It has been precisely 5 years since Prodigal Son premiered on FOX.
This daring idea emerged from a sea of actuality tv sequence, reboots, and revivals, carving its personal distinctive place within the tv panorama.
Sadly, nothing has been capable of replicate the specialness of this crime, police, and household dramedy that stole our hearts nor fill the void it left behind. Network tv remains to be begging for every thing a sequence like Prodigal Son gives.
In honor of the anniversary of Prodigal Son Season 1 Episode 1 dropping and altering our lives, we’re discussing every thing we nonetheless miss about this late, nice sequence.
Check it out under and hit the feedback with any additions!
Snuggly, Diabolical Serial Killer Dad
It’s no secret that in a sequence that was implausible from high to backside with no complaints or drawbacks, Martin Whitly stole the present.
Michael Sheen’s means to shift from joke-telling, a subtly manipulative however doting dad, Martin Whitly, to the sinister, sociopathic “The Surgeon” from one second to the following was completely fascinating and sufficient to have you ever glued to the display.
It’s additionally why it was really easy for Martin to win our hearts, regardless that we knew who and what he was. If you ever questioned how anybody may fall in love with a recognized serial killer, Martin made a great case for himself along with his complexities, making him one of the attention-grabbing characters to look onscreen within the final decade.
It’s no surprise many people had combined emotions about his destiny throughout Prodigal Son Season 2 Episode 13. And after that stunning cliffhanger adopted by an much more beautiful cancelation, it is no surprise it did not spark our personal villain origin story.
Tom Payne’s Remarkable Performance
Anyone conversant in Tom Payne’s earlier work in sequence like The Walking Dead or different issues knew with no shadow of a doubt that he was a gifted actor who may helm his personal sequence. But figuring out that and seeing it are two completely various things.
And Payne actually shined and impressed as Malcolm Bright. He had a deceptively difficult function to make his personal.
He needed to seize the complexities of Malcolm’s conflicting feelings concerning his love/hate relationship along with his father, navigating psychological sickness in an genuine and respectful approach, and balancing a genre-bending sequence that required him to put on many hats, pulling off horror, humor, drama, and procedural components.
Payne’s work on Prodigal Son was so nuanced and underrated, from his physicality to his diction, and we miss the hell out of it.
Rich, Complex Characters
There was nothing easy about any of the characters on this sequence. If, for a second, you thought they have been easy, you have been confirmed fallacious.
While Malcolm and Martin have been undoubtedly the primary to come back to thoughts when contemplating complexity, every character had one thing to provide on this regard.
Ainsley was a personality that took a bit to evolve, however when she did, she grew to become one of the intriguing characters the sequence needed to supply, rife with a lot potential, and you can sense how a lot Halston Sage had enjoyable enjoying this function.
Ainsley’s evolution from the seemingly “regular” little one to the one with a few of Martin’s tendencies made for such a compelling arc, and it was sufficient to have us wishing for a Prodigal Sister spinoff.
Bellamy Young’s function as Jessica was additionally spectacular in that the character may’ve simply been written off as one-note.
Still, the sequence does quick work of dismantling any preconceived notions or containers one would ascribe to her and showcasing the complexities of a girl who did every thing she may to guard her kids.
Dani was such a multifaceted and layered character who matched and balanced Malcolm out properly.
It was genuinely one of many strongest features of the sequence that we slowly acquired to peel again layers about her, and he or she was not like some other feminine detective we have seen in conventional procedurals.
JT was a basic scene stealer, set as much as be an antagonist to Malcolm just for issues to flip, turning into an incredible counterbalance to Malcolm and the 2, forging a bromance that was enjoyable to see evolve.
They introduced a buddy-cop factor to the sequence that nodded on the conventional procedural however put a quintessentially Prodigal Son spin on it, making it one thing refreshing and new.
And he was a consummate straight man to the shenanigans, amusing viewers along with his dry wit and one-liners.
And Lou Diamond Phillips actually nailed the function paternal function of Gil, giving us this excellent mix of a flawed however sage chief. His grounding power to the sequence made so lots of the components click on.
While Edrisa was the quirky, nerdy character who got here off as a well-liked archetype on the floor, the sequence would flip issues on its head in such attention-grabbing ways in which implied that Edrisa was a lot greater than she’d appear.
Kooky, Unorthodox Cases and Interesting Villains
One of one of the best issues about Prodigal Son was that it may enchantment to lovers of procedurals whereas providing one thing completely different from the normal procedural.
