While Showtime's Your Honor might sound like the title of a legal drama, much of the action takes place far away from the courtroom. Even though the protect-your-family plot structure might be familiar to audiences, the majority of the characters aren't. Each of them brings their own sense of aura.
New Orleans judge Michael Desiato (Bryan Cranston) is Unlike Walter White, Michael is a little bit good at heart. This makes him easily intimated by mob boss Jimmy Baxter, who happens to be the father of the victim.
Adam Desiato
Adam is not the most straightforward son. He continually finds himself in places where he shouldn't be. And when he accidentally hits someone with his car, he decides to drive away. Not to mention that while he is fleeing, he stops by a gas station and stares at the car behind him, thus exposing himself to a witness.
He is basically the source of all the problems in the series. As the stereotypical annoying and careless teenager, Adam does nothing worth making audiences root for him.
Gina Baxter
As the matriarch of the Baxter crime family, Gina is ruthless as far as TV moms go. She has no problem going behind her husband's back and giving orders for people to be executed.
It's understandable that Gina is heartbroken after the death of her son. But the fact that she orders the death of an innocent boy who she thinks killed her son makes her impossible to adore. There's also the fact that she is comfortable with allowing her only remaining son to continue committing crimes.
Frannie
Frannie is a teacher who happens to be dating a student. The student is none other than Adam. Teacher-student relationships are forbidden in many US states. The fact that she is risking her job by doing that is baffling.
In the first episode, Adam's father requests him not to tell anyone about the incident but he later tells Frannie. The teacher is cold and non-remorseful. Despite the fact that people have begun dying because of Adam's actions, Frannie encourages him to keep his secret. "Sometimes there are truths worth lying for,” she says.
Charlie
Charlie has the appearance of a good guy but he is in bed with bad people. The politician knows how to appeal to people and so everyone likes him, including Michael.
When Michael asks him for a favor in disposing of the car, he quickly agrees. He calls a gang leader named Little Mo who then gives the job to Kofi. When Kofi finds himself in trouble, Charlie goes the selfish route by tying up all loose ends and make sure nothing links him to the boy.
Frankie
Frankie is the kind of associate that every mobster needs. He doesn't talk much. He simply takes orders and gets the job done. He is quite intimidating, too.
For most of the season, Frankie focusses on trying to find out the person who committed the hit and run. When he and Jimmy link Michael to it, they try to whack him, though things don't go as smoothly as they would like. There is nothing major that Frankie does to make him detestable, hence he sits in the middle.
Lee Delamere
Lee's life appears to be running smoothly before Michael dumps his burdens on her. She is a successful lawyer who ends up losing her lucrative job after she takes on the Koffi case.
But she is doing it for love. It's revealed that Lee and Michael are seeing each other. This is problematic, too, because Michael is more likely to favor Lee in the courtroom. Still, she dedicates herself to her lover's course and does her job with much dedication. Not wise but it's what people do.
Nancy Costello
As a detective, Nancy does her best to do her job efficiently. She makes efforts to get to the bottom of every case that she is handed. She also happens to be very good friends with Michael.
When he comes to her for help, she is more than glad to be of service. She is unaware of the deep mess that Michael and his son have gotten themselves into. Her resilience leads her to uncover plenty of secrets about the hit and run. It's hard to find a single blemish in Nancy's character.
Kofi Jones
Kofi is a victim of unfortunate circumstances. He is hired to get rid of the car that Adam was driving, not knowing exactly what happened. He ends up getting captured and tortured. What's sadder is that he has no idea why he is being tortured. The look on his face is quite heartbreaking.
The teenager finds himself in jail where he has to constantly look over his shoulder. Despite surviving an earlier scare when a guard shows up, he still gets killed.
Jimmy Baxter
Like his wife Gina, Jimmy also wants payback for his son's death. But unlike Gina, he prefers to be careful and think through every decision that he makes. That's why he is furious at Gina and his son for killing pulling off a hit behind his back.
Jimmy is also intimidating, making him the perfect villain. He has built such a scary reputation that even law enforcement officers and judges like Michael fear him. Jimmy easily gets his hands on police recordings and also gets tips about incoming raids. He challenges Michael in his own courtroom, too.
Michael Desiato
After Breaking Bad, it's almost impossible not to like any character that Bryan Cranston plays. It's even harder not to like Michael Desiato, the character he plays in Your Honor. Michael is an intelligent judge who can tell when witnesses and defendants are lying.
He enjoys stepping out of his chair too, to interview witnesses in the courtroom. He clearly misses being a normal lawyer. Michael is also a dedicated father who will stop at nothing to cover up for his son. When a police officer almost catches him dumping evidence at a bridge, he pretends to be urinating. When asked why he is urinating, he lies about having prostate cancer: "When it comes, it comes."