Despite its popularity, Bryan Cranston’s crime drama Your Honor came to an unexpected end in March 2023 after only two seasons, leaving fans questioning the reason behind the cancellation of a potential third season.
Your Honor, a series based on Kvodo from Israel, features Bryan Cranston in the role of Michael Desiato, a judge in New Orleans. His teenage son, Adam Desiato (Hunter Doohan), is responsible for a hit-and-run that results in the death of another teenager.
Upon learning that the victim is the offspring of notorious crime boss Jimmy Baxter (Michael Stuhlbarg), Michael leverages his connections to conceal Adam’s wrongdoing, plunging them further into the chaos.
The first season of Your Honor debuted on Showtime on December 6, 2020, and concluded with its final episode on February 14, 2021. Almost two years later, Your Honor season 2 premiered on January 15, 2023, and concluded on March 19, 2023.
Despite this, a continuation of Your Honor in the form of a third season never came to fruition, prompting speculation about the show’s possible cancellation and reasoning behind its conclusion.
Why Season 3 Never Happened?
Despite initial intentions for Your Honor to only have one season, it ultimately did not continue beyond its first season. The reason for this was because it was never intended to have a third season from the start.
Peter Moffat adapted the show for American television, with Your Honor originally envisioned, written, and produced as a limited series.
The original plan for what would later be known as “Season 1″was for it to serve as both the beginning and end of the story, with no plans for any continuation beyond the finale.
According to Cranston, who is also an executive producer on the series, Showtime’s decision to renew Your Honor for a second season was based on the exceptionally high ratings of season 1. However, he expressed that he would only be willing to return for season 2 if his character’s grief over his son’s death in the season 1 finale was truly explored.
“Cranston, speaking on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast prior to the season 2 premiere in 2022, emphasized the profound impact of losing a child on one’s life. He expressed a desire to accurately portray a man’s deep despair, while also leaving room for the possibility of hope. This portrayal, according to Cranston, must be gradually revealed rather than immediately apparent.”
In 2022, before the premiere of the season, it was announced that Your Honor season 2 would be the final season. It was unexpected that the show would receive a second season as it was originally planned to only have one. Therefore, it was not surprising when a third season renewal was not announced.
Your Honor Season 2’s TV Ratings Did Not Match Season 1’s Success
The lack of a season 3 for Your Honor can also be attributed to lower ratings in season 2 compared to the first season. According to Showbuzz Daily, while season 1 had an average of 590,500 viewers per episode each week (0.081 Nielsen rating), season 2 only had an average of 510,000 weekly viewers (0.049 Nielsen rating).
Despite not being a significant decrease, the decline in viewership suggested a lack of overall interest. Given that a second season was not initially planned, it is doubtful that Showtime would renew Your Honor for another season, regardless of its success.
Hence, when the ratings dropped during season 2, it only served to confirm that not ordering a third season was the correct decision.
Despite the possibility that season 2’s ratings could have been just as good or even better than season 1’s, Showtime may not have pursued another season due to the fact that it was originally marketed as a limited series.
3. Bryan Cranston on Your Honor Season 3
A year after his interview with Armchair Expert, in which he appeared to dismiss the possibility of a third season, Cranston provided further clarification in March 2023 following the conclusion of season 2 of Your Honor.
Despite the outcome of Cranston’s character in the season 2 finale of Your Honor, the actor did not envision himself returning to the role in any case.
Cranston clarified that he was unsure about reprising his role as Michael Desiato on screen due to his character’s current imprisonment, but he expressed interest in producing a potential season 3 of Your Honor.
Despite the day never arriving, Cranston appears to be satisfied with the series coming to a permanent end.
4. About Your Honor
The American drama television series, Your Honor, is an adaptation of the Israeli TV series Kvodo and features Bryan Cranston as the lead. It made its debut on Showtime on December 6, 2020, and concluded on March 19, 2023.
Despite being originally planned as a miniseries, the series was renewed in August 2021 for a second season, which is scheduled to debut on January 15, 2023. However, news surfaced in July 2022 that the second season would also be its final season.
The show centers around the son of a prominent judge in New Orleans who unintentionally causes the death of another teenager in a hit-and-run accident. Initially, the judge advises his son to confess to the authorities, but he has a change of heart upon discovering that the victim was the son of a powerful mafia boss. The judge’s efforts to eliminate any incriminating evidence ultimately lead to devastating outcomes.
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