Defending Jacob isn't based on a true story, but it's inspired by real-life cases similar to it. Adapted for Apple TV+ by Mark Bomback, the crime-themed series is centered on a 14-year-old boy accused of murder. As it turns out, Defending Jacob was inspired by real-life concepts but not one case in particular.
Defending Jacob on Apple TV+ stars Chris Evans and Michelle Dockery as Andy and Laurie Barber, respectively. When their son Jacob (Jaeden Martell) is accused of murdering a classmate, they're naturally concerned about the long-term consequences. After evidence connects Jacob to the crime scene, Andy and Laurie are forced to consider the unthinkable. The first three episodes of Defending Jacob released April 24 on Apple TV+, with the rest coming weekly until its finale in late May.
Defending Jacob is based on William Landay's eponymous 2012 novel. Several months after the initial publication, the author spoke about the backstory during an "Authors at Google" speech. He recalls a midlife crisis at age 30 while working as an assistant district attorney, and how he incorporated various life experiences when pursuing a writing career. Landay states that the Defending Jacob characters aren't based on real people, but were rather inspired by all the reasons that people choose to read crime novels. Specifically, he wanted to pinpoint what "non-criminals" find appealing. Landay discusses the idea that "bad men do what good men dream," and why readers like to be exposed to danger without really being exposed to danger.
When writing the characters, Landay thought about human behavior in the courtroom and questions of nature vs. nurture. He references an orphan from Oklahoma named Jeffrey Landrigan who was convicted of murder, and later met his biological father in prison. For Landay, he began thinking about science that supports a so-called "Murder Gene." He realized that the concept hadn't been fully been explored in literature, and then used his research to create the family history for Andy and Jakob Barber, two fictional characters. In Defending Jacob on Apple TV+, Andy reveals a dark secret about his father's past, which naturally concerns his wife, and thus pushes the narrative forward. In short, Laurie must address the possibility that Jacob could in fact be an evil person.
For the setting in Defending Jacob, Landay based everything on his real life: "The park is real, the schools are real." He also used some of his own personality traits for Andy Barber, and aimed to write a story "where the audience couldn't distance themselves." In terms of pacing and tone, Landay states that, "I find that books are feeling a little long," and so he wanted to make sure that entertainment was prioritized for his "basic bargain" with readers. As a whole, Defending Jacob is essentially about the question of confronting evil, and all the difficult decisions that people must make when a loved one is connected to a serious crime.