In the first season of Ramla Muhammad’s Hulu series Reasonable Doubt , defense attorney Jax Stewart (the exceptional Emaiatzi Corinaldi) split from her husband, Louis (McKinley Freeman), and began an affair with a former client, Damon Cook (Michael Ealy), a situation that threatened to unravel everything she’s worked so hard for. Now, the more suspenseful and thrilling second season follows a vulnerable Jax as she grapples with a deeply personal case, ongoing marital woes, and a new business partner with his own motivations for joining Jax’s team.
Season 2 picks up where Season 1 left off, with Jax trying to get back on track after a tumultuous end to her relationship with Damon that included a kidnapping and suicide. She is now focused on healing herself and her marriage through therapy. Despite experiencing anxiety attacks, Jax is reluctant to take the medication her doctor has prescribed. So when her best friend, Chanel Tucker (Shannon Kane), calls her in a hysterical state, confessing to the murder of her husband, former NFL player Jamarion “JT” Tucker (Christopher Michael Watson), Jax's world is thrown off course.
In this episode, Jax enlists the help of attorney Corey Cash (Morris Chestnut), whose name alone symbolizes the show’s soap operatic orientation. Corey is a legal force in his own right, but his methods for handling Chanel’s defense rarely align with Jax’s, and the two find themselves in a battle of wills and mistrust. The tension between them illustrates the way personal relationships can change how people perceive the facts. Also, by juxtaposing Corey and Jax’s approaches, the audience gets an inside view of the power plays that play out in high-profile murder trials. The show also depicts what’s at stake for defendants and prosecutors when such trials are exposed for public consumption.
There’s a lot to look forward to in the second part of “Reasonable Doubt.” Corinaldi plays a woman who makes no apologies for her needs in every area of her life. Chestnut plays a brilliant lawyer willing to hold Jax accountable. Freeman also provides a decent storyline, giving Lewis more than just the role of the jilted wife.
Furthermore, the intricacies of Chanel’s case reveal the horrors of domestic violence, providing a powerful anchor for the second season. Episode four, “Primetime,” is particularly effective as it chronicles Chanel and JT’s relationship through a series of harrowing scenes. These scenes illustrate how abuse, whether emotional or physical, can escalate, often taking victims by surprise.
While the main cast is great, some of the other performances tend toward hysteria. There’s a confusing plot that seems to come out of nowhere, a mafia-like manager who doesn’t seem to scare the viewer, and, to top it all off, an unconvincing confrontation at a funeral. These subplots take away from the seriousness of the main narrative and add to the weight of Reasonable Doubt, which could have been more intense if these stories had been integrated differently or removed altogether.
However, with Corinaldi leading the charge and showing Jax’s softer side, viewers are given a more complete look at a woman on a journey to make every aspect of her life work in harmony. Despite this season’s faults, with several surprising twists and an amazing hip-hop soundtrack that pulsates throughout, “Reasonable Doubt” is consistently entertaining. Season 2 takes a while to find its footing, but when it does, viewers are reminded of just how powerful Jax’s world is.
The first two episodes of “Reasonable Doubt” are scheduled to premiere on August 22 on Hulu and Disney+, with new episodes dropping weekly on Thursdays.
