Television series
Presumed Innocent
Other titles called Presumed Innocent: the 1990 film.
A Chicago prosecutor accused of murdering his former lover fights to prove his innocence while his marriage fractures under scrutiny. Taut legal thriller about how suspicion corrodes everything it touches—a procedural that's really about the gap between what we appear to be and what we are.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you enjoy slow-burning legal thrillers where a prosecutor's office and a shaky marriage are both put under strain, and the doubt lingers long after.
Skip it if you want a quick, breezy puzzle; the pace is deliberate and the material is grim, so it can feel heavy going.
What it asks of you: Eight episodes of roughly 44 minutes each, you have to stay with it through slow stretches of testimony and quiet domestic scenes, and keep track of who knows what.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
The Night Of2016
Exquisite HBO miniseries about a man arrested for murder, methodically unpacking how the system grinds people down. Each hour deepens the mystery while deepening your dread.
But Deliberately slow and bleak. The pleasure is in technique and atmosphere, not plot velocity or easy answers.
Godless2017
Female-run mining town, mysterious murder, a marshal hunting the truth. Gorgeously shot, morally complicated, with Jeff Daniels delivering one of his finest performances as a haunted antagonist.
But Slower than you'd expect for something this tense. The pacing asks patience, and the violence, when it comes, is genuinely difficult.
The Lincoln Lawyer2022
Mickey Haller defending clients from his Lincoln. Smart, energetic legal thriller that understands how good defense lawyers actually work—and why the system fails.
But Lighter in tone than Presumed Innocent. If you want unrelenting moral darkness, this leans closer to procedural satisfaction.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Presumed Innocent
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Anatomy of a Murder1959
Both examine how well we truly know the people closest to us, using a murder investigation and marriage as the prism. Both suggest the courtroom can reveal truth but cannot heal it.
Otto Preminger's courtroom masterpiece about a small-town lawyer defending a man accused of killing his wife's rapist. Seven decades old and still the gold standard—smart, funny, morally alive.
But Black and white, 160 minutes, and unapologetically of its era. The pacing is leisurely; modern viewers often find it slow.
More like this (5)
MINDHUNTER2017
FBI agents develop criminal profiling during the 1970s-80s. Methodical, intelligent, with terrific actors exploring the cost of inhabiting other people's minds.
But It builds slowly and was cancelled on a cliffhanger. Some patience required, and you won't get closure on everything.
All the Light We Cannot See2023
WWII story told across enemy lines—a German soldier and a French girl's lives braiding together toward inevitable collision. Heartbreaking and visually stunning.
But Slower and more romantic than legal thrillers. Grief and beauty over courtroom drama; if you want urgency, this isn't it.
The Fall2013
Stella Gibson hunts a serial killer through Belfast. Gillian Anderson is immaculate—the cat-and-mouse between hunter and hunted is perfectly calibrated, the writing sharp as glass.
But Violence and sexual predation are central. It's unflinching in ways that feel necessary but can be genuinely upsetting.
Slow Horses2022
MI5 agents in a dumping ground department. Witty, tense, and endlessly inventive—Gary Oldman leads an ensemble that somehow makes bureaucratic espionage feel thrilling.
But Requires attention to plot detail and doesn't always spell things out. If you want straightforward, this rewards complexity instead.
Sharp Objects2018
Jean-Marc Vallée directs a prestige psychological thriller about a journalist investigating murders in her hometown. Technically dazzling, deeply unsettling, Amy Adams at her finest.
But Visceral self-harm imagery and family trauma that some find exploitative. The ending divides viewers sharply.
People
Cast
Writing
- David E. KelleyCreator
Production
- Candace Jade LewisAssociate Producer
- Chrysta Marie BurtonCo-Executive Producer
- Miki JohnsonCo-Executive Producer
- Scott TurowCo-Executive Producer
- Stacy Murphy GoldCo-Producer
- Ben LesterConsulting Producer
- Anne SewitskyExecutive Producer
- Ben StephensonExecutive Producer
- David E. KelleyExecutive Producer
- Dustin ThomasonExecutive Producer
- Greg YaitanesExecutive Producer
- J.J. AbramsExecutive Producer
- Jake GyllenhaalExecutive Producer
- Matthew TinkerExecutive Producer
- Rachel RuschExecutive Producer
- Sharr WhiteExecutive Producer
- Andrew BalekProducer
- Caroline JamesProducer
- Trevor BakerProducer