“Reasonable Doubt” is, without a doubt (pun intended), a game-changer for legal dramas, and the secret sauce that makes it stand out is its approach to unapologetic Black storytelling. Hulu’s Onyx Collective courtroom series was created, written, and executive produced by “Scandal” alum Raamla Mohamed, but there are many other contributors that help bring the brilliant show to life, too.
With executive producers like Kerry Washington (also a director), Larry Wilmore, and Pilar Savone, and an all-Black writers’ room, “Reasonable Doubt” brings something refreshing to the TV world: authenticity. In an exclusive featurette video, the “Reasonable Doubt” cast — Emayatzy Corinealdi, Michael Ealy, and McKinley Freeman — and crew break down all the elements that make the show special, from Corinealdi’s “incredibly interesting, brilliant” Jacqueline “Jax” Stewart to the struggles of adulting that aren’t discussed enough.
“It’s so refreshing and invigorating to have a diverse team of people. It allows the people who have lived the experience to control the narrative of that experience.”
“She’s having a hard time, it’s all falling apart, all in the midst of a murder trial,” Washington says of Jax in the clip. Ealy, who plays Damon in the series, adds, “The authenticity of ‘Reasonable Doubt’ really spoke to me.”
“Reasonable Doubt” is loosely based on celebrity attorney Shawn Holley, but Mohamed previously told POPSUGAR it’s a combination of Holley’s real-life experience plus Mohamed’s, including her friends and her mother’s true experiences, and then some. Building up her legal drama was a labor of love that especially hit home for her.
“It’s very important as a Black female to be able to tell this story of another Black female onscreen,” Mohamed says. To her point, Wilmore adds, “It’s so refreshing and invigorating to have a diverse team of people. It allows the people who have lived the experience to control the narrative of that experience.”
“Reasonable Doubt” follows the story of criminal-defense attorney Jax (Corinealdi), who finds herself juggling a heated love triangle with Damon (Ealy) and Lewis (Freeman), all amid a high-profile murder trial with her client Brayden (Sean Patrick Thomas). While the show has plenty of steamy scenes for viewers to drool over, the mystery at the center of the legal drama — aka who killed Kaleesha? — is even more thrilling to follow.
So if you still haven’t tuned in to watch “Reasonable Doubt,” you might want to catch up before the season finale airs on Nov. 15. Just take it from Corinealdi: “You are not going to want to miss the rollercoaster that you’re going to go on with Jax Stewart.”
New episodes of “Reasonable Doubt” premiere exclusively on Hulu every Tuesday.