By: Keaton Marcus

"Defending Jacob" is an Intermittently Intriguing, Yet Melodramatic Mystery

Review of Apple TV+’s Defending Jacob:

Apple TV+ has nabbed yet another all-star, this time it’s MCU celebrity Chris Evans getting back into the murder-mystery genre after last year’s stellar Knives Out. This time, however, it’s no comedy, it’s a little more melodramatic. The show kicks off like any other mystery film or show, with a dead body being found (yes, it’s in the woods). The body is of a fourteen year-old boy named Ben who was mysteriously murdered. Without finding any suspects yet, shocking evidence is found that says that Detective Barber’s (Evans) son, Jacob (Jaeden Martell) murdered him. It’s a pretty intriguing, if familiar plot, though creator Mark Bomback squanders the interesting premise far too much to make it a good show. That doesn’t leave Defending Jacob without it’s qualities though. Jaeden Martell and Chris Evans’ performances are exceptionally fine, the two of them having solid chemistry and they do get a few things right. It all just feels a little contrived and melodramatic, a tad cheesy at times. However, the performances and terrific build-up may make it worth watching for die-hard Chris Evans or mystery fans, but others may not want to spend a single second on it. It isn’t a bad show, but it’s an objectively average one that could have been some of the finest television of the year. Though who doesn’t want to see Evans solve a mystery?!

Should you Binge, Browse, or Skip?

Defending Jacob is too melodramatic to be good but Chris Evans and Jaeden Martell’s committed performances and intriguing premise make it a decent, if slightly disappointing murder mystery. I would say…BROWSE IT