Defending Jacob - Season 1 Apr 2026

Jacob's mother, who increasingly doubts his innocence as secrets surface [10, 15, 20]. Jacob Barber

The experienced defense attorney hired to represent Jacob [20]. Defending Jacob - Season 1

The story centers on Andy Barber (), a respected Assistant District Attorney in Newton, Massachusetts [10]. His life is upended when he is assigned to investigate the murder of 14-year-old Ben Rifkin, a classmate of his son, Jacob ( Jaeden Martell ) [10, 18]. Jacob's mother, who increasingly doubts his innocence as

Andy’s estranged, incarcerated father with a violent past [10, 11, 28]. Joanna Klein His life is upended when he is assigned

The series received generally positive reviews for its performances, particularly Evans and Dockery, though some critics felt the eight-episode format stretched the story thin [12, 16, 22]. It holds a 73% on Rotten Tomatoes , with reviewers praising it more as an ensemble character piece than a standard legal procedural [12, 22].

: As the trial progresses, long-buried secrets emerge, including Andy’s own father ( J.K. Simmons ) being a convicted murderer—a "murder gene" history the family fears may be hereditary [11, 15, 20].

Defending Jacob is a crime drama miniseries on Apple TV+ based on William Landay's 2012 novel [10, 20]. The eight-episode first season originally aired in early 2020 and follows a high-stakes legal battle that tears a family apart when a teenager is accused of murder [9, 10, 31].