(Phil Caruso/FOX)
Malcolm’s work and family struggles are over. FOX has cancelled the Prodigal Son TV series so there won’t be a third season.
A crime thriller series, the Prodigal Son TV series stars Tom Payne, Lou Diamond Phillips, Aurora Perrineau, Frank Harts, Keiko Agena, Bellamy Young, Halston Sage, Michael Sheen, and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Season two guest stars include Christian Borle and Michael Potts. In the story, Malcolm Bright (Payne) is an extraordinary criminal psychologist who knows how killers think and how their minds work. In the 1990s, his father, Dr. Martin Whitly (Sