Reasonable Doubt (TV series)
Reasonable Doubt is an American streaming legal drama television series created by Raamla Mohamed for Hulu. The series stars Emayatzy Corinealdi as a corporate defense lawyer navigating challenging high-profile cases. The series also stars McKinley Freeman, Tim Jo, Angela Grovey, Thaddeus J. Mixson, Aderinsola Olabode, and Michael Ealy. It premiered on September 27, 2022 and was renewed for a second season in April 2023.[1]
| Reasonable Doubt | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Legal drama |
| Created by | Raamla Mohamed |
| Starring | Emayatzy Corinealdi McKinley Freeman Tim Jo Angela Grovey Thaddeus J. Mixson Aderinsola Olabode Michael Ealy |
| Composer | Adrian Younge |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 9 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Raamla Mohamed Kerry Washington Pilar Savone Larry Wilmore Shawn Holley |
| Running time | 46–55 minutes |
| Production companies | Good Home Training Simpson Street Wilmore Films ABC Signature Onyx Collective |
| Release | |
| Original network | Hulu |
| Original release | September 27, 2022 – present |
Plot
Jax Stewart is a successful defense lawyer at an up-scale Los Angeles law firm. She navigates difficult cases amid a separation from her husband and the reappearance of a former client she worked with in her previous job as a public defender.
Cast
- Emayatzy Corinealdi as Jacqueline "Jax" Stewart (née Nicholas), a defense lawyer, and mother of two children currently separated from her husband, Lewis
- McKinley Freeman as Lewis, Jax's husband
- Tim Jo as Daniel, Jax's investigator
- Christopher Cassarino as Rich Reed, a colleague of Jax's
- Angela Grovey as Krystal Walters
- Aderinsola Olabode as Naima, Jax's tween daughter
- Michael Ealy as Damon Cooke, a previous client of Jax's recently released from prison
- Thaddeus J. Mixson as Spenser, Jax's teenage son
- Sean Patrick Thomas as Brayden Miller, a billionaire and new client of Jax's
- Perri Camper as Kaleesha Moore, a murder victim who accused Brayden Miller of sexual assault
- Tiffany Yvonne Cox, Nefetari Spencer, and Shannon Kane as Autumn, Sally, and Shanelle, Jax's closest friends
- Morris Chestnut as Corey Cash, a talented defense attorney Jax brings in to assist on a case (Season 2)[1]
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Can't Knock the Hustle" | Kerry Washington | Raamla Mohamed | September 27, 2022 |
| 2 | "Family Feud" | Pete Chatmon | Resheida Brady | September 27, 2022 |
| 3 | "99 Problems" | Neema Barnette | Ryan Richmond & Loy A. Webb | October 4, 2022 |
| 4 | "Guilty Until Proven Innocent" | Darren Grant | Tash Gray | October 11, 2022 |
| 5 | "So Ambitious" | Sylvain White | Michelle Flowers & Jason Wilborn | October 18, 2022 |
| 6 | "Renegade" | Julie Dash | Loy A. Webb | October 25, 2022 |
| 7 | "N**** What, N**** Who" | Carl Seaton | Jason Wilborn | November 1, 2022 |
| 8 | "Song Cry" | Numa Perrier | Resheida Brady & Raamla Mohamed and Michelle Flowers & Natalia Temesgen | November 8, 2022 |
| 9 | "Already Home" | Pete Chatmon | Tash Gray & Ryan Richmond | November 15, 2022 |
Production
The series was created by Raamla Mohamed, a former Scandal writer. It is loosely based on the experiences of celebrity attorney Shawn Holley, who is also a producer for the show.[2] Kerry Washington directed the series pilot.[3]
Reasonable Doubt was produced through the Walt Disney Television's Onyx Collective.[4] The show premiered on September 27, 2022, on Hulu. The season has nine episodes.[5]
On April 17, 2023, it was announced that the series was renewed for a second season.[6] Morris Chestnut will join the cast as a series regular.[6]
Critical reception
Reasonable Doubt received positive critical reception. It holds a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 7.8/10 based on seven critic reviews.[7] In a mainly positive review Daniel D'Addario described the series in Variety: "“Reasonable Doubt” plays like the juicy soap Shonda Rhimes would never write; its excesses, often, grab and hold our attention."[2] Kristen Baldwin rated the show a B+ in EW and stated, "Reasonable Doubt is enjoyably Shonda-esque, in that it's a steamy, speed-plotted soap built around a morally ambiguous female power player whose life is filled with ridiculously attractive men. But Mohamed also weaves in frank and nuanced stories about marriage, parenting, and the importance of (and challenges with) female friendships."[7] The Hollywood Reporter's Angie Han praised the lead actress's performance, "Corinealdi is lots of fun to watch as Jax, and she’s blessed with scripts that allow her to embody multitudes. Depending on the scene, Jax can be prickly or tender, sensuous or funny, and Corinealdi plays all her many facets with equal gusto. She’s also, importantly, able to generate chemistry with seemingly everyone in the ensemble."[8]
References
- Cordero, Rosy (April 17, 2023). "Morris Chestnut Boards Onyx Collective's 'Reasonable Doubt' As Hulu Series Lands Season 2 Renewal". Deadline. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
- D'Addario, Daniel (September 23, 2022). "Soapy 'Reasonable Doubt' Centers One Very Flawed Lawyer: TV Review". Variety. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
- Wimore, Larry (October 9, 2022). "Kerry Washington and Raamla Mohamed on 'Reasonable Doubt'". The Ringer. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
- Gallucci, Nicole (September 30, 2022). "Emayatzy Corinealdi Mesmerizes As 'Reasonable Doubt' Attorney Jax Stewart". Decider. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
- Baldwin, Kristen. "'Smile' lays out horror bait, 'Bros' is rom-com bliss, and 'Andor' requires some patience". EW.com. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
- Mangum, Trey. "'Reasonable Doubt' Renewed For Season 2 At Hulu, Morris Chestnut Joins Onyx Collective Drama". Shadow and Act. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- "Rotten Tomatoes Reasonable Doubt". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
- Han, Angie (September 26, 2022). "'Reasonable Doubt' Review: Hulu's Legal Drama Is a Soapy Good Time". THR. Retrieved October 12, 2022.