The Resurgence of ‘Your Honor’: A Summer Hit on Netflix

The Surprising Rise of “Your Honor”

Over a decade ago, the groundbreaking crime drama Breaking Bad, featuring the talented Bryan Cranston, transformed from a modestly-rated cable show into a cultural phenomenon, largely thanks to its availability on Netflix. Fast forward to today, and we are witnessing a similar resurgence with another Cranston-led series, Your Honor. This Showtime production, which initially premiered in 2020 and faced cancellation last year, has unexpectedly surged in popularity, becoming one of the standout summer television hits of 2023.

Since its arrival on Netflix in late May, Your Honor has captivated audiences across the United States, achieving impressive viewership metrics as reported by Nielsen. The series has exceeded a staggering one billion minutes of viewing time for three consecutive weeks, a significant milestone that is often seen as an unofficial benchmark for television hits. Preliminary Nielsen data suggests that the show is on track to reach this remarkable milestone for a fourth consecutive week, and possibly even a fifth.

To put this achievement in perspective, it is important to note that Your Honor has only 20 episodes available for viewing, amounting to around 20 hours of content. This makes its rapid ascension all the more impressive. In 2023, only three new series have achieved the four-week viewership threshold: two Netflix sensations, Bridgerton and Love Is Blind, and Fallout from Amazon. Among licensed series, heavyweights like Grey’s Anatomy, Bluey, and Young Sheldon have also qualified.

This surge in viewership not only marks Your Honor as a sleeper hit of the summer but also positions it as one of the significant television successes of the year, illustrating the profound impact that streaming services can have on a show’s popularity long after its original airing.