Presumed Innocent 2: key information
– The second season was confirmed by Apple TV Plus on July 12
– Jake Gyllenhaal will return as executive producer, but he’s not been confirmed to be starring in it again as Rusty Sabich
– Peter Sarsgaard is unlikely to be returning, as he said “he’s not interested in sequels…I’m a one-season person”
– Season two will “will unfold around a suspenseful, brand-new case”, although it might take inspiration from the two Scott Turow follow-up novels, The Burden of Proof and Innocent, or his new novel, Presumed Guilty, which comes out January 2025
– Executive producer J.J. Abrams – who is also onboard for season 2 – said: “We’re very excited about the possibilities we are discussing”
Such was the success of Presumed Innocent, Apple TV Plus’ dark and twisting adaptation of the Scott Turow book of the same name, that the first season hadn’t even ended before it landed a recommission from the streamer.
And while viewers had yet to find out whether Rusty Sabich (Jake Gyllenhaal) did or didn’t murder his mistress, the announcement on July 12 was cheering news for fans of the gripping crime procedural drama.
Now the story has officially wrapped up – and Forbes claims it’s been the streamers most-watched drama of all time – let’s look forward to the second series. This article will explain everything you need to know, from what to expect from the plot (including what Turow book it’s based on), new cast lists, when it’s likely to be out, and, when it drops, the trailer.
Presumed Innocent 2: does it have a release date?
With the first season of the drama only finishing at the end of July 2024, we wouldn’t expect to see anything until the very earliest at the end of 2025.
Presumed Innocent 2: is there a trailer yet?
New season. New case.Presumed Innocent has been renewed for season 2. pic.twitter.com/FeKFmAWueiJuly 12, 2024
Again, it’s not going to take a district attorney to work out that a trailer won’t be expected until a few weeks before the launch of season two.
Presumed Innocent 2: has a cast been confirmed?
Here’s where things get interesting. Despite Gyllenhaal playing the lead in this series, it’s not been immediately confirmed if he’s starring in the follow up, although this may change. He is, however, staying on as executive producer, alongside J.J. Abrams, Rachel Rusch Rich, Dustin Thomason, Matthew Tinker, David E. Kelley and Scott Turow.
One person who may not be returning is Gyllenhaal’s real-life brother in law, Peter Sarsgaard, who played Tommy Molto. He told IndieWire in August 2024: “I’m not really that interested in sequels. I think I’ve only ever done one season of anything… I think I’m a one-season person.”
Which would be a shame, as the director Greg Yaitanes told Variety that being brothers-in-law gave the actors a special connection on set: “What it did provide was that there was a safety and trust and love there, which I think is important to go as far as they did — and into nuance as much as they did.”
J.J. Abrams added to Deadline: “I will say that watching Peter Sarsgaard bring that character to life was such a joy. He’s such a remarkable actor.”
Presumed Innocent 2: what do we know about the plot?
Apple TV Plus’ official – but very vague – synopsis is that season two “will unfold around a suspenseful, brand-new case”.
Even one of the exec producers, J.J. Abrams, said that the team didn’t really factor seeding storylines in for a season two in the original series, telling Deadline in July 2024: “We discussed the possibility of a second season during production, but then Apple brought it up to us in post. Nothing was ever shot to set up a second season. Our focus was telling the story of Carolyn’s murder and Rusty’s trial, and wrapping that up at the end of the first season.”
He added: “It’s too early to talk about what might happen in season 2, but we’re very excited about the possibilities we are discussing.”
We know that Turow wrote a couple of follow-up novels to Presumed Innocent called The Burden of Proof (1990) which then follows Sandy Stern after the events at the end of Presumed Innocent. And in 2010, there was Innocent, which sees Sabich having (another!) affair, and he is accused of the murder of his wife.
Then, in August 2024, it was announced that Turow would be releasing another book from his hit literary multiverse, Presumed Guilty, which will hit bookshops on January 14, 2025. The case will return back to Rusty Sabich, now a retired judge, as he returns to the courtroom one last time in hopes of keeping his partner’s son out of jail, when the young man becomes a suspect in a missing-person case.
But we’re yet to find out whether any of these will form the basis for the next season, or whether the writers will be given full creative licence to go off the literary piste.
For more Apple TV Plus-related coverage, read our guides on Severance season 2, Ted Lasso season 4, and Slow Horses season 5.
