It can’t be overstated how iconic Bryan Cranston’s performance as Walter White was, which deservingly earned the Drive star a whopping six Emmy wins. Unfortunately, it meant that his following performances and projects would be inevitably compared to his Breaking Bad counterpart.
As a result, his first major drama series after BB, Your Honor, had the misfortune of being compared to arguably one of the greatest TV shows of all time. While its first season ended up becoming Cranston’s first-ever rotten show on the Tomatometer, showrunner Peter Moffat’s brilliant pitch ensured the actor was on board for a second season.
Peter Moffat Got Bryan Cranston Hooked on Michael Desiato’s Fate
While Your Honor started on a high note with its premiere, the first season wasn’t able to capitalize on this momentum and eventually dropped the ball in the following episodes. On top of that, the legacy of Cranston’s past drama series didn’t help, as Your Honor was nowhere close to the brilliance of the Emmy-winning series.
But despite a low score of 58% on the Tomatometer, showrunner Peter Moffat was successful in rolling the ball on the sequel, as he always saw the story as a two-parter. As for Bryan Cranston, instead of directly the actor to return, Moffat used the genius strategy to get the BB star hooked on Michael Desiato’s potential fate after season 1.
Cranston recalled (via The Wrap):
He came to me and said, ‘Not to say you’re in Season 2, but what would you say would happen to the character?’ And I said, ‘Well, it’s one of two things. After losing everything — his wife a year earlier, his son, his standing, his principles, his soul, his integrity, his friends — he’d kill himself. Or he would be imprisoned for the crimes that he committed.’
Peter came back to me and pitched that he is indeed in prison and there was a set of circumstances that got him out that led him on a road to redemption. And I thought, ‘OK, you sneaky bast–d. You got me. That’s a good one.’ [Laughs]
Moreover, the sequel series ended up becoming an improvement over its predecessor, which earned a Certified Fresh rating on the Tomatometer with a score of 67%.
Bryan Cranston on His Radical Physical Transformation for Season 2
Although Bryan Cranston is well-versed in delivering highly impeccable performances, with Your Honor season 2, the Emmy-winner pushed himself physically by losing 16 pounds. Explaining his reasoning behind losing pounds, he stressed that the radical transformation in the character’s physical appearance was a reflection of his state of mind after losing everything in season 1.
Michael wanted his physical body to catch up with his spirit, which had died. So how does a person who feels emotionally dead and yet physically present face the new day?
While it was revealed that season 2 would serve as Your Honor‘s conclusion, since its newfound success after hitting Netflix, fans are wondering if it’ll be renewed for season 3 in the future.
Your Honor is available to stream on Netflix.
