'City on a Hill' Season 3 Episode 2: Does Franklin Ward die?

While Hudson's appearance can be categorized as a brief appearance over two episodes, his death will surely have a profound impact on Decourcy.
Ernie Hudson as Franklin Ward in a still from 'City on a Hill' Season 3 (Showtime)
Ernie Hudson as Franklin Ward in a still from 'City on a Hill' Season 3 (Showtime)

'City on a Hill' Season 3 has already seen two casualties in two episodes — the second will be a lot more unsettling and a lot more impactful especially for Aldis Hodge's Decourcy Ward. The death of his father, Franklin Ward (Ernie Hudson) to pancreatic cancer was one of the key storylines in Episode 2.

Hudson's Franklin was introduced in Episode 1 as Franklin's father who had fallen severely sick. His brother Louie, informs Decourcy of his father's condition and sees him take some time off work to tend to his father in his final days. Despite his and Louie's pleas to take more treatment, Franklin says that he's at the end of his tether and would like to go out on his own terms. He eventually does so in the second episode leaving Decourcy with the regret of not having spent time with the man who had been there every step of the way with him.

RELATED ARTICLES

'City on a Hill' Season 3 on Showtime: Will Amanda Clayton return in the latest installment?

'City on a Hill' Season 3: Joanne Kelly to Ernie Hudson, meet the new characters in hit Showtime crime drama

While Hudson's appearance can be categorized as a brief appearance over two episodes, his death will surely have a profound impact on Decourcy. His words of telling his son to embrace the path and the circumstances he's will surely give him more clarity on how he approaches his work. After the events of Season 2 and the new promotion that awaits if he manages to clean up the streets of Boston with Chicago's problem-solver Blair Chavez.

What also comes off as interesting is how even Jackie Rohr (Kevin Bacon) manages to sting him using the same words as his father, but in a more Rohr-esque style. Whether this sees Decourcy change his Steve Rogers approach is something we'll see over the course of the season. With the series still setting up the storylines for season 3 and yet to connect all threads together, it remains to be seen how the whole events at the start of Season 3 shape Decourcy's decisions.

'City on a Hill' Season 3 airs Sundays at 10 pm ET on Showtime.

GET THE BIGGEST ENTERTAINMENT STORIES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

An unanswered call sends Sean’s girlfriend to the precinct after news of a police shooting.
2026-10-24T14:03:15.000Z
In an exclusive interview, Donnie Wahlberg shares whether Tom Selleck is open to working in ‘Boston Blue’
2026-10-24T08:19:19.000Z
‘Fire Country’ welcomes a Grammy-winning artist to Smokey's in their latest episode
2026-10-24T06:24:48.000Z
Episode 3 of ‘Sheriff Country’ delves deeper into Eva Santos's (Rachel Ticotin) past
2026-10-24T05:05:00.000Z
'Law & Order: SVU' Season 28 is bringing back a main cast member who exited in Season 5
2026-10-24T03:01:14.000Z
Prime Video’s 'The Greatest' explores Muhammad Ali’s life inside and outside the ring, and now the series has added a former WWE star.
2026-10-23T15:09:43.000Z
Joanne and Noah are married in the eyes of God, but they still need to break the news to their families, who remain at odds
2026-10-23T10:17:27.000Z
Riley’s death in Season 26 marked an emotional moment for viewers, and Episode 3 sees the team navigating through this challenging time
2026-10-23T07:17:55.000Z
Episode 12 opens with a Fiona and Myrtle reunion before a revelation about Constance changes everything
2026-10-23T06:37:10.000Z
Olivia telling Bruno to take some time off has fans speculating about Kevin Kane’s potential exit
2026-10-23T05:55:35.000Z