Jake Gyllenhaal is surprisingly not returning in an Apple TV+ hit crime drama’s season 2, despite being one of the primary reasons behind the show’s season 1 success. His departure from the series is surprising and raises many questions about the show’s potential narrative direction in the next installment. Although there could be many reasons behind Gyllenhaal’s departure from the series after season 1, the show’s intriguing change in storytelling format seems to be the biggest contributor.
In a career spanning over 3 decades, Jake Gyllenhaal has acted in films and shows of almost all genres. Not all his movies and shows have been critically and commercially successful, but one thing has almost always been consistent: his performance. The actor never misses a beat with his portrayal of his characters and usually elevates a show or movie’s drama and action with his brilliant screen presence and emotional depth. He did the same in an Apple TV+ show but has still been replaced in its upcoming second installment for one reason.
Presumed Innocent Season 2 Is Not Continuing Season 1’s Story
The New Installment Is Based On A Whole New Crime Thriller Novel
Presumed Innocent season 1 adapted Scott Turow’s 1987 novel of the same name, which was also the source material for Harrison Ford’s 1990 Presumed Innocent movie. Over the years, Scott Turow has written two follow-ups to the original novel. While one, titled Innocent, continues Rusty Sabich and Tommy Molto’s story, the other, Presumed Guilty, takes a massive time jump and follows Rusty’s life after retirement. Surprisingly, despite having an abundance of source material left to adapt, the Apple TV+ show is not adapting Turow’s sequel novels.
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Presumed Innocent Season 2: Cast, Story & Everything We Know
Apple TV+’s hit legal thriller Presumed Innocent has already been renewed for a second season, but this time it will tackle a brand-new case.
Instead, the series is picking another original novel, Dissection of a Murder, which serves as Jo Murray’s debut legal thriller in the literary world. The novel is scheduled to be published on May 14, 2026, and has nothing to do with the original Scott Turow book. Since Murray’s book revolves around a whole new set of characters with no underlying connections with Presumed Innocent‘s story, Presumed Innocent season 2 will primarily feature a new cast. Owing to this, its story has no room for Jake Gyllenhaal’s Rusty Sabich from season 1.
Instead of continuing season 1’s story and featuring the same roster from the opening installment, the show’s season 2 is rebooting its narrative with a fresh criminal case and murder mystery drama.
Similar to other acclaimed crime dramas like True Detective, Apple TV+’s Presumed Innocent is taking the anthology route. Instead of continuing season 1’s story and featuring the same roster from the opening installment, the show’s season 2 is rebooting its narrative with a fresh criminal case and murder mystery drama. Although Jake Gyllenhaal’s absence will likely be felt in season 2 after his brilliant season 1 performance, this approach makes sense since Presumed Innocent season 1’s ending was fairly conclusive.
Rachel Brosnahan Is Jake Gyllenhaal’s Replacement In Presumed Innocent Season 2
Her Involvement Makes Presumed Innocent Season 2 Promising
Although Dissection of a Murder has not yet hit the bookshelves, its premise reveals that it revolves around Leila Reynolds, who lands her first murder case. Leila realizes she is way out of her zone with the new case, but the defendant only seems to want her as his representative in court. Things get even more complicated for the character when she learns that her husband is the prosecutor, which threatens to uncover many of her buried secrets.
As reports have confirmed, Rachel Brosnahan will portray the main character in Presumed Innocent season 2. Jake Gyllenhaal could still appear in the series as some characters from season 1 might carry over to the upcoming installment’s narrative. However, for now, it looks like Presumed Innocent will embrace the anthology format. Given how Brosnahan has delivered memorable performances in shows, like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and is also playing Louis Lane in the upcoming Superman film, the Apple TV+ show will likely benefit from her casting.
