Apple TV+ is leveling up its Presumed Innocent universe, tapping Lesley-Ann Brandt and Courtney B. Vance for the show’s second season. The anthology is stepping into a brand-new case this time around, led by Rachel Brosnahan — who’s pulling double duty as both star and executive producer.
Season 2 pulls inspiration from Dissection of a Murder, the debut legal thriller by Jo Murray, and while Apple is keeping plot specifics on lock, the setup is already giving “high-pressure courtroom chaos meets messy personal stakes.” Brosnahan plays Leila, a sharp, ambitious defense attorney thrust into a high-profile case that threatens to blow up her entire life. And the dynamic around her is just as layered: Vance steps in as her firm’s commanding boss, Fiona Shaw plays her partner and second chair, Matthew Rhys plays Leila’s husband — who also happens to be the prosecutor on the case — and Jack Reynor appears as her client, the defendant at the center of it all.
Brandt’s casting is a standout addition. Many know her as Mazikeen from Lucifer or Naevia from Spartacus, but she’s also carving out a strong presence behind the camera. She recently produced South Africa’s International Feature Oscar submission The Heart is a Muscle, which took home the Ecumenical Jury Prize at Berlin, and she’s gearing up to produce the feature Bender through her company D6.
They join an already stacked roster that also includes Michael Hsu Rosen and John Magaro in major recurring roles — though, like everything else tied to Season 2, their character details remain a mystery.
Season 1 set the bar high, becoming Apple TV+’s most-watched drama of 2024 and earning four Emmy nominations, including acting nods for Jake Gyllenhaal, Bill Camp, Peter Sarsgaard, and Ruth Negga. With David E. Kelley and Erica Lipez steering the ship as co-showrunners and J.J. Abrams producing alongside Kelley’s own banner, the series continues to bring serious creative weight behind the scenes.
Filming for the new installment begins in California, and with this cast and this source material, Season 2 feels positioned to push the anthology into an even sharper, more compelling chapter.