Apple TV + has never really captivated me since its release on November 1, 2019. They have released a numerous amount of lackluster shows and movies. That was until Defending Jacob came along with Chris Evans, Michelle Dockery, and Jaeden Martell.

I was hooked from the start as soon as I learned who was going to play a role in this adaptation of William Landay’s novel from 2012. All around, everything was fantastic from the storytelling to the acting. It was also quite refreshing seeing Evans in a more serious and dramatic role after finishing up his tenure as Captain America. I have never been the biggest fan of Dockery, but surely, after this, she will be on my radar more often, especially with The Gentlemen coming out earlier this year with her in it. Jaeden Martell is always a nice joy whenever I see him. This young actor has a great dramatic range at such a young age. Between this, IT, and Knives Out I love to see whatever he has next. This show also has some nice appearances from some big-names that I won’t spoil for you. And last, but certainly not least we have Pablo Schreiber as the lawyer going against Jacob. He gives us a great and somewhat sympathetic, but daunting character perspective that gives him so much nuance.

I found myself invested in the story of whether Jacob did the crime or not and watching everything unravel week to week was leaving me in quite a distraught. I never lost my attention when it came to these hour-long episodes, between the performances, the writing, and everything else that went into this show. It is simply just that damn good.

This show is not without flaws though. One form of storytelling I have never appreciated is nonlinear storytelling. I have always found it to be a kind of cheap story method, but not always a terrible one. For me, it worked sometimes, but not all the time in the show without going into detail. This one other complaint isn’t towards the show, but streaming services in general. When the series first aired Apple allowed you to watch the first 3 episodes out of an 8 episode series. They allow you to binge pretty much half the season, then make you wait for the second half?

At the end of the day, this is one of my favorite new shows to watch, even with a somewhat lackluster and disappointing finale. But, none of that takes away from the brilliance of the show itself.

Defending Jacob Rating: 9.5/10

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