Prodigal Son (TV series)
Prodigal Son is an American procedural drama television series created by Chris Fedak and Sam Sklaver for the Fox Broadcasting Company, that premiered on September 23, 2019 and concluded on May 18, 2021. In October 2019, the series was picked up for a full season. In May 2020, the series was renewed for a second season which premiered on January 12, 2021. In May 2021, the series was canceled after two seasons. Premise. The series centers on Malcolm Bright whose father Martin Whitly is an infamous serial killer known as "the Surgeon". As a child, Malcolm  was responsible for helping the police arrest his father, and has not seen him for ten years. Having become an FBI profiler, and now working for the NYPD, Malcolm is forced to confront his father after a copycat serial killer emerges. He must use Whitly's insights to help solve horrible crimes while handling inner battles. Production. Development. On January 28, 2019, it was announced that Fox had given the production a pilot order. The pilot was written by Chris Fedak and Sam Sklaver, who executive produces alongside Lee Toland Krieger, Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter. Production companies involved with  the pilot include Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television. On March 12, 2019, it was announced that Lee Toland Krieger would be directing the series. On May 9, 2019, it was announced that the production had been given a series order. The following day, it was announced that the series would premiere in the Fall of 2019. The series debuted on September 23, 2019. On October 7, 2019, the series was picked up for a full season of 22 episodes. In March 2020, Warner Bros. Television suspended production on the series upon the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a  result, episode 20 served as the first season finale. On May 21, 2020, Fox renewed the series for a second season which premiered on January 12, 2021. On May 10, 2021, Fox canceled the series after two seasons. Casting. In February 2019, it was announced that Lou Diamond Phillips, Aurora Perrineau and Frank Harts had been cast in the pilot's lead roles. Alongside the pilot's order announcement, in March 2019, it was reported that Michael Sheen, Bellamy Young, Finn Jones, Keiko Agena and Halston Sage had joined the cast. Four days later, on March 12, 2019, it was  announced that Tom Payne would replace Jones in the starring role of "Malcolm Bright", during first table readings. On February 10, 2020, Dermot Mulroney was cast in a recurring role. On December 7, 2020, Christian Borle and Michael Potts joined the cast in recurring capacities for the second season. On January 6, 2021, Catherine Zeta-Jones joined the cast for the second half of the season. Release. On May 13, 2019, Fox released the first official trailer for the series. Internationally, the series aired on Global in Canada, on Sky One in the United Kingdom, on Fox One in Australia , and on Colors Infinity in India. Reception. Critical response. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 58% approval rating with an average rating of 6.19/10, based on 33 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Though it shows promise, "Prodigal Son" sidelines a spectacular Michael Sheen in favor of a more pedestrian procedural storyline that often drifts too deeply into the grotesque." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 61 out of 100 based on 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Home media. Warner Archive Collection released the complete first season as a manufacture-on-demand  DVD and Blu-ray on September 8, 2020.