Netflix has done it again. For the second year in a row, an old show has dropped on the streaming service and become the hit of the summer.
Genre: Drama
Number of episodes: 20 (2 seasons)
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Isiah Whitlock Jr.
Quick synopsis: New Orleans judge Michael Desiato's (Cranston) son is involved in a hit-and-run accident. At first, Michael encourages his son to turn himself in. But once he learns who his son killed, Michael refuses to turn him in and will do everything he can to protect his son.
Stream now on Netflix and Paramount Plus
"Your Honor" made some buzz when it debuted in 2020, but largely fizzled. Despite being led by the incredible Bryan Cranston, critical reviews of the New Orleans drama were mixed and being on Showtime was tough to overcome for even great shows. So after season 2, it was canceled.
But now, the show has become must-see TV. According to Nielsen streaming data released last week (h/t Variety), the unofficial-yet-official source of what people are watching on streaming services, "Your Honor" has passed 1.9 billion minutes viewed as of June 23 of this year.
That was its third week in a row in the overall top 10 for TV shows, and The New York Times reports that preliminary Nielsen data shows "Your Honor will continue its dominance over the next two weeks of Nielsen ratings as well. For its part, Netflix's official top 10 showed that "Your Honor" racked up 18.6 million hours across two million views during its first three weeks on the platform.
Netflix did this last year with 'Suits' — but this is more impressive
As mentioned, this isn't the first time that Netflix has pulled off this incredible feat. Last summer, the streaming service added the USA Network show "Suits" to its vast catalog of shows and movies. That was June 2023. Fast forward to May of this year, and Netflix revealed that "Suits" was its most-watched show of 2023.
That's pretty remarkable in its own right. Taking a show that was somewhat of a cult hit for fans of legal dramas and turning it into the show of the summer is no small accomplishment, let alone turning it into the show of the year.
But "Suits" had a deep catalog of seasons to help fuel that growth. While the eighth and ninth seasons weren't as good as the previous seven seasons — the seasons that included Patrick J. Adams and Meghan Markle — that's still 134 episodes to binge-watch.
That makes what Netflix has done with "Your Honor" even more impressive. The show was canceled after just its second season. There are only 20 episodes to watch. You could knock that out in a weekend.
Plus, "Your Honor" also wasn't received nearly as well as "Suits" by critics. The average Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes for Suits was 91%. "Your Honor" tops out at 50% for season 2, though admittedly fans liked the show more than critics.
Verdict: This won't be the last time Netflix revives a dead show
"Your Honor" and its summer resurgence are just another rock in a mountain of evidence that highlights Netflix's dominance. Case in point? The show is also streaming on Paramount Plus and essentially nobody is talking about that. Certainly, nobody is crediting Paramount's streaming service with the show's newfound success. You can even watch the first episode for free on Paramount Plus and I guarantee most of you who hit play on "Your Honor" will watch it on Netflix.
That's the power of Netflix and its algorithm. I cover TV shows for a living. I even wrote up a blurb about "Your Honor" being in the Netflix top 10 recently. Little did I know, my wife was already watching it because Netflix suggested it for her.
We've seen this happen before. "New Girl" star Jake Johnson credited Netflix for reviving the popularity of the Fox sitcom, which is often mentioned as a possible reunion show candidate. "Suits" was so popular on Netflix that NBC has ordered a full spin-off series "Suits: LA" (h/t Deadline). And now there's talk from CBS Studios President David Stapf about possibly reviving "Your Honor" for a season 3.
So the question isn't will Netflix revive a dead show again and turn it into a massive hit — the question is what show will it be?
