Jake Gyllenhaal’s impressive Rotten Tomatoes streak just extended even further with the release of Presumed Innocent. Surprisingly, the new Apple original crime drama marks Gyllenhaal’s television acting debut as the acclaimed film actor best known for his work in Nightcrawler, Prisoners, Zodiac, Donnie Darko, and Spider-Man: Far From Home has never starred in a television series until now. Presumed Innocent episodes 1 & 2 were released on June 12, 2024.

Jake Gyllenhaal stars in Presumed Innocent as Chicagoan chief deputy prosecutor Rusty Sabich, who becomes a suspect in a murder case that he has a hand in investigating. Gyllenhaal leads a star-studded ensemble cast of Presumed Innocent, which also includes Ruth Negga, Bill Camp, Elizabeth Marvel, Peter Sarsgaard, O-T Fagbenle, and Renate Reinsve. Presumed Innocent is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Scott Turow and was created for television by David E. Kelly.

Presumed Innocent Continues Jake Gyllenhaal’s Rotten Tomatoes Hot Streak

Nearly all of Gyllenhaal’s movies since 2015 have been praised by critics

Despite being a television series, Presumed Innocent has extended Gyllenhaal’s impressive Rotten Tomatoes streak after earning a critic score of 84% upon its release. Gyllenhaal, who has only been nominated for one Academy Award throughout his illustrious career for his supporting role in Brokeback Mountain (2005), has historically starred in critically acclaimed films, with a current Fresh streak on Rotten Tomatoes extending back to 2021’s The Guilty.

Gyllenhaal’s most recent movies, Ambulance, Strange World, Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant, and Road House, have all received positive ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, with Presumed Innocent’s 84% being the highest among them. Presumed Innocent is Gyllenhaal’s highest-rated project since 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home, which earned a score of 91%. If it weren’t for the one misstep of 2021’s Spirit Untamed, an animated kids’ movie that still earned a 95% audience score, Gyllenhaal’s RT Fresh streak would go as far back as 2015’s Demolition.

Why Presumed Innocent’s Good Reviews Are Such A Big Deal

Gyllenhaal delivers regardless of the screen size

Gyllenhaal has consistently put out great performances in mostly good movies throughout his career, which began with the celebrated 1999 film October Sky and continued with the 2001 cult classic Donnie Darko. Gyllenhaal has become one of Hollywood’s safest bets when it comes to leading men in a variety of genres, making him highly deserving of an Academy Award at some point in his future. Gyllenhaal’s impressive showing in Presumed Innocent not only proves that he can continue his captivating performances on television with ease, but now that he is also in contention for Emmy Awards, he could appear in more celebrated TV series in the near future.