Will Presumed Innocent Season 2 adapt Scott Turow's new novel? Details explored

Presumed Innocent premiered on Apple TV+ in June 2024 and received widespread acclaim for its thrilling story and stellar performances, which led to its quick renewal for a second season.

The legal thriller show is based on Scott Turow’s 1987 novel of the same name and follows Rusty Sabich, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, a prosecutor who becomes a suspect in his colleague’s murder case and has to prove his innocence.

Turow has now come up with a sequel novel to Presumed Innocent, titled Presumed Guilty, which was launched on January 14, 2025. This makes one wonder if the second season of the Apple TV+ series will be based on the new novel.

However, that is not the case, and the show is set to follow an anthology format, focusing on a completely different story in the second season.

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Presumed Innocent Season 2 will not be based on Scott Turow's new novel Presumed Guilty

Scott Turow has released two sequels to his 1987 novel so far: Innocent (2010) and Presumed Guilty (2025). However, the author has confirmed that Presumed Innocent Season 2 will adapt neither of these sequel novels.

Turow revealed the reason behind the show moving on from his book universe in an interview with The Wrap. He said since the events of his sequel novels are set decades after the first novel, it would be difficult for the show to adapt them:

“Innocent sis set 20 years later, so it would be hard to do it as a follow-on to the prior series.”

The author added that Tommy Molto is a major character in Innocent, which is played by Peter Sarsgaard in the television adaptation. Peter is not willing to return for a second season, which is another reason behind the show not adapting the sequel novels. The author said:

“Also, Peter Sarsgaard said from the beginning, 'I’m not doing sequels.' And as it happens, his character, Tommy Molto, was at the center of the story in Innocent, so there were a lot of reasons that didn’t happen.”

However, Turow is happy with the way Presumed Innocent creators faithfully adapted his novel into the first season, contrary to the 1990 film adaptation, directed by Alan J. Pakula:

“The book has a kind of darkness to it that Alan did not want to bring to the screen and the series does not shy away from. It emphasizes not only the brutality of the way that Carolyn was murdered but the way there’s kind of an undertone of sadism and Rusty and Carolyn’s relationship.”

Turow's new novel Presumed Guilty is set 35 years after the first book and depicts Rusty Sabich defending his fiancé Bea's son, Aaron, in a murder case.

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On which novel is Presumed Innocent Season 2 based?

As per reports, series creators would be adapting Dissection of a Murder in Presumed Innocent Season 2. It a yet-unreleased novel that is set to debut in 2026. The book is written by Jo Murray and follows Leila Reynolds, an attorney who defends her first case against a prosecutor who happens to be her husband.

Hence, the story of Rusty Sabich has come to an end in the show. However, Jake Gyllenhaal will continue to be associated with the series as an executive producer. The new season will likely bring together a fresh set of cast and characters.

In his interview, Scott Turow revealed he has not read Dissection of a Murder but has heard good reviews about it. Created by David E. Kelley, the show’s first season also starred Ruth Negga as Barbara Sabich, Bill Camp as Raymond Horgan, O-T Fagbenle as Nico Della Guardia, and Chase Infiniti as Jaden Sabich.

All episodes of Presumed Innocent Season 1 are streaming on Apple TV+.