’t end with the original book: Turow wrote sequels, and the story has seen several adaptations — including a TV movie starring Bill Pullman based on Innocent. In theaters, Harrison Ford starred in the 1990 film version, a dark and stylish thriller that left a mark. So the setup for an ongoing saga seemed perfect.

The first season, with Jake Gyllenhaal playing Rusty, gave the familiar story a fresh edge — high production value, weekly episode drops, and a strong cast that included Ruth Negga, Peter Sarsgaard, Renate Reinsve, and O-T Fagbenle. It performed well — Apple even announced it was their most-watched drama series — and renewal came fast. But behind the scenes, things were shifting.

Both Jake Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard chose not to return. Peter was the first to speak out, explaining in interviews that he simply wasn’t interested in long-term projects. “I’m a one-season person,” he told IndieWire, emphasizing his preference for creative freedom over multi-season commitments. Gyllenhaal didn’t comment directly, but confirmed he’d stay on as executive producer without reprising his role. In short, the show’s core cast was gone, and with them, the possibility of adapting Turow’s sequels became far less appealing.

That’s when David E. Kelley stepped in with a bold new plan. A former lawyer turned television powerhouse, Kelley has built a career on courtroom drama — from The Practice and Boston Legal to Ally McBeal, Goliath, and Big Little Lies. Rather than forcing a sequel without its lead actors, Kelley reinvented the show entirely. Presumed Innocent is now an anthology series. Like Fargo or The White Lotus, each season will tell a new story with new characters — but all centered on the moral ambiguities and high-stakes drama of the legal world.

Interestingly, this shift happened before any of Turow’s sequel novels could be adapted — signaling that Kelley and Apple were more interested in creative freedom than staying married to the source material. For season two, Presumed Innocent will be based on Dissection of a Murder, the debut novel from British writer Jo Murray, which hasn’t even been released yet. The book is set to hit shelves in May 2026 via Pan Macmillan, aligning closely with the show’s timeline in a rare cross-media launch strategy.

And the plot? Classic Kelley. Leila Reynolds, a young, relatively inexperienced criminal defense lawyer, finds herself at the center of a high-profile murder trial. The accused is Jack Millman, charged with killing a respected judge — and he refuses to speak to anyone except Leila. As if that weren’t enough pressure, Leila is married to the prosecutor leading the case against her client. And of course, she has secrets of her own that might unravel in court. It’s not just about guilt or innocence — it’s about the layers of truth, manipulation, and power both in and out of the courtroom.

So who’s stepping into the lead role? Rachel Brosnahan, fresh off her Emmy-winning turn in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and a headline-making performance as Lois Lane in Superman. It’s a smart casting move — Brosnahan brings charisma, intelligence, and just the right amount of steel to anchor a complex role like Leila. In July 2025, Jack Reynor (of Midsommar and The Perfect Couple) also joined the cast in an undisclosed role.

The second season doesn’t yet have a release date, but it’s expected to follow the same weekly rollout that helped build buzz for season one. And now, without being tied to a single narrative or character, Presumed Innocent has room to grow in fresh, unexpected directions.

In the end, what looked like a setback may turn out to be a smart pivot. With Kelley at the helm, Presumed Innocent is now a platform for sharp, character-driven stories about the justice system — where, as the first season reminded us, no one is ever entirely innocent. Not the defendant. Not the defense. Not even the audience.