Presumed Innocent

Sharon and I watched Presumed Innocent on AppleTV+. I read the book sometime in the late 1980s. I can remember that there was a lot of discussion about the book one summer at Lake Almanor (1988?).

Presumed Innocent is a legal thriller television series created by David E. Kelley. It is based on the 1987 novel of the same name by Scott Turow. The series is the first television adaptation of the book, following the 1990 film adaptation starring Harrison Ford and Brian Dennehy.

The show premiered on Apple TV+ on June 12, 2024. It has eight episodes. In July 2024, the series was renewed for a second season.

The series follows successful prosecutor Rusty Sabich (Jake Gyllenhaal) whose world implodes when his colleague is found murdered and he becomes the prime suspect. The show boasts a stellar cast with Jake Gyllenhaal delivering a nuanced performance as the accused man. Ruth Negga shines as his stoic and complex wife. Peter Sarsgaard is chilling as the ambitious prosecutor determined to bring Rusty down.

Despite its strengths, the series isn't without flaws. I found the pacing uneven. Certain episodes dragged, while others moved at a breakneck speed. The plot has been updated nicely to reflect current technology. I enjoyed the series and recommend it. I do feel that there should have been more breadcrumbs pointing to the plot twist at the end.

Listening to Bill Simmons and Derek Thompson talk about The Future of Everything on a podcast, they made an interesting point about streaming serial shows. It often seems like there is no editor. The showrunner can make episodes as long as they want. In fact, they were agruing that the streaming want the shows to run longer to hold the audience. A number of times while we were watching Presumed Innocent there were scenes that just didn't seem to add anything to the story. I asked Sharon what was the point of that scene more than a few times.