Your Honor Season 1 (2021) Review

Late last year this show came out in the US to some pretty decent reviews and now it has made its way to the UK and I have watched the first season for Your Honor and here is my review for it. The premise of the show sees a Judge have to go to extreme lengths to save his son when he is in involved in a hit and run incident involving a crime boss. 

Main Character

The great Bryan Cranston plays the Judge here and he is of course brilliant. In my opinion, there aren't too many better actors on the planet then Cranston and he does a great job in the lead role. Yes, it is quite similar to his role of Walter White in Breaking Bad but it is different enough for him to bring a new depth to this character, for me he acts rings around everybody else here, not that their bad but it shows just how great he is throughout the whole season. 

Supporting Characters

Isiah Whitlock Jr plays his best friend on the show and I thought he was really good too, the dynamic between the two characters is a really nice one and I think both of the actors gave plenty to their friendship and that whole part of the show. Hunter Doohan plays Cranston's son on the show and I thought he was decent in this show, I thought his relationship with his father was another highlight of the show and them together at the beginning of the show is what drives those early episodes for show and he was a part of that. Michael Stuhlbarg plays the bad guy and I wouldn't say he has tonnes of depth but he does a decent job and plays an intimidating mob boss well and I thought he delivered some intense scenes that is good for the show. This show has a large cast and I thought everybody did a good job in their roles with the acting being one of the better elements of the show. 

Story 

The story is good, it is interesting seeing this man who is basically the wielder of the law, having to do some shady things in order to protect the person closest to him and Cranston does a great job in conveying that. Also when this show gets into the courtroom it is great and intense and due to things Cranston has done it makes it more intriguing then usual court room dramas for sure. Also this show has a brilliant ending that makes me hope we get a second season. But this show had an issue, that it had to be shut down due to the Pandemic, and I thought it really showed. Certain elements of the story are either forgotten about or newly introduced in the final few episodes and it feels very strange and like the show had issues with what it could do. 

Script 

The script is very good, the show is very intense and has plenty of dramatic scenes and they are all handled really well. Also when the humour and family moments are needed, I thought they were there and it helped flesh out the characters that are on screen. 

Style 

The show is interesting and does have some intensity in its style and always tries to keep Cranston's character always on his toes. But again the show's pacing becomes a bit skewed when it is clear that Covid protocols are more in place, maybe a few less episodes could have helped this as maybe it takes a bit too long to get moving in terms of its plot. 

Overall

Overall, I really enjoyed Your Honor. It is a great and intense show, people will obviously compare it to Breaking Bad but it is not close to those levels. If it gets a second season it could have a strong running and I think this is a show you should give your time to. 

Rating - 8/10