Is Presumed Innocent Presumed Good? (Presumed Innocent Season 1 Review)

When you choose to watch any TV show or movie, you’re typically going to have some preconceived notions going in. For example, if I tell you that we’re going to be watching a comedy called Norbit in which Eddie Murphy plays multiple characters, including Norbit’s obese wife, Rasputia, and the owner of a Chinese food restaurant named Mr. Wong, you might assume that said movie would not be a quality motion picture. In this case, said assumptions would be correct. Norbit is a horrendous movie that no human should ever have to sit through.

Norbit: The worst movie ever made?

While in that case preconceived expectations (that were ultimately accurate) might’ve biased you against the movie before even starting it, the opposite could also be true. Before starting the eight-episode series Presumed Innocent, the average viewer is likely aware of several facts:

1. The show is based off of a well-reviewed 1990 movie of the same name starring Harrison Ford (which is actually originally based on a novel).

2. The series stars Jake Gyllenhaal.

3. The show is on Apple TV+.

All three of these facts would lead someone starting Presumed Innocent to presume that it will be a quality show. This is due to the fact that:

1. If something is based off of a movie (and book) the story must be at least somewhat decent to be being told in another medium.

2. Jake Gyllenhaal is typically viewed as a quality actor and is capable of delivering great performances.

3. Apple TV+ is more associated with better TV shows than a basic cable channel like FOX or CBS.

I believe that these preconceived notions about Presumed Innocent lead to it being given a lot of leeway when it comes to how people feel about how good (or bad) the series actually is. After viewing the entirety of this season, I’d allege that Presumed Innocent is closer to a guilty pleasure show than it is to actual quality television.

The acting on Presumed Innocent is the shows biggest strength, and, for the most part, the cast is pretty good. Jake Gyllenhaal delivers a mostly decent performance as the story’s protagonist, Rusty, a prosecutor who becomes the main suspect in the murder of a former colleague and lover who he was cheating on his wife with.

Bill Camp, who plays another lawyer/Rusty’s BFF, and Peter Sarsgaard, who plays the villainous prosecutor out to nail Rusty, are two other quality actors on the show. All three men do the best with the material they’ve been given, and, at times, their performances might trick you into believing you’re watching a better show.

Bill Camp: One of those actors you recognize from lots of TV shows/movies, but whose name you don’t know.

When you actually think about their characters though, they are not complex or well-written. Camp’s character is the loyal friend archetype, while Sarsgaard’s is evil to the point of being unrealistic and silly.

With Rusty, his character is shown usually being levelheaded, while also having bursts of extreme anger. These angry outbursts don’t seem realistic though. It feels more like the show’s creators have inserted these moments into the series just so viewers will question whether or not Rusty is guilty of the murder (which is exactly the case).

The show has other opportunities to further explore its characters, but it doesn’t. There’s a potentially interesting thread involving Rusty’s relationship with his wife and whether or not it’ll survive the case/Rusty’s affair. This isn’t explored in depth though and is definitely not helped by the fact that Gyllenhaal and Ruth Negga, who plays his wife, have exactly zero chemistry.

We never see much of Rusty and the woman he had the affair with beyond some quick flashbacks (that we seem to get every single episode). These flashbacks don’t really tell us much of anything about why the two of them worked as a couple and why she’s done with Rusty before her murder.

Overall, the more I think about this show in retrospect, the less I like it. There’s just not a lot here – definitely not eight episodes worth of interesting material. The entire show basically devolves into eight episodes of trying to guess whether or not Rusty is guilty of the murder. And, if Rusty isn’t guilty, who is the killer? 

With shows like this there are also only so many people the killer can be that would make sense, so it’s hard to have a surprising reveal that really works. Without spoiling its conclusion, I think that the resolution of Presumed Innocent is fine. It does not, however, hold up to scrutiny – mainly because of the way certain characters act that doesn’t line up at all with what we know about them. This is one of those endings where the more you think it through the less sense it makes.

That’s not to say that Presumed Innocent is ever a realistic show. The entire concept of the series is actually pretty ludicrous. I still think it’s watchable. It’s not too boring. I just think it definitely gets away with being presumed good, when it’s probably not such a good show in reality.

Grade: 5.5/10