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Dhruv is a Lead Writer in Screen Rant's New TV division. He has been consistently contributing to the website for over two years and has written thousands of articles covering streaming trends, movie/TV analysis, and pop culture breakdowns.
Before Screen Rant, he was a Senior Writer for The Cinemaholic, covering everything from anime to television, from reality TV to movies.
After high school, he was on his way to become a Civil Engineer. However, he soon realized that writing was his true calling. As a result, he took a leap and never looked back.
Apple TV's Presumed Innocent, which is being touted as a potential True Detective replacement, continues a heartbreaking Jake Gyllenhaal trend from his movies.
Despite significantly changing the story from its source material and the 1990 Harrison Ford movie of the same name, Presumed Innocent performed well on Apple TV. Owing to its critical acclaim and commercial success, the series is all set to return with another season, which will make it a lot like HBO's True Detective.
Although many factors have contributed to Presumed Innocent's success, it is Gyllenhaal's performance that makes its courtroom drama truly compelling. Interestingly, Gyllenhaal seems right in his element in the series because it continues his most notable trend.
Jake Gyllenhaal Often Plays Lonely Characters, & His Role In Presumed Innocent Is No Different
Jake Gyllenhaal is famously known for playing some of the loneliest characters on screen. From grief-stricken widower in Demolition to a morally bankrupt and desperate photojournalist in Nightcrawler, almost all his characters carry a sense of isolation and longing for meaning or redemption. Even in a non-serious movie like Road House, Gyllenhaal plays an emotionally damaged drifter who is haunted by his own dark tendencies.
His role in Apple TV's Presumed Innocent is no different.
The Apple TV show's main character is Rusty Sabich, an accomplished attorney accused of murdering one of his own co-workers who he had an affair with. As the show progresses, Rusty finds himself in a lonely place, where the truth about his affair gradually comes to light while his family, too, drifts away from him.
Although many factors have contributed to Presumed Innocent's success on Apple TV, it is Jake Gyllenhaal's performance that truly elevates it above most regular crime dramas. As he always does, the actor fully immerses himself in Rusty's vulnerability, moral ambiguity, and choking loneliness.
Jake Gyllenhaal Has Been Replaced In Presumed Innocent Season 2 (But That’s Ok)
Unfortunately, even though Jake Gyllenhaal was one big reason why Presumed Innocent worked so well, he will not be returning in the show's season 2. As reports confirm, Presumed Innocent is treading the same path as True Detective by unfolding as an anthology. Owing to this, its second season will focus on a whole new murder mystery drama with a new set of characters.
Despite Gyllenhaal's departure, though, it is hard not to be excited about Presumed Innocent season 2 because he is being replaced with Rachel Brosnahan.
The actress' award-winning performances in House of Cards and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and growing fame from her involvement in James Gunn's Superman universe makes her the perfect lead for Presumed Innocent season 2. The Apple TV show's next installment also seems promising because it is adapting Jo Murray's Dissection of a Murder, which already has an impressive 4.6/5 score on Goodreads.
Jake Gyllenhaal's presence will undoubtedly be missed, but Presumed Innocent's future on Apple TV still seems promising. It is not yet the next True Detective, but it sure has potential.
English (US) ·