Bryan Cranston's Michael Desiato found himself in prison in Netflix's Your Honor, and fans are looking back to why that happened.
Your Honor features Cranston as Michael, a prominent and respected judge in New Orleans, Louisiana, whose son kills another teenager in a car accident before Michael urges him to turn himself in.
That teenager turns out to be the son of a huge crime boss, forcing Michael into a difficult decision on whether to save his son from jail or uphold the law the way his job demands.
Season 1 ends tragically with the death of Michael's son, putting that issue on the back-burner, although things only get worse from there after uncovering the inner workings of a major mob operation.
Why is Michael In Prison in Your Honor?
The start of Your Honor Season 2 sees Bryan Cranston's Michael Desiato imprisoned as he comes to grips with his son's murder at the end of Season 1.
Season 2, Episode 1 reveals that Michael is in prison after conspiring with Michael Stuhlbarg's Jimmy Baxter, a major mob boss, to rig the murder trial for Jimi Stanton's Carlo Baxter.
He is then visited by U.S. Attorney Olivia Delmont (played by Rosie Perez) as she attempts to get his help in bringing down the Baxters for good. Although Michael simply wants to die in peace after such a huge loss, Delmont gets him out of prison in exchange for his help on the case.
At the end of the season, Michael reveals his complicity in covering up his son's involvement in the death of another teenager in Season 1, forcing him into a new prison sentence.
However, this time, he goes to jail willingly as he feels a sense of peace and closure after openly revealing the truth about his wrongdoing.
Will Your Honor Return for Season 3?
Putting it bluntly, it was a surprise to see Your Honor brought back for a second season in 2023, as it was originally developed as a limited series before a ratings explosion changed those plans.
Bryan Cranston also confirmed in an appearance on Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast in 2022 that Season 2 would be the show's last, setting up the series' end long before it officially came to fruition.
Clarifying those comments with Deadline in April 2023, Cranston explained that there was discussion about Season 3 being greenlit. However, he made it clear that it would only happen if there were "some great reason to keep expanding" that universe:
"There is some discussion. Showtime has indicated there is interest. If it happens, fantastic, but it’d have to be some great reason to keep expanding in this world."
He also explained that he would be more interested in producing a new season without starring in it due to his character's prison sentence:
"I’d be very interested in producing that. I don’t know about being in it because my guy’s back in prison."
On top of Cranston's comments, showrunner Joey Hartstone shared his thoughts on a new season being greenlit in March 2023.
Noting that this decision was "above [his] pay grade," he admitted that he would be "happy to see it continue" should that decision be made:
"It's definitely above my pay grade. You know Season 1 ended and we thought that was going to be it. Obviously, there was a Season 2. I think the hope is always that a show will be successful and well-liked by its audience enough that there can be a future somehow. It's not my call but I would be happy to see it continue."
For now, the chances seem almost non-existent for Your Honor to return for a third season, although Cranston does appear to be keeping his options open.
Your Honor is streaming for those subscribed to Netflix and Paramount+, and it can be viewed with a premium subscription to Hulu and Amazon Prime Video.
