Your Honor looks like it could still return for a third season, but in order to make another installment work, the series will have to make a very risky story change. Bryan Cranston’s thriller series is a legal drama that focuses on an honorable judge trying to cover up his son’s hit-and-run. With various twists and turns over the show’s two seasons, it appeared the story had reached its natural conclusion; however, a recent Your Honor update indicated that season 3 is still potentially in the cards, which could prove to be a divisive decision.

Although both seasons received a mostly positive response from audiences, Your Honor‘s Rotten Tomatoes reviews gave Bryan Cranston his first rotten TV show score from critics. Season 2’s audience reception also slightly dipped from the first installment, meaning the series is currently heading in the wrong trajectory. While there are still plenty of positives when it comes to the show, its conclusive ending means Your Honor season 3 would have to make a huge story change. Crucially, to make a third season work from a narrative perspective, the series would have to move away from its biggest selling point.

Your Honor Season 3 Can’t Return To Michael Desiato’s Story After Season 2’s Ending

Michael Desiato’s Return To Prison Concluded His Story

With Your Honor‘s second season wrapping up all the central storylines, season 3 can’t continue Michael Desiato’s journey. Season 2’s ending saw the protagonist end up back in jail after admitting that his son was responsible for Rocco Baxter’s death. Telling the truth finally gave Michael a sense of closure and essentially ended his story, meaning a third season can’t logically center around the disgraced judge. Given Your Honor season 1 focused on Michael’s descent into corruption and season 2 followed the aftermath, there is really nowhere else to go with his story, especially with the protagonist returning to prison.

If Cranston were to reprise his role for season 3, it would likely involve his character getting out of jail for the second season running, making Michael’s huge revelation pointless. Cranston himself even commented on the possibility of Your Honor season 3 happening and explained that he’d be open to producing it, but was unsure about returning as the former judge. Although Cranston was one of the show’s highlights, there is simply nothing else for his character to do without ruining season 2’s ending, proving Your Honor would have to find a way to move on without him.

Your Honor Could Only Continue If Season 3 Makes Major Story & Character Changes

Your Honor Would Have To Focus On New Characters To Justify A Third Season

While Your Honor season 3’s status is still up in the air, the only way it could properly continue is by making some massive changes in terms of story and characters. The plot would no longer be able to revolve around Michael and would have to follow a new protagonist instead. Eugene became a pivotal character throughout the show and is someone the series could shift its focus towards by showcasing his life after witness protection. Alternatively, Your Honor could bring in a new protagonist to continue the plot, or potentially introduce an entirely fresh cast.

Given both Michael and Fia received conclusive endings, there aren’t too many other central characters left to focus on. Gina and Jimmy had stories that could continue, but they may not make for strong leads and would shift the tone of the show too much. No matter who the potential third season followed, Your Honor would almost certainly have to change its core themes and risk becoming a more traditional crime series. The show still has plenty of potential to continue, but it will have to do so without Cranston’s Michael Desiato while also making a major story shift.

Moving Away From Bryan Cranston’s Character Is A Huge Risk For The Showtime Series

Bryan Cranston’s Star Power Is Your Honor’s Biggest Selling Point

Moving away from Bryan Cranston may be the only way forward for the Showtime series, but it’s also a huge risk. Your Honor was a great Breaking Bad replacement for Cranston as it allowed him to stay in the crime TV genre without his role feeling too similar to his iconic Walter White performance. Naturally, Your Honor didn’t take off in the same way as Breaking Bad, but it was a solid drama that got the best out of the actor’s star power. Unfortunately, proceeding with him risks the show becoming stale, but dropping him could be even worse.

Cranston may seem happy to take a back seat and produce instead, but without him at the front and center of the project, it is nowhere near as big. If his character were to return to the series, he wouldn’t be doing anything of real value without taking Your Honor in a wildly different direction, which is yet another gamble. However, Cranston is undoubtedly the show’s biggest selling point, and people may not be interested in a third season without him. Therefore, Your Honor season 3 will have to make a tough decision if the show is to continue.