Why Presumed Innocent didn’t set up season 2 in its finale

Gyllenhaal stars in the show he helped produce

The creators of legal thriller series, Presumed Innocent, have explained why they did not set up a second season in the show’s finale.

Based on a novel by Scott Turow by the same name, the series follows a movie adaptation, released in 1990, starring Harrison Ford.

Executive produced by Ally McBeal creator David E Kelly, Nightcrawler star Jake Gyllenhaal and Star Wars and Star Trek director JJ Abrams, the show was initially released as a limited series.

Gyllenhaal stars as prosecutor Rusty Sabich who is accused of the murder of his colleague Carolyn Polhemus, played by Renate Reinsve, who he was also having an affair with.

Apple TV+ announced that the show would be returning for a second season on 12 June, which left fans confused when the finale dropped 12 days later and appeared to be a very final and self-contained conclusion to the storylines and characters featured throughout.

“We discussed the possibility of a second season during production, but then Apple brought it up to us in post,” Abrams said according to Deadline.

Expanding on the timing of renewal conversations, he explained that the first season had already been shot and completed when the team were approached about continuing the concept.

“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 said.

Gyllenhall stars as Rusty Sabich in the legal thriller (Apple TV+)

“It’s too early to talk about what might happen in Season 2, but we’re very excited about the possibilities we are discussing.”

Gyllenhaal stars opposite his brother, Peter Sarsgaard, who plays his adversary, Tommy Molto. Gyllenhaal recalled finding it “funny” to see Sarsgaard behave seriously on set, joking “tone it down” in a recent interview.

The Independent’s chief TV critic Nick Hilton called the series a criminal misfire, giving it a meagre two stars.

“What’s clear is that the streamer was shooting for something like Sky’s The Night Of, a brooding 2016 thriller set in the New York justice system,” he concluded in his review.

“But Presumed Innocent fails to be anything like it – nowhere near as shocking, sexy or satisfying. With this much investment and this much talent, such a misfire feels almost criminal.”