No sequence may match a few of the genuinely out-there instances the staff would tackle and all of the enjoyable issues that will transpire whereas trying to unravel them.
Prodigal Son instances would virtually put 9-1-1 calls to disgrace, with snakes slithering out of mouths, creepy elevator deaths, Malcolm chopping off an individual’s hand, intercourse dungeons, and that is not even the long-arching instances just like the Girl within the Box thriller.
And the killers, villains, and antagonists throughout the sequence have been all the time a blast. They usually included unbelievable visitor stars like Michael Raymond James, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Dermot Mulroney, and Alan Cumming.
The Romance and Ships
Prodigal Son had rattling good ships that you can get pleasure from with out them essentially detracting from every thing else nice concerning the sequence.
It was genuinely endearing to look at Malcolm and Dani’s relationship evolve because it did. They seemingly grew to become quick companions and associates, confiding in one another as they opened up and have become extra weak over time.
The pressure between them in-built a beautiful approach, and by the point they kissed, it was properly well worth the wait and earned. And the obstacles and problems that got here into play for them made sense for the characters and what they have been up towards.
We’re nonetheless Brightwell Forever!
Meanwhile, the sequence did not hesitate to ship on a secondary romance, and it was an actual thrill when that relationship was between Gil and Jessica.
It’s not usually that we get romances that cater to the over-50 crowd. Jessica and Gil actually sizzled as a pair with their wealthy historical past, sexual pressure, and the additional drama of getting Martin’s presence continually between them.
It was arduous to not root for the 2 by all of it.
The Dark Humor
Prodigal Son was humorous. Plain and easy.
There is not a single installment of this sequence that does not make you snigger out loud, whether or not it is the zany antics of the characters that teeter into absurdity or the whip-smart, witty dialogue and snark.
It’s a type of uncommon sequence the place each single character has a comedic identification that differs from the others, they usually every get to shine in their very own approach due to that, catering to all of the comedic kinds whereas additionally balancing the intense, horror, and different tones.
Prodigal Son understood the artwork of darkish humor and executed it properly in every installment.
Twisted Family Drama and Dynamics
Nothing may ever high Martin and Malcolm’s twisted father/son dynamic.
The total sequence hinged on the electrical chemistry between Tom Payne and Martin Sheen and their means to create and painting the intoxicating bond between Malcolm and his father.
Martin’s obsession with drawing out his son’s “inside killer,” hoping that he’d created a progeny who was the apple of his eye and the spitting picture of him to hold on the serial killing legacy, was riveting.
And it made his each interplay with Malcolm, who spent many of the sequence questioning his personal nature and what he was able to whereas desperately attempting to fight it, one thing that stored you glued to the display.
But that wasn’t the one compelling Whitly dynamic.
Every interplay among the many Whitly household was splendidly complicated and distinctive in its personal proper. The Whitly siblings had one thing actually particular as Malcolm usually labored to guard Ainsly at each flip, solely to study that she could have been the one who intently resembled Martin’s maturity.
Ainsley’s makes an attempt to even be on her father’s radar was one thing the sequence may’ve simply explored in future seasons and made the familial dynamic extra participating than ever.
Jessica’s respective relationship with each of her kids and her fixed doting and makes an attempt to guard them have been so deeply rooted, whereas her equal components alluring and lethal reference to Martin was mesmerizing to look at.
It’s a disgrace we needed to say goodbye to the Whitly household. They’re not like something we have seen on tv in a while.
Five years later, we nonetheless miss the sequence that gained our hearts a lot that we devoted a Prodigal Son Love Letter to it.
Turning issues over to you, Prodigal Son Fanatics. What do you miss most about this sequence?
If you need to relive it yet again or rewatch the pilot in honor of its anniversary, you’ll be able to stream Prodigal Son on The CW app or meet up with our Prodigal Son Reviews!
Jasmine Blu is a senior employees author for TV Fanatic. She is an insomniac who spends late nights and early mornings binge-watching approach too many exhibits and binge-drinking approach an excessive amount of tea. Her eclectic style makes her an unpredictable viewer with an appreciation for complicated characters, various illustration, dynamic duos, compelling tales, and responsible pleasures. You’ll positively discover her obsessively live-tweeting, waxing poetic, and chatting up fellow Fanatics and readers. Follow her on Twitter.
