Reasonable Doubt Is A Steamy Legal Drama With Something To Say

Reasonable Doubt is known for the kind of thrilling twists that can leave viewers, well... stressed. But when I visit the legal drama’s set in Atlanta this spring, the vibe is decidedly peaceful — cozy, even. Series star Emayatzy Corinealdi is warmly enthusiastic as we chat down the hall from the courtroom she commands with cool, instinctive ease (and impeccable style) as criminal defense attorney Jax Stewart.

At one point, Corinealdi saw herself becoming a lawyer, not just playing one — but if the show has taught her anything, it’s that the job is a tricky one. “I’m just this type of person [who thinks] either you’re right or you’re wrong,” she says. “Period! But that’s actually not how it works.”

Reasonable Doubt lives in that gray area. Set in Los Angeles, each season follows a high-profile case, defended by Jax — its third outing (out now) follows Ozzie Edwards, a child star-turned-leading man who’s accused of murder. But like the show’s title implies, it doesn’t take a neat and tidy approach to justice. In place of “aha!” discoveries and courtroom victories, verdicts are often deflating reminders that Jax — and the people she serves — must sometimes pursue more creative methods of restitution.

All the while, she navigates the workplace, motherhood, and a rocky marriage that’s ultimately worth fighting for. Like her many-layered cases, Jax herself is a complicated heroine.

“[Her] confidence is steamrolling at times, especially when it goes into the personal space and you're not thinking. I love that, and what can happen as a result. Now you got yourself tied up with this man,” she laughs. “Like, what happened here? But her flaws are what make her human. The more flaws, the better.” It’s what makes Reasonable Doubt such irresistible, appointment TV.

The show hails from creator and showrunner Raamla Mohamed — who wrote for Scandal before earning an Emmy nod for her work on Little Fires Everywhere — and counts Kerry Washington as an executive producer (a creative synergy that should please Shondaland fans). It’s also the first scripted series from Onyx Collective, the Disney brand dedicated to uplifting creators of color.

“It is rare. We have all Black directors, we have all Black writers,” says McKinley Freeman, who plays Jax’s husband, Lewis. “So there have been moments that I’m able to speak shorthand with these people about things that are very important.”

As Season 3’s core cast takes time to talk throughout the day, they radiate happy-to-be-here gratitude and camaraderie. Pauletta Washington — who plays Jax’s mother, Mama Lu — discusses her real-life famous family (she’s married to Denzel), and her on-screen daughter with equal fondness. “She’s taken me in,” Washington says of Corinealdi. “Emayatzy and I have had a great relationship from Day 1. It was nothing we had to develop. It was just there. I just got chills, because she’s the best.”

As for why the show has built such a dedicated viewership, Washington says it’s simple. “It’s Raamla,” she says. “She’s plugged into people, she’s plugged into relationships, and she’s not afraid to present the good, the bad, and the ugly.”

Indeed, between Mohamed’s knack for writing high-stakes relationships and her innate love of the screen — during our chat, she cites everything from TV hits Felicity and Mad Men to critically acclaimed, independent films Moonlight and Ballast as visual references — she’s carved out a fresh perspective on the tried-and-true legal drama.

“Even though it is a drama, and it’s soapy, I don’t want it shot that way,” she says of the shadows and unconventional shots that inform Reasonable Doubt’s moody, immersive vibe. It was also important for Mohamed to show the reality of a woman who’s balancing a lot and utilizing the resources around her, including therapy. “If that means crying at times, if that means anxiety pills, you know — just being really honest about what it means to walk around as a professional woman.”

Brandee Evans — who joins Season 3 as Monica, Ozzie’s agent — was heartened by the way Mohamed tackles “unspoken truths” in families and relationships, such as Jax’s childhood trauma. “She’s showing therapy in the Black community, which is so important, and then taking the stigma away from it. It’s real,” Evans says. “People feel like it’s them.”

The P-Valley alum was a fan before joining the show. Or, rather: “I am the fan,” she proudly declares, adding that she signed and shared a Change.org petition to get the show renewed ahead of Season 3. (Take note if you’re interested in manifesting.)

Evans is not alone in her Reasonable Doubt fervor: Lori Harvey liked the show so much that she approached Mohamed to say so, then slid into her DMs to express her interest in working together, she told People. One dinner, an audition, and a callback later, she was cast in the role of Chelsea: a mysterious, “unpredictable force” who’s said to challenge Jax this season. And Morris Chestnut — who played attorney Corey Cash in Season 2, and returns as a guest in Season 3 — was a fan, too, prior to joining the cast. (“It was incredibly sexy before I got there,” the actor laughed on Live with Kelly and Mark.)

He’s got a point — this is a swoon-worthy show. But Reasonable Doubt isn’t steamy for steam’s sake: Those intimate encounters foreground Jax’s pleasure and agency, her aspirational self-assuredness serving as a reminder that even when you’re going through it (as Jax so often is), you can show up for yourself and demand a beautiful life.