How to Watch Kvodo and Just For Today on Prime Video

Prime Video has added Israeli dramas Kvodo and Just for Today to its service in the US. This follows a deal with Tel Aviv-based Yes Studios, which has previously sent The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem, Fauda and Shtisel stateside.

Created by Ron Ninio and Shlomo Mashiach, Kvodo was a Series Mania Grand Prix winner in 2017 and made Official Selections at multiple international festivals. It inspired format adaptations in Germany, India, Italy and France, among other territories.

How to watch

kvodo is a piercing drama about a morally ambiguous judge who breaks with the law to protect his son. The limited series, set in New Orleans, is produced by and stars Bryan Cranston as Michael Desiato. It's a reimagining of the popular Israeli series by Ron Ninio and Shlomo Mashiach, which won a prestigious award in 2017 at the illustrious Series Mania competition.

Prime Video has just added it to its service, following a deal with Tel Aviv-based Yes Studios, which previously brought the likes of The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem, Fauda and Shtisel stateside. The name of the game is to see if this one can live up to its predecessor's billing. It's definitely the most tidbit-tastic series of its kind to hit the U.S. and if you're into legal wrangling, you'll be sure to enjoy it.

Streaming options

Kvodo, the tense Israeli drama that inspired Showtime’s Bryan Cranston limited series Your Honor, is now available on Amazon Prime Video. The ten-episode miniseries follows a judge (Cranston) who confronts his convictions when his son gets mixed up in a hit and run involving a dangerous organized crime family.

Created by Ron Ninio and Shlomo Mashiach, the series is a Grand Prix winner at the 2017 Series Mania festival and was an Official Selection of multiple international festivals. Its success has spawned format adaptations in several territories, including Germany, India, Italy, France, Turkey and Spain.

Ron Ninio has carved out a thriving career directing and showrunning across film, television and theatre. He has a reputation for writing complex, compelling scripts with a strong sense of character, setting and storytelling. His award-winning TV dramas include Arab Labour, A Touch Away and Reaching the Sky. He has also directed feature films such as The Quarry, Auditions and There Were Nights. He’s currently working on a new project he conceived during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as taking some of his shows out to international partners. In the meantime, Kvodo and its companion series Just for Today are gaining international recognition. Their new release follows a deal with Yes Studios, which has previously brought the likes of The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem, Fauda and Shtisel stateside for Netflix and HBO.

Episodes available

If you haven't seen the Israeli crime series that inspired the Bryan Cranston Showtime limited series Your Honor, there's a good chance you can watch it on Amazon Prime Video. The legal drama has two seasons available on the streaming service, both of which are currently airing in the US.

Your Honor is based on the Israeli crime series Kvodo, which was created by Ron Ninio and Shlomo Mashiach. The series was a Grand Prix winner at the 2017 Series Mania festival and made Official Selections at multiple international festivals. It has since been adapted across the world, including in Germany, India, Italy, France, Turkey and Spain.

The show follows a respected and liberal New Orleans judge who is caught up in a ruthless mobster's web after his teenage son gets involved in a hit-and-run accident. The drama unfolds at a brisk pace, quickly plunging the hero into morally murky waters.

Although Your Honor's main character, Michael Desiato (Bryan Cranston), is a good guy and has a strong family life, he quickly loses his innocence when his son gets into a car crash. He's soon caught up in a deadly turf war between the Masris and Ben Attars, two rival crime families.

Like the original, Your Honor focuses on family and the local community. However, this version is set in New Orleans instead of Be'er Sheva and plays on the divide between the city's haves and have-nots.

The first season of Your Honor was written and produced by Peter Moffat, a British screenwriter best known for his work on Undercover. He left the show this year and has been replaced by Joey Hartstone, who is also set to write a second season.

When I spoke to Ninio about the inspiration behind his series, he said that he and Moshiah started out meeting for "creative thinking" sessions where they brainstormed ideas for a series together. They didn't know exactly what the outcome would be, but they wanted to get something together within a year.

Throughout their work on the project, they kept in contact with each other to discuss the ideas and to bounce off any concerns or questions. They met at least once a week for two or three hours.

Cast

Amid a glut of legal dramas, the US network Showtime is making the most of its original programming with Your Honor, starring Emmy winner Bryan Cranston. It’s based on the Israeli series Kvodo and has become the most-watched debut season in the network’s history, racking up 6.6 million viewers each week to date.

The series’ logline reads: “In a high-stakes game of lies, deceit and impossible choices, an influential judge finds himself on the front line of an international conspiracy.” It stars Cranston as New Orleans judge Michael Desiato. When his teenage son is involved in a hit-and-run accident, it turns out the victim is a scion of a notorious crime family.

While the plot is familiar – an upstanding judge becomes the victim of a crime while trying to protect his son – the two series have divergent goals when it comes to exploring it. The Israeli version focuses on the relationship between its lead characters, while the American version strove to highlight the tensions that exist between New Orleans’ wealthy citizens and the city’s poor.

Its first season was a success, and it has recently been renewed for a second. But the question remains: Is Your Honor a good enough replacement for Kvodo?

If you’re not familiar with the original series, it’s a thriller set in Israel. Created by Ron Ninio and Shlomo Mashiach, it was a Series Mania Grand Prix winner in 2017 and an Official Selection of multiple international festivals.

It’s been adapted into a number of territories, including Germany, India, Italy, France, Turkey and Spain. It’s also available on Amazon Prime Video in the U.S.

Previously, Yes Studios has sent Israeli dramas such as The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem and Fauda to American shores via Netflix, while it brought Yes Studio series like Shtisel to HBO. Now, it has partnered with Prime Video to bring Kvodo and Just for Today stateside as well.

As a director and showrunner, Ninio has built a solid reputation for creating and producing quality work across film, television and theatre. His feature film credits include Auditions, The Quarry and There Were Nights, while his TV series have included Arab Labour and Reaching the Sky.