Review: Jax goes solo and the stakes get higher in ‘Reasonable Doubt’ season 4

Four seasons in, Hulu's 'Reasonable Doubt' is still compelling, thanks to powerhouse talent, emotionally resonant subplots and a score that's pure hip hop heaven. Powerhouse talent and emotionally resonant subplots centred around a larger mystery keep Hulu’s Reasonable Doubt entertaining, four seasons in. Jax Stewart (Emayatzy Corinealdi) has never been short of drama, but season 4 of Reasonable Doubt, streaming on Disney+ in South Africa, hands her the biggest gamble yet as she finally bets on herself. Jax goes it alone The season picks up just as Jax strikes out on her own and opens her own law firm. She takes her assistant and private investigator with her, which means she’s now responsible for their livelihoods as well as her own. Her timing couldn’t be worse as she’s still recovering from the shooting that ended season 3, and she spent the start of this season in a coma. Jax Stewart is a brilliant Los Angeles defence attorney at the top of her game. With a questionable attitude toward ethics and her own interpretations of the law, Jax’s life is defined by moral grey areas and interpersonal drama. She thrives on chaos and approaches every case with a laser focus on winning. Picture: Supplied, Disney+ for Hulu It’s a smart way to raise the stakes. Jax is no longer a star lawyer protected by a big firm’s name. Every client, every case and every bad decision lands on her and risks sinking her business and her well-earned reputation. Tank steals the room Season 4 adds Meagan Good, Tank (real name Durrell Artaze Babbs), Taylor Polidore Williams and Rutina Wesley to the mix. Of the newcomers, Tank is the one getting the loudest applause online for his believable turn as Eric Cropper, a brash, charming and calculating music mogul who is used to getting his way. Some have even theorised that he’s either playing a trumped-up version of himself or borrowing from the insight he’s gained decades into a successful career in the American music industry. Jax Stewart played by Emayatzy Corinealdi and her assistant, Krystal Walters played by Angela Grovey on ‘Reasonable Doubt’. Picture: Supplied, Disney+ for Hulu Good, meanwhile, plays new district attorney Regina Harris, whom the show’s cast listing describes as smart, compassionate, and nobody’s fool. That makes her a fitting adversary for Jax. Trauma, in all its forms Beyond the courtroom theatrics and the larger mystery, the show’s real strength is how it illustrates the many ways trauma shows up in our lives. It surfaces in how Jax parents, how she works, how she loves and how her husband and teenage son deal with the aftermath of last season’s deaths and near-death experiences. And the writers are willing to let those moments breathe. I believe that emotional honesty is what turns a glossy legal soap into something with real weight. A score for the culture As a lifelong hip hop lover, the score remains one of my favourite things about the show. It may be named after a Jay-Z album, but it doesn’t stop there. Its needle drops pull from some of the most-played rap and R&B of the past three decades, and the series’ composers, Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad, give it a sonic identity that’s unmistakably its own. The show’s name is a nod to Jay-Z’s debut album, which turns 30 this year, and the references keep coming. Episode 4, the most recent at the time of writing, is titled “Imaginary Players”, a track Cardi B revived in 2025 with Jay-Z’s blessing for her Am I the Drama? album. It speaks to the kind of layered, cross-generational Easter eggs laced throughout the show that reward hip hop heads. Reasonable Doubt doesn’t try to reinvent the legal drama, and it doesn’t need to. It’s glossy and gripping, and it’s anchored by performances that make even the messiest choices feel human. This comes from a viewer who still feels personally betrayed by a season 3 infidelity that served as a major plot point and rears its head occasionally in the new season. Reasonable Doubt season 4 is streaming on Disney+, with new episodes weekly. Details: Show: Reasonable DoubtWhere to watch: Disney+ (Hulu)Rating: 4/5Synopsis: Reasonable Doubt follows Jax Stewart (Emayatzy Corinealdi), a sharp, high-flying Los Angeles criminal defence lawyer who juggles high-profile cases with a dramatic personal life. Created by Raamla Mohamed, the Hulu drama (streaming on Disney+ in South Africa) is loosely inspired by the experiences of celebrity attorney Shawn Holley.Season 4 picks up with Jax recovering from the shooting that ended season 3 and a coma at the start of the season. She wastes no time betting on herself: she opens her own law firm and takes her assistant and private investigator with her, making her responsible for their livelihoods as well as her own. With new faces including Meagan Good, Tank, Taylor Polidore Williams, and Rutina Wesley, the stakes rise in a story that blends courtroom drama with a larger mystery and a close look at how trauma shapes every part of our lives.