Your Honor

New Orleans judge Michael Desiato has built a life around the law. When his teenage son is involved in a fatal hit-and-run connected to a powerful crime family, his desire to protect him pulls against everything his position is supposed to represent.

Bryan Cranston plays Michael, with Hunter Doohan as Adam, Michael Stuhlbarg as Jimmy Baxter and Hope Davis as Gina Baxter. Peter Moffat's drama is particularly interested in what happens when a knowledgeable man starts using his understanding of the system for private ends.

I found the central predicament gripping. Cranston gives Michael's calm manner a visible effort, while Stuhlbarg and Davis make the opposing family more than a convenient source of threats. Some of the escalation requires patience with thriller plotting, but the acting gives it a strong foundation.

The series runs for two seasons. Read my full Your Honor review.