Ok, so you’ve just watched the last episode of Presumed Innocent and now have no idea what to watch now to fill the gap in your Wednesday nights? Here are a few shows that share some similarities with Presumed Innocent that you may be into – once you’ve had a chance to have a lie-down and a cup of tea to get over that ending!
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Wednesday nights have become uber stressful in our house of late – because, how novel it is to be waiting for a TV show to start each week – we’ve been tuning in as new episodes have become available of the hit series on Apple TV, Presumed Innocent.
It has a stellar cast (do you really need any more info to be sold on watching this other than Jake Gyllenhaal is the lead?), is beautifully shot and keeps you on the edge of your goddam seat each week.
The plot follows Jake’s character Rusty – a prosecutor, who is called with terrible news: one of his colleagues, a fellow prosecutor Carolyn, has been viciously murdered. Rusty begins investigating the case, but is soon pulled off the case when A) it is revealed that he was having an affair with Carolyn and B) he’s subsequently charged with her murder.
Good lord it’s been a stressful – but wonderful – eight weeks, and if you’re anything like me, you’re now wondering what the heck to watch next that might fill the Presumed Innocent hole in your life.
Well, for a start, I’m planning on watching Presumed Innocent, the movie. Both this show and the film are based of a 1987 crime novel – the 1990 film starred Harrison Ford.
From there, here are five shows that have big similarities to Presumed Innocent that I reckon you’ll enjoy. Oh, and beyond that – the news has hit that a second series of Presumed Innocent is in the works!
The Undoing
In the very first episode of Presumed Innocent, I immediately started thinking about The Undoing – there’s a certain creepy darkness in the way that both are shot. And, of course there’s the obvious plot similarities: Hugh Grant’s character is the prime suspect in a murder case: the murder of a woman he was having an affair with.
It also has the layer of mystery throughout the whole show – leaving you wondering just what the heck has actually happened, until the very last episode.
If you missed this show when it came out in 2020, now is the time to watch it (or even do a repeat watch – because who can remember anything clearly from 2020?!?).
As mentioned, this one stars Hugh Grant alongside Nicole Kidman. They play a wealthy couple living in New York, with their young son who attends an elite private school in the city. Grace is a successful therapist, but overnight a chasm opens in her life – in the form of a woman, Elena Alves. Elena is a fellow mother at the school, but doesn’t have the same material or social advantages as the others. She is, however, stunningly beautiful.
Grace and her husband hold a lavish fundraiser at their home, that Elena attends, but she is discovered murdered. Jonathan is uncontactable, leading Grace on a desperate search for answers.
It also stars Donald Sutherland as Grace’s dad, who is phenomenal.
Where to watch it: Neon
Defending Jacob
There are a truckload of similarities between Defending Jacob and Presumed Innocent – perhaps not all that surprising seeing as they’re both adapted from crime novels for Apple TV. But I would give a word of warning that Defending Jacob is now a few years old, and, while it’s a good watch, it’s not quite as good as Presumed Innocent.
It stars Chris Evans (I think that’s the problem for me – although he is excellent in this, I find it jarring seeing him in something so serious?), Michelle Dockery (amazing as always) and Jaeden Martell (brilliant).
Essentially Chris Evans plays Andy, an Assistant District Attorney (familiar so far?) who is living a content suburban life with his wife Laurie and their 14-year-old son, Jacob. That is, until a classmate of Jacob is found stabbed to death in the park near their school. Andy and a dectective begin questioning students at the school without much luck. Things take one hell of a turn in the very first episode when Andy finds a knife in Jacob’s room that fits the description of the murder weapon…
Watch it on: Apple TV
Your Honour
If you’ve enjoyed the whole premise of watching someone who has spent their life sending people to prison, now seeing what it’s like from the other side of things – your next watch should be Your Honour. Or, maybe give it a beat? Your nerves will already be frayed from watching Presumed Innocent – and Your Honour is likely to entirely shred them.
Because this is one heck of a suspenseful, stressful watch.
On the anniversary of his mother’s murder, teenager Adam is driving when he accidentally hits another teenage boy – who dies in his arms. In a panic, Adam flees the scene.
But wait, it gets worse. His father (Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston) is a prominent and respected New Orleans judge, who encourages him to turn himself in – until he realizes the boy was the son of a mob kingpin and quickly does a 180. Can they keep the secret?!
It’s dark, suspenseful and well worth a watch – the first season is particularly good, but the second season is still incredible.
Watch it now on: Neon
The Night Of
The first time I watched this, as soon as I finished the last episode, I wanted to rewatch the whole thing over, but I thought it might be best to wait a while. Well, of course time is an insane thing, because this now came out eight years ago, so it’s ideal for a rewatch – or first-time watch if you missed it.
This show is daaaaark, and another one where you feel figuratively in the dark too for most of it. It stars Nasir “Naz” Khan, a Pakistani-American college student who goes out partying with a female stranger and then wakes up to find her stabbed to death. He is immediately charged with her murder. But, just what the heck happened?
The Night Of follows the police investigation and legal proceedings following the murder, but, it’s a stark contrast to the way in which Rusty is treated by authorities throughout his ordeal. This one is hella stressful, and yes, as I mentioned, hella dark!
Watch it now on: Neon
Anatomy of a Scandal
Anatomy of a Scandal is beautifully shot – with a great cast – and deeply explores one of the ideas we’ve been having to grapple with in Presumed Innocent: Is your husband the man you think he is? Or is he capable of something very dark?
This very binge-watchable British drama series is based on an internationally best-selling novel of the same name written by former Guardian journalist Sarah Vaughan (who based it on two real-life UK sex scandals). Over six episodes, the series follows devoted wife and mother Sophie (Sienna Miller) who lives a life of cream cashmere sweaters and unquestioned privilege until things unravel. Sophie stoically stands by her husband James (Rupert Friend), a charismatic Cabinet minister, after it’s revealed that he had a five-month affair with parliamentary researcher Olivia Lytton (Naomi Scott). But, was one incident in a lift consensual? James is now on trial to get to the bottom of that question.
Watch it now on: Netflix
