Chris Evans-led 'Defending Jacob' looks like an Apple TV+ breakout

Chris Evans' first limited series after his Marvel Cinematic Universe run seems to be doing really well. While Apple—like other streaming services—hasn't divulged viewership data, sources claim that Defending Jacob is Apple TV+ service's biggest debut since its launch in November 2019. Deadline reports that it's one of the top three series premieres for the service, with a big opening weekend and viewership numbers that continued growing by five times in its first 10 days. If this is true, it'll rank Defending Jacob among the two fastest-growing series premieres on Apple TV+.

The show is also reportedly setting Apple TV+ records for viewer engagement. A substantial number of the viewers watching the first three episodes that were released on April 24 went on to watch the fourth episode released on May 1. The show just dropped Episode 5 this weekend, with J.K. Simmons' making his appearance as Billy Barber, the estranged father of Evans' Andy Barber. Defending Jacob also stars Michelle Dockery as Andy's wife, Laurie, and Jaeden Martell, as Andy's 14-year-old son Jacob, who is accused of murdering his classmate.