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  • FOX
  • Sep 23, 2019
  • FOX
  • Sep 23, 2019

Summary Criminal psychologist Malcolm Bright (Tom Payne) helps solves murders with the NYPD while dealing with his father (Michael Sheen), who was a serial killer and still wants a relationship with his son in this crime drama from Chris Fedak and Sam Sklaver.

Created By: Chris Fedak, Sam Sklaver

  • FOX
  • Sep 23, 2019
  • FOX
  • Sep 23, 2019
Prodigal Son
Season 1
Season Premiere: Sep 23, 2019
Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 14 Critic Reviews
61
User Score Generally Favorable Based on 27 User Ratings
7.5
My Score
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Where to Watch

Summary Criminal psychologist Malcolm Bright (Tom Payne) helps solves murders with the NYPD while dealing with his father (Michael Sheen), who was a serial killer and still wants a relationship with his son in this crime drama from Chris Fedak and Sam Sklaver.

Created By: Chris Fedak, Sam Sklaver

Where to Watch

Season Episodes

View All Seasons
Episode 1 • Sep 23, 2019 • 45 m
Pilot
Malcolm Bright, a disgraced former FBI profiler, is conveniently recruited to assist the NYPD on a case that hits a little too close to home.
Episode 2 • Sep 30, 2019 • 43 m
Annihilator
Malcolm helps the NYPD investigate the murder of a rich family, possibly committed by a family annihilator. He is also forced to face his father for the first time in years as his repressed memories of one of his victims reemerge.
Episode 3 • Oct 7, 2019 • 43 m
Fear Response
A drug-induced homicide forces Malcolm to rethink his fears; Gil, Jessica and Ainsley catch wind that Malcolm has been seeing his father again.
Episode 4 • Oct 14, 2019 • 43 m
Designer Complicity
Malcolm's childhood memories surface as he investigates the murder of a famous social media influencer, leading him and the NYPD on the hunt for a stalker with a creepy eye for design.
Episode 5 • Oct 21, 2019 • 43 m
The Trip
Malcolm stumbles into an alleged drug turf war while searching the depths of his mind to unravel the mystery of "the girl in the box," and discovers a secret about Dani's past that draws them closer together.
Episode 6 • Oct 28, 2019 • 43 m
All Souls and Sadists
Malcolm focuses on the repressed memories from his childhood psyche; Jessica and Malcolm must put a stop to Ainsley's idea to interview "The Surgeon."
Episode 7 • Nov 4, 2019 • 44 m
Q&A
Malcolm's quest for answers about his childhood leads him to a junkyard, where he and the NYPD discover multiple bodies, with victims spanning decades; Ainsley's exclusive interview with Martin takes an unexpected turn.
Episode 8 • Nov 11, 2019 • 43 m
Family Friend
As the NYPD digs into the Junkyard Killer case, Malcolm realizes the main suspect may have had a connection to his father; Ainsley itches to be the first one on the case.
Episode 9 • Nov 25, 2019 • 43 m
Pied-A-Terre
When Martin is locked away in solitary confinement and the FBI takes over the Junkyard Killer case, Malcolm uses his spare time to try out a "normal" lifestyle; The NYPD tracks a new homicide that's linked to an elite underground sex club.
Episode 10 • Dec 2, 2019 • 43 m
Silent Night
Knowing that the Junkyard Killer operated with his father, Malcolm defies the FBI and continues his investigation.
Episode 11 • Jan 20, 2020 • 43 m
Alone Time
Malcolm is kidnapped by Junkyard Killer and begins to remember his first meeting with him, which will affect Malcolm's psychological future.
Episode 12 • Jan 27, 2020 • 43 m
Internal Affairs
Following a mysterious and catastrophic incident in the precinct, Bright faces an internal affairs review as Gil and the team worry about his mental health.
Episode 13 • Feb 3, 2020 • 43 m
Wait & Hope
Malcom's mandated vacation takes a detour when a new killer mimics his favorite childhood book, "The Count of Monte Cristo." The NYPD traces the crime back to a high society family planning a wedding.
Episode 14 • Feb 10, 2020 • 43 m
Eye of the Needle
Episode 15 • Feb 17, 2020 • 44 m
Death's Door
When a body is found professionally preserved and embalmed, the NYPD teams up with Edrisa to go under cover at a convention of funeral directors; Martin revisits his past through a series of hallucinations.
Episode 16 • Mar 16, 2020 • 42 m
The Job
Episode 17 • Mar 23, 2020 • 43 m
Stranger Beside You
A famous blogger's husband is mysteriously stabbed just days after their baby is born; Bright can't shake his paranoia that there's more to Eve than meets the eye; Ainsley uncovers a secret that Eve has been keeping.
Episode 18 • 2020 • 44 m
Scheherazade
A ballet dancer is mysteriously poisoned; Jessica reunites with an old friend; Bright and Eve turn to Martin for answers regarding the girl in the box. (Bell TV)
Episode 19 • Apr 20, 2020 • 43 m
The Professionals
After a catastrophic turn of events, Malcom and Ainsley are convinced there's more to Nicholas Endicott than meets the eyes.
Episode 20 • Apr 27, 2020 • 43 m
Like Father...
Malcolm continues to unravel as the mystery of the girl in the box comes to a head. As Nicholas Endicott's true colors continue to show, the Whitlys must decide to what lengths they are willing to go in order to take him down.

