Morris Chestnut Joins Latest Season

The cast of Hulu’s Reasonable Doubt hit CultureCon’s “Culture Stage” to discuss everything from the show’s latest season to the Blackness of the cast and crew.

Reasonable Doubt, created by Raamla Mohamed, follows defense attorney Jax Stewart, played by Emayatzy Corinealdi, as she navigates her family, marriage, personal life, and court cases in Los Angeles, California. In season two, the show takes many turns as Jax is repairing her marriage, representing her friend in an intense self-defense case, and recovering from an affair that turned deadly in the first season.

Morris Chestnut joined season two as attorney Corey Cash. McKinley Freeman who plays Lewis Stewart, Jax’s husband, Chestnut, and Corinealdi began the conversation by discussing Jax’s imperfections and how they translate on screen.

“We have all of her, all her flaws. Everything that she does wrong is just out there on stage. I love that. We get to see her try to figure it out. We get to see her living her best, bossy life, and we get to see her failing at times. So that’s one of my favorite parts because we don’t have a lot of those characters be as complete and whole in that way,” said Corinealdi.

This season is Chestnut’s first appearance as Corey on the show. He discussed what it was like entering into a show that had already been established since season one—in a very spicy way. 

“Originally…it wasn’t going to be introduced that way. There was a scene before that was taken out, but then once we shot it, I knew that that scene was in there, and I just felt I loved it,” said Chestnut. “Because having been such a big fan of the first season of the show…it was just pretty much in line with the tone of the show, and I just felt it was a great introduction.”

Jax and Lewis’s Marriage Dynamic

Coreanildi and Freeman portray Jax and Lewis, a married couple experiencing a rough patch in their relationship. The two discussed their feelings about their onscreen romance and how they view their characters’ relationship after Lewis’s actions change the family’s dynamic.  

“I think Jax’s decision to stay is kind of a notch in the belt for the evolution of their relationship, because at one point we weren’t even sure they were talking about the same relationship that they were having, and be able to go through conversations and situations and grow from it,” said Freeman. “And to get to this part, that’s definitely a plot twist, for sure, but it definitely brings in the challenge of stuff that they learned in therapy and all the stuff that seemed to be working. 

“I mean, it’s tricky, you know, when I read it, I struggled with that, just as a woman, and it was, it was a tough one,” said Corinealdi. “But again, that’s why we love the show. That’s why we love what Raamla has created because it makes us have these conversations. It makes you mad, it makes you happy, it makes all the things. That’s what good TV does.”

All-Black Team

The cast members also discussed their experiences on a Black set. This season was directed by all-Black directors, written by an all-Black writers room, and co-executive produced by notable Black producers Raamla Mohamed, Larry Wilmore, and Kerry Washington. 

The show is curated by Disney’s Onyx Collective, a content brand dedicated to underrepresented creators and creators of color. The dedication to Blackness can be seen throughout this season, especially with the selection of Hip-Hop and R&B hits sprinkled throughout the show like Jeezy’s “Vacation” and SZA’s “Good Days.”

“Raamla Mohamed, she is the one who really created this world. She created these characters. She knew what she wanted. She fought for the authenticity of not just Jax but just the show period…she is a strong Black woman. It’s about everything Black for her,” said Corinealdi. 

“We can go further. It’s produced by Kerry Washington, who’s Black. It’s also produced by Onyx Collective, whose executives are Black. And of course, Raamla Mohamed, the showrunner that we mentioned earlier, is Black,” said Chestnut. “It really was one of the best sets that I’ve ever been on. I haven’t been on a set with so much color ever in my whole career. It was great to have that feeling.”

The crowd was full of gasps and cheers as the panel discussed this season. The panel concluded with Chestnut urging attendees to watch the final two episodes of season two.

“So, I think the audience may be fairly shocked if you watch episodes nine and ten, so please watch,” said Chestnut. 

To catch up on season two and watch the final two episodes tune into Reasonable Doubt on Hulu.

To watch Carvd N Stone’s CultureCon 2024 interviews, click here.