In season 2 of the Onyx Collective and Hulu series “Reasonable Doubt,” actress Emayatzy Corinealdi stars as Jax Stewart, a high-powered attorney in the midst of one of the most challenging cases of her career. When Jax’s best friend Shanelle (actress Shannon Kane) claims to have taken the life of her husband, Jamarion “JT” Tucker (actor Christopher Mychael Watson), in self-defense, Jax presumes Shanelle will be cleared of any charges.
However, there’s a new prosecutor in town who’s determined to disprove Shanelle’s claims and characterize her as a gold-digging housewife who committed a callous murder. In an attempt to protect her mental health while recovering from a traumatic experience, Jax solicits the help of attorney Corey Cash (actor Morris Chestnut) who’s a staunch advocate for survivors of domestic violence. What ensues is a clash of egos when Jax learns that she and Corey have conflicting strategies regarding the best way to go about proving Shanelle’s innocence.
When asked how her character has grown from season one where Jax had to overcome two harrowing incidents involving her stepfather and a former client named Damon (actor Michael Ealy) who became a deranged paramour, Corinealdi says Jax is still dealing with the after-effects.
“They’re gone, but they’re still there. And there are still unspoken things to be worked out with her mom. They’ve had conversations but nothing is perfect. While she doesn’t have to see her stepfather or Damon every day, there are things Jax is navigating through including wanting to be super protective of her daughter, and even that can be too much,” she said.
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Corinealdi tells the Sentinel that series creator Raamla Mohamed did a phenomenal job “threading the needle” and creating a seamless continuation between seasons one and two.
In addition to being a legal drama, “Reasonable Doubt” also shows the importance of fathers being present and supportive role models in their children’s lives.
With Jax being so entrenched in Shanelle’s case, her husband Lewis (actor McKinley Freeman) has some special moments with their kids, especially their teenage son Spenser (actor Thaddeus J. Mixson). Lewis realizes that he has to check his own toxic masculinity and gender biases when it comes to boys participating in the performing arts over athletics. Now that Jax and Lewis are in couples therapy, actor McKinley Freeman gives insight into what Lewis is working through this season.
“He’s reconciling the events of the end of last season because we’ve disrupted the foundation of the thing that allowed us to get this far. So how can we rebuild? What are we going to be standing on moving forward? Otherwise, we’re going to be on shaky ground, and nothing like that ever lasts long,” Freeman said.
“Lewis is also exploring his own insecurities and his own understanding of what it’s like to not only be a husband and a father but also a man in a world where you may not have all the answers, but you’re still trying to hold it together. From my perspective, there are so many unique, little situations to overcome in addition to being the partner of such a dynamic person like Jax/Emayatzy in this world.”
Series executive producer Larry Wilmore tells the Sentinel that a part of his role is ensuring there’s realism in the script.
“I’ve always felt story comes first, whether you’re doing comedy or drama, find the human story in it. So whenever I give notes, I say, ‘I don’t think that would happen’ or ‘What would they really say in this situation?’ That’s what drives me. That’s what I’m excited about,” he noted.
Wilmore went on to give insight into the nuances of Jax and Lewis being a “contemporary” couple. “This couple is complicated, and they’re contemporary, which means maybe we’re seeing something we haven’t seen before and that’s what’s exciting about them. What are the permission slips in this relationship? What’s great about them as well, because of the issues that are not as positively salient, these other intriguing elements help balance how we’re telling the story in the show.”
Wilmore goes on to say, “I’ve always been in the business of portraying positive Black men on screen…that’s never at issue, that’s never at stake. It’s going to be a positive portrayal, but it’s also going to be complicated. We may not be able to relate to all these moves, and that’s a different issue. But how can you be messy and how can you be complicated without sacrificing the integrity of a character in the portrayal? That’s always a challenge, but it’s a fun challenge.”
New episodes of “Reasonable Doubt” are released on Thursdays on Hulu and Disney+.
