Here’s my Guide to Presumed Innocent on Apple TV. You know I love a legal thriller and have been telling you my beloved subgenre is back. Proof: Presumed Innocent, published in 1987, is back on screen! Let’s watch the new eight-episode 2024 Apple TV series of Presumed Innocent and discuss it. My episode guides will have protected spoilers for the book and the 1990 movie.
Presumed Innocent on Apple TV: Overview
- Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow was a book published in 1987
- A movie adaptation of the book starring Harrison Ford was released in 1990
- The new 2014 Apple TV production of Presumed Innocent is an eight-episode series starring Jake Gyllenhaal
Presumed Innocent on Apple TV: Analysis
I remember loving Presumed Innocent (the book AND the 1990 movie) so I went back and re-read and re-watched before starting the Apple TV series. My full summary of the Presumed Innocent BOOK WITH SPOILERS FOR THE ENDING is here.
What I discovered was a great underlying story, but it’s also been almost 40 years. The book has some dated forensic technology and also dated ideas about gender, sexual orientation, and more.
Here’s what you need with NO SPOILERS to get started with the Apple TV series:
As the story opens, Chicago prosecutor Rusty Sabich is practicing baseball with his son in their backyard when he gets a call from his boss, District Attorney Raymond Horgan.
Raymond tells Rusty that their colleague, Deputy Prosecutor Carolyn Polhemus, has been murdered.
The important backstory to Presumed Innocent is an election
The election pits Raymond Horgan against Deputy Prosecutor Nico Della Guardia. Each is hoping to be elected District Attorney (in the book, it’s called Chief Prosecutor, and these terms seem to be used interchangeably in Chicago, where the series takes place. The book takes place in fictional Kindle county, Illinois.)
- The election is imminent, and Horgan worries that Carolyn’s murder will harm his chances of holding onto his position.
- Horgan (and his deputy, Rusty) and Della Guardia (and his number two, Tommy Molto) aren’t on great terms. In the book, Rusty has fired Della Guardia.
The third strand to the Apple TV version: the Bunny Davis Murder
The Bunny Davis case is a murder case that Carolyn and Rusty prosecuted together. As the man they convicted threatened Carolyn, Rusty is convinced that this case is connected to her murder and it seems like he’s going to try to re-investigate it.
This is a change from both the book and the 1990 movie, in which there were two cases Rusty was fixated on: a child abuse case he tried with Carolyn and a bribery case he is convinced had a connection to the murder.
Jen’s Quick Guide Character List to Presumed Innocent
Here’s a character list which will help you get oriented until you get everyone straight. If you want to download this guide for your phone, you can grab it here!
My Episode by Episode Guides to Presumed Innocent on Apple TV
These episode guides will give you context and discuss the differences in this adaptation.
Episode One of Presumed Innocent on Apple TV: Bases Loaded
Episode Two of Presumed Innocent on Apple TV: People vs. Rozat Sabich
Episode Three of Presumed Innocent on Apple TV: Discovery
Episode Four of Presumed Innocent on Apple TV: The Burden
Episode Five of Presumed Innocent on Apple TV: Pregame
Want to know what happened to Rusty after the events of this show? Check out my review of Presumed Guilty, which features Rusty at 70!
Please leave all questions and comments below and I’m happy to answer them!
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