Created by Chris Fedak and Sam Sklaver, Prodigal Son is the newest crime drama on Fox’s primetime roster. It stars Tom Payne, most recently known for his role as “Paul ‘Jesus’ Rovia” on The Walking Dead (what a difference a haircut and shave make, huh?), as Malcolm Bright – a brilliant but troubled criminal profiler with a past that the word "dark" doesn’t even begin to describe who uses his unique set of skills to assist the NYPD in solving murders. Interesting as that sounds, if you’ve ever seen anything in the crime-based TV world (which is most of TV, honestly) you’ve probably seen or heard of something that is pretty similar to what I just described. So, what, if anything, does Prodigal do to separate itself from the rest? Well, in a Silence of the Lambs-like twist, Bright reluctantly ends up seeking help on a case from the one person who may be best equipped to provide said help: His father, convicted serial killer Martin Whitly, a.k.a. “The Surgeon.” This may not sound like the hugest departure from what we’ve seen before, but in the case of this show’s foundational father/son dynamic, it makes all the difference in the world.
Fox's "Prodigal Son" Takes Viewers On a Dark and Twisty Ride