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 14 Critic Reviews
61
43% Positive
6 Reviews
57% Mixed
8 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 14 Critic Reviews
61
43% Positive
6 Reviews
57% Mixed
8 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
85
Sep 20, 2019
Michael Sheen is dancing with light feet in this role, clearly having a blast playing a serial killer who is at once a duplicitous menace and a charming conversationalist.
FULL REVIEW
80
Sep 20, 2019
Performances carry the day, here: Payne is edgy and hopped-up as a young man in a perpetual state of ultra-anxiety. ... Sheen cleverly carries off a character with all the urbane wit of Hannibal Lecter, but evil buried further under the surface. ... The show, though, is completely in control, deploying Sheen carefully, well, and never too much. It’s a program that provides a creepy jolt while never reveling in darkness for its sake.
By Daniel D'Addario FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 27 User Ratings
7.5
70% Positive
19 Ratings
15% Mixed
4 Ratings
15% Negative
4 Ratings

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 27 User Ratings
7.5
70% Positive
19 Ratings
15% Mixed
4 Ratings
15% Negative
4 Ratings

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
10
Kai5
Nov 16, 2019
The critics giving this a bad rating really would rather go watch Game of Thrones just so they can see naked people and swords. It's really, really sad that people don't appreciate intellectual television anymore. The same as it's always been, I suppose. You give them a smart character, they give you a cancelled show.
Report
SEASON 1
10
MrFlankster
Nov 13, 2019
This show is nuts. In a great way. It didn't start to pick up steam until episodes 5 or 6, but once it did... nuts! I hope it sticks around.
Report
SEASON 1
67
Sep 23, 2019
Or, “My Dad’s a Serial Killer.”
By Bruce Miller FULL REVIEW
60
Sep 24, 2019
“Prodigal Son,” on Fox, is the Foxiest, an edgy, eccentric, style-forward series. ... It’s all a little overheated and fancy for my taste. ... Still, says Malcolm’s mother (Bellamy Young), “the media loves a charismatic serial killer.” So do TV writers, and so, perhaps, do you.
By Robert Lloyd FULL REVIEW
50
Sep 23, 2019
Through three episodes, Sheen goes very light on psychotic menace, a refreshing choice that also allows for future revelations about Martin’s motives. When the show leaves Martin’s cell, it becomes an unexceptional procedural.
By Mike Hale FULL REVIEW
48
Sep 23, 2019
Malcolm cut off communication with his dad 10 years ago but turns to him for consultation on a new case. These scenes are far less entertaining than those with Malcolm’s mother, played by “Scandal” star Bellamy Young, hamming it up. These moments give “Prodigal Son” an occasional “Castle” vibe.
By Rob Owen FULL REVIEW
40
Sep 23, 2019
This isn't 1995 and there's too much available TV to tune in regularly for a 42-minute broadcast drama of which I love only five minutes. ... Prodigal Son is trapped in that all-too-familiar position that most network dramas find themselves in these days, between wanting to tell cable-style arced stories and satisfying broadcast murder-of-the-week mandates.
By Daniel Fienberg FULL REVIEW
See All 14 Critic Reviews
10
markcd1234
Oct 14, 2019
I really enjoyed the show so far, it's pretty suspenseful. The acting is good and each story leaves you wondering who did it.
Report
SEASON 1
8
youngandgrey
Sep 26, 2019
[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]
Report
SEASON 1
0
sjskydiver
Mar 28, 2020
Absolutely one of the worst shows I've ever wasted my brain on this year. I'm so disappointed because it had so much potential. It's so stupidly predictable, it's laughable. "My Boy!" Really? Who believes this? Ugh.
Report
SEASON 1
0
Ededed
Jan 26, 2020
[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]
Report
SEASON 1
See All 6 User Reviews

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