Reasonable Doubt (TV series)

Last updated

Reasonable Doubt
Reasonable Doubt TV.png
Genre Legal drama
Created by Raamla Mohamed
ShowrunnerRaamla Mohamed
Starring
Composers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes12
Production
Executive producers
Running time46–55 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network Hulu
ReleaseSeptember 27, 2022 (2022-09-27) 
present (present)

Reasonable Doubt is an American legal drama television series created by Raamla Mohamed for Hulu. [1] The series stars Emayatzy Corinealdi as a corporate defense lawyer navigating challenging high-profile cases. [2] The series also stars McKinley Freeman, Tim Jo, Angela Grovey, Thaddeus J. Mixson, Aderinsola Olabode, and Michael Ealy. Reasonable Doubt is Onyx Collective's first scripted television series. [3] It premiered on September 27, 2022. [4] On April 17, 2023, it was renewed for a second season which premiered on August 22, 2024. [5] [6] The series generally received positive reviews from critics.

Contents

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

Main

Recurring

Episodes

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 9September 27, 2022 (2022-09-27)November 15, 2022 (2022-11-15)
2 10August 22, 2024 (2024-08-22)October 17, 2024 (2024-10-17)

Season 1 (2022)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
11"Can't Knock the Hustle" Kerry Washington Raamla Mohamed September 27, 2022 (2022-09-27)
22"Family Feud" Pete Chatmon Resheida BradySeptember 27, 2022 (2022-09-27)
33"99 Problems" Neema Barnette Ryan Richmond & Loy A. WebbOctober 4, 2022 (2022-10-04)
44"Guilty Until Proven Innocent"Darren GrantTash GrayOctober 11, 2022 (2022-10-11)
55"So Ambitious"Sylvain WhiteMichelle Flowers & Jason WilbornOctober 18, 2022 (2022-10-18)
66"Renegade" Julie Dash Loy A. WebbOctober 25, 2022 (2022-10-25)
77"N**** What, N**** Who"Carl SeatonJason WilbornNovember 1, 2022 (2022-11-01)
88"Song Cry" Numa Perrier Resheida Brady & Raamla Mohamed and Michelle Flowers & Natalia TemesgenNovember 8, 2022 (2022-11-08)
99"Already Home"Pete ChatmonTash Gray & Ryan RichmondNovember 15, 2022 (2022-11-15)

Season 2 (2024)

No.
overall
No. in
season
Title [8] Directed byWritten by [9] Original release date [10]
101"Can I Live?"Anton Cropper Raamla Mohamed August 22, 2024 (2024-08-22)
112"Say Hello" Pete Chatmon Tash GrayAugust 22, 2024 (2024-08-22)
123"Part II (On the Run)" Crystle Roberson Dorsey Michelle FlowersAugust 29, 2024 (2024-08-29)
134"Primetime" Julie Dash Zahir McGheeSeptember 5, 2024 (2024-09-05)
145"Guilty Until Proven Innocent"TBALoy A. WebbSeptember 12, 2024 (2024-09-12)
156TBATBANatalia TemesgenSeptember 19, 2024 (2024-09-19)
167TBATBARyan RichmondSeptember 26, 2024 (2024-09-26)
178TBA Numa Perrier Anil K. ForemanOctober 3, 2024 (2024-10-03)
189TBATBAResheida BradyOctober 10, 2024 (2024-10-10)
1910TBATBARaamla Mohamed & Dallas RicoOctober 17, 2024 (2024-10-17)

Production

The series was created by former Scandal writer Raamla Mohamed. [11] It is loosely based on the experiences of celebrity attorney Shawn Holley, who is also a producer for the show. [12] Reasonable Doubt was produced through the Walt Disney Television's Onyx Collective. [13] Kerry Washington directed the series pilot. [14] On April 17, 2023, it was announced that the series was renewed for a second season. [15] Morris Chestnut joined the cast as a series regular. [16]

Release

The show premiered on September 27, 2022, on Hulu. The first season has nine episodes. [17] The first episode aired on ABC on November 10, 2022. [18] Internationally, the series is available on Disney+. [19] The second season was released on August 22, 2024 with two episodes. [6]

Reception

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 7.80/10 based on 9 critic reviews. [20] Metacritic assigned the series a weighted average score of 76 out of 100 based on 5 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [21]

Daniel D'Addario of Variety asserted, "Reasonable Doubt plays like the juicy soap Shonda Rhimes would never write; its excesses, often, grab and hold our attention." [22] Angie Han of The Hollywood Reporter praised Emayatzy Corinealdi's performance, saying, "Corinealdi is lots of fun to watch as Jax, and she's blessed with scripts that allow her to embody multitudes," and wrote, "Reasonable Doubt serves up plenty of the juicy thrills and emotional dilemmas that wine-soaked group chats were made for." [23]

Nina Metz of Chicago Tribune gave the series a grade of 3 out of 4 stars and said, "There's a lot to like about "Reasonable Doubt," which is sharp and fun and moves at a good clip. And it's smart about keeping things just this side of ridiculous." [24] Kristen Baldwin of Entertainment Weekly gave the show a B+, stating, "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," and complimented Corinealdi's performance. [25]

Accolades

Kerry Washington received a nomination for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series at the 2023 Black Reel Awards for Television. [26] [27]

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References

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    • Schepp, Calie Schepp (September 28, 2022). "'Reasonable Doubt' creator Raamla Mohamed shares her entertainment inspirations". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  1. Hoffmeyer, Corey (December 8, 2022). "Reasonable Doubt's Emayatzy Corinealdi Was Shocked By A Lot Of Jax's Decisions In The Show". Looper . Retrieved June 14, 2023.
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  3. 1 2 Cordero, Rosy (May 17, 2024). "'Reasonable Doubt' Sets Premiere Date; Drops First-Look Photos". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
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  17. Han, Angie (September 26, 2022). "'Reasonable Doubt' Review: Hulu's Legal Drama Is a Soapy Good Time". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  18. Metz, Nina (September 28, 2022). "Review: "Reasonable Doubt" improves the Shonda Rhimes template". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  19. Baldwin, Kristen (September 30, 2022). "'Smile' lays out horror bait, 'Bros' is rom-com bliss, and 'Andor' requires some patience". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  20. "2023 Black Reel TV Award Nominees". Black Reel Awards . Retrieved June 23, 2023.
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