Why Presumed Innocent Season 2 May Not Premiere Until Mid-2026

Presumed Innocent season 2 might not premiere until mid-2026, following the announcement of the source material for the legal thriller’s follow-up. Presumed Innocent season 1 ended where the Scott Turow novel of the same name did, albeit with a twist ending that differentiated itself from the source material. While season 1 was airing, Apple TV+ renewed the show for season 2, though it was unclear what the path for the show moving forward would be. However, it was indicated that Rusty Sabich (Jake Gyllenhaal) would no longer be the main character.

Now, Deadline has confirmed that Presumed Innocent season 2 will be based on the upcoming book Dissection of a Murder, the debut novel of Jo Murray. The book will be published in spring 2026, its far-off date suggesting season 2 of the legal thriller won’t be premiering until after the book comes out. This means the show might not return until as early as mid-2026, though it could be longer depending on how much of the adaptation is worked on before the book arrives on shelves.

What Presumed Innocent’s Possible Mid-2026 Release Window Means For Season 2

The Show’s Extended Break Means More Time To Develop

Dissection of a Murder, and by extension, Presumed Innocent season 2, follows Leila Reynolds, a defense attorney given her first ever murder case. However, as the case continues to grow in depth, complicated by her husband being the prosecutor, she ends up in a situation that becomes more personal than she’s equipped for. Season 2 is expected to pull inspiration from the novel, making it unclear how much of the book’s exact events will translate over to the show. Some liberties might be taken, much like in season 1.

The Apple TV+ show also might be pulling some characters from season 1 to cameo in season 2, creating a shared universe through the Presumed Innocent cast. Given that Gyllenhaal and Turow will remain on as executive producers, alongside J.J. Abrams and David E. Kelley, there’s a chance Murray’s book adaptation takes some liberties to make familiar faces appear. With plenty of time to develop the new season in general, it appears the extended break will be to the series’ benefit as it learns to evolve into an anthology show.

Our Take On The Lengthy Wait For Presumed Innocent Season 2

It’s A Unique Direction That Has Us Intrigued

This won’t be the first time an anthology series has used an unpublished book as inspiration for its series, with American Horror Story: Delicate being an adaptation of Danielle Valentine’s Delicate Condition, which came out the month before the show. We’re interested to see what this means for Presumed Innocent, especially given how much time there is before Murray’s novel gets released. With so much time left for it to develop, we’re expecting just as refined an experience as season 1 managed to provide.

Source: Deadline