Courtesy of Empire

Apple TV+, Apple’s streaming service, came out with their newest miniseries “Defending Jacob” on Friday, April 24, based on William Landay’s 2012 novel. The show follows the Barber family, whose lives are turned upside down when a classmate of their son, Jacob, is found dead one morning and Jacob is accused of his murder.

Chris Evans, known for playing Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, plays Andy Barber, who works as an assistant district attorney (ADA) in Newton, Massachusetts. Michelle Dockery, known for starring as Lady Mary Crawley in “Downton Abbey,” plays Laurie Barber, who works at a home for disadvantaged children. Jaeden Martell, most known for portraying a young Bill Denbrough in the newest adaptations of Stephen King’s “IT,” as well as starring in “Knives Out” with co-star Chris Evans, plays titular character Jacob Barber. Other notable names in the cast include: Cherry Jones, Pablo Schreiber, J.K. Simmons and Betty Gabriel.

Like the book, the show follows dual timelines. One shows the present day, when Andy is testifying in front of a grand jury, while the other shows the past, when Jacob’s classmate, Ben Rifkin, is found murdered in the park one morning. Unlike the book, which was set in 2007-2008, the show’s creators chose to modernize it. Instead of Jacob and his classmates using Facebook, they use Instagram. The modernization of the show made “Defending Jacob” more relatable for viewers in this day and age. If the creators had decided to keep the book’s timeline, it would not have made sense, because Apple would not have been able to utilize their product placement as much as they could in a modernized adaptation. 

Unlike the book, the show gender-swapped two major characters: Joanna Klein and Pam Duffy. Joanna Klein, portrayed by Cherry Jones, is the defense attorney the Barbers hire for Jacob. Andy does not seem to have a close professional relationship with Joanna, like in the book. In the book, Jacob’s attorney is Jonathan Klein. Pam Duffy, portrayed by Betty Gabriel, is the lead detective in charge of investigating Ben Rifkin’s murder. In the book, Paul Duffy is the detective in charge of the case. Unlike the show, Duffy seems to have a very close relationship with the Barbers. There are mentions of him and his wife having dinner with the Barbers in the book. The gender-swap with two major characters works extremely well for the show. Both Cherry Jones and Betty Gabriel do a wonderful job bringing these characters to the screen.

Chris Evans’s performance was one of the best page-to-screen transitions of the whole show. He portrayed a hard-working ADA, yet caring father who would do anything for his son.  While there have only been three episodes, Michelle Dockery’s performance could have been stronger. In the book, her character was a little more independent. Her performance did not convey that aspect of the role. Jaeden Martell’s portrayal of Jacob Barber added depth from the original source material, as Jacob does not have much of a character arc in the book. In the book, Jacob does not say much and does not really do anything. Martell made his character more relatable for the audience. His character tells funny jokes, seems to have girl trouble and even makes references to the literary classic “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger.

There are eight episodes set to air, with the first three episodes having premiered on Friday, April 24, and the remaining episodes airing every Friday until May 29. The most recent episode was released this past Friday, May 1. These the show has a cumulative rating of 8.5 our of 10 stars on IMDb. There has been no mention of the show possibly coming back for a second season, but who knows – the creators may pull one out of their hats.