Presumed Innocent, which was a Scott Turow novel and then a Harrison Ford movie, premieres June 12 as a limited series with Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead role. David E. Kelley and J.J. Abrams produce the show.
Gyllenhaal plays a prominent prosecutor. “The series takes viewers on a gripping journey through the horrific murder that upends the Chicago Prosecuting Attorney’s office when one of its own is suspected of the crime,” Apple TV Plus says. “The series explores obsession, sex, politics and the power and limits of love, as the accused fights to hold his family and marriage together.”
There are eight episodes.
Ruth Negga, Bill Camp, Elizabeth Marvel and Peter Sarsgaard are also in the cast.
The Turow novel came out in 1987 and the movie, directed by Alan J. Pakula, in 1990.
Reviews of the TV series are mixed. One in the New York Times said, “The claustrophobic atmosphere, the emphasis on psychology and trite family drama over well-made mystery and, especially, the crescendoing melodrama that makes a mockery of Turow’s courtroom credibility (even though he is credited as a co-executive producer) had done me in.”
CNN said, “Presumed Innocent does have its moments, but in terms of making a case for committing to sit through eight chapters, Kelley, Gyllenhaal and company haven’t exactly put together an open-and-shut case.”
The Hollywood Reporter’s critic found plenty of flaws, but remained curious about the ending. “For all its late-season ridiculousness, wasted actors and a washed-out aesthetic that represents entirely too much of Apple TV Plus’s brand, I look forward to eventually watching the finale,” Daniel Fienberg wrote. “A smart upending of the twist from the book and movie could cover for a multitude of sins.”
