The Gavel Drops: Ji-young Yoo Joins ‘Presumed Innocent’ Season 2

Apple TV has officially decided that one season of legal trauma wasn’t enough for us. Presumed Innocent is officially returning for Season 2, but before you start wondering how Rusty Sabich could possibly get into more trouble, hold your breath. The series is pivoting to an anthology format, and the latest casting news has us checking our legal retainers: the brilliant Ji-young Yoo is officially joining the fray.

While Season 1 gave us Jake Gyllenhaal’s best “sad-puppy-might-be-a-murderer” face, Season 2 is shifting gears entirely. Taking inspiration from Jo Murray’s upcoming legal thriller Dissection of a Murder, the new installment follows Leila Reynolds (played by the incomparable Rachel Brosnahan). Leila is a defense attorney who finds herself in the deep end when she’s handed the defense of a man accused of killing a prominent judge.

Enter Ji-young Yoo. Fresh off her breakout success in Expats and her 2025 vocal gymnastics in KPop Demon Hunters, Yoo has been cast in a recurring role. While Apple TV is keeping her character details locked tighter than a courtroom transcript, her addition signals a shift toward a younger, sharper ensemble that feels less like a 90s throwback and more like a modern legal chess match.

If you haven't been paying attention to Yoo’s trajectory, you’re clearly watching the wrong streamers. She possesses a specific kind of screen presence, cool, calculated and slightly unnervingthat fits perfectly into the Presumed Innocent universe. Whether she’s playing a legal clerk with a secret or a witness with a vendetta, she’s the kind of actress who can steal a scene without saying a word.

She joins a cast that is frankly showing off. Alongside Brosnahan and Matthew Rhys, we’re getting heavy hitters like Fiona Shaw and Courtney B. Vance. It’s clear the producers aren’t just looking for "TV stars"; they’re building a roster of prestige talent designed to keep the Emmys interested.

Season 2 had a high bar to clear. Moving away from Scott Turow’s original source material is a gamble, but choosing a new, unreleased novel as the foundation is the kind of chaotic energy we live for at The TV Cave. With Ji-young Yoo added to the mix, the show is leaning into a more diverse, dynamic vibe that might just make us forget Rusty Sabich ever existed.

Will Yoo be the one to crack the case, or is she the one hiding the murder weapon? Only time (and a lot of Apple TV subscriptions) will tell. Stay tuned to The TV Cave for more casting tea, recaps and our inevitable deep-dives into why legal dramas are the only thing keeping us sane in 2026.

What do you think of the new cast? Let us know in the comments if you’re ready for another round of courtroom drama!