A closer look at the 10 TV shows dominating the streaming landscape this week, starting with Apple’s Presumed Innocent.
One of the most tried-and-true TV formats is currently dominating the streaming landscape, in the form of Apple TV+’s buzzy new legal drama starring Jake Gyllenhaal.
Dramas set in and around courtrooms and delving into the private lives of lawyers feels like the kind of thing that’s been done to death at this point. But Apple’s Presumed Innocent — the #1 streaming TV show this week, according to Reelgood — is the kind of series that keeps me happily subscribed to the service. With just eight episodes, it doesn’t require a significant time investment. Gyllenhaal is also perfectly cast here, in a story that hooked even someone like me who almost never enjoys legal dramas because of the way they feel so dang formulaic.
The basic premise here is that the Chicago Prosecuting Attorney’s office is upended when, as Apple explains it, “one of its own is suspected of a crime. The series explores obsession, sex, politics and the power and limits of love, as the accused fights to hold his family and marriage together.” Gyllenhaal’s Rusty is soon enough arrested and on trial for murder, and the series has kept me glued to it thanks to everything from the office politics of Rusty’s office to how the women in Rusty’s life are caught up in the devastating undertow of his choices.
