Shawn Holley is a high profile defence attorney with an enviable roster of celebrity clients which boasts clients including Kim Kardashian, Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg, Paris Hilton, and O.J. Simpson, so a legal television series based on her work was always on the cards. Shawn Holley LOVES law and all its brazen legal contortions and contradictions which makes her such a fascinating character to study. Showrunner Raamla Mohamed (Scandal, Little Fires Everywhere) captured Holley’s spirit (who co-executive produced the show) into a legal drama called Reasonable Doubt. Kerry Washington and Larry Wilmore were also heavyweights who ensured the show came to fruition.
The show’s title is based on Jay-Z album of the same name rather than a legal standard of proof. We spoke to Ms. Mohamed about creating her infectious TV series while keeping us out of legal mischief!
Jacqueline “Jax” Stewart (Emayatzy Corinealdi), which loosely follows Holley’s career, juggles a thriving legal practice with a crumbling marriage. The idea for Reasonable Doubt began when Raamla met Shawn Holley (for creative not legal advice). Raamla felt that “Women tend to have a serious, tortured and professional face on television.” Then she met Shawn who was “light and bubbly and I was inspired to have that energy in a character.” Aside from Shawn’s sparkling personality, Raamla was inspired by her dynamic legal mind. “Then I added some spice, soap, and fun to the show from my own life to create Jax’s character.”
Raamla Mohamed set the show in the Windsor Hills area of Los Angeles which is where she grew up. “I’m an only child of a single mom. Jax and her mom share a similar dynamic to my mom and me. Jax and I both have a core group of friends from high school which we lean on each other.”
Raamla Mohamed
The showrunner carefully curated her writers’ room to include as broad a perspective of experiences as possible. “They could fill in some of the other characters and storylines in great ways.”
Who is Jax Shepherd?
Jax’s sense of morality and survivalism are evident in all aspects of her life. “Given her past traumas and complicated relationship with her stepfather who is still part of her life, she had to compartmentalize a lot of things.”
Jax sees people as who they are rather than the mistakes they’ve made.
The pilot episode centers around Brayden Mitchell (Sean Patrick Thomas) who is accused of murder. Jax explored the thesis – are people really as innocent or as guilty as they say? “This case affects Jax in negative ways. She loses her ability to compartmentalize her professional and personal lives as much after taking it on. They start to influence each other.” This adds to her mounting stress and forces her to face unpleasant events from her past in order to move forward. “This was all in the story stew.“
This sets up the series so the audience knows where Reasonable Doubt is going. “We know she’s in danger so let’s see how she got herself in that situation.” This mystery invites the audience in for the ride.
Jax Stewart doesn’t take on the easy to win cases. She relishes every opportunity to buck the system. She represents the underdog and thrives on the challenge. “She sees Brayden [Mitchell] in the pilot episode as the victim, but the rest of the world sees him as a criminal. Jax really understands her client in a way the world doesn’t.” She has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the law and knows how to wield it to maximum effect.
The pilot episode of Reasonable Doubt sets the stage for the season – the character, the world, the tone, and the pace.
The showrunner draws attention to the opening scenes of the first episode Can’t Knock The Hustle where the salacious recollection of hotel room activities were discussed in a telephone conversation. Jax responded with, “I don’t hear a crime. It’s terrible, but I don’t think a crime has been committed.” This is the crux of Jax Stewart’s legal process – to listen closely. “It’s a real skill.”
Brayden Mitchell (Sean Patrick Thomas) Photo by Justin Lubin/Hulu
Raamla Mohamed described a pivotal scene in the pilot episode when Brayden’s case is discussed with the team and Jax half-heartedly jokes about her being the obligatory black lawyer representing the black client. This is instrumental in gently folding race relations into the legal mix without allowing it to overpower the show. “There’s truth in the joke.” Her white male colleague rejects any connection of blackness to the other male lawyers in the office. Jax calls him out on his ignorance and apparent misogyny. These character dynamics reveal plenty about Jax’s assertive, yet contained, character. Nonetheless, she takes on the case. “This scene says a lot about how she carries herself in that space and how she deals with the feelings of rejection with grace.”
Raamla Mohamed and Shawn Holley spent considerable time discussing the types of cases Shawn took on to shape Reasonable Doubt. (Client-attorney privilege wasn’t breached at any time). Holley declared, “It’s not a crime to be an asshole.” This claim really stuck with Raamla in terms of thinking about applying the law.
Jax Stewart has all the makings of a powerhouse attorney – she’s loud, bombastic, determined, and uncompromising. “Audiences are in tune with such characters,” pondered Mohamed. “If there’s something intriguing and deep about her, they’ll stay with her and watch as we peel back the layers. You see her vulnerability, so that even if you don’t agree with what she’s doing, you understand why?”
Jax is not a perfect person. “She’s stubborn, empathetic, and guarded. Her empathy conflicts with her guardedness because she needs to be vulnerable to connect with people.” Jax makes a great effort to understand people, but rarely allows them to understand her. “We all want to be understood, but we have to give people the tools to understand us. Then we get mad when they don’t understand us because we don’t let them in,” added Mohamaed.
Damon Stewart (Michael Ealy) Photo by Ser Baffo/Hulu
The sharp contrast between Jax’s personal and professional lives is necessary to illustrate that not all is well in her life. Tension is high with husband Damon (Michael Ealy) who wants to separate. “We meet her at a very difficult point in her life. It helps us understand why she’s making certain decisions, whether it’s deciding on whether to take on a case or tackling the guilt surrounding how her children feel about her. She’s trying to keep everything together and make everything work.”
When you try to make too many things work, you fail at everything.
“Sure Jax is smart, sexy, and successful in career, but she’s also human. She goes home at the end of each day, looks in the mirror and face difficult family issues. Not everything’s a win. Sometimes she wins at work, but loses at home. Or vice versa. I wanted something that was realistic with lots of ups and downs.”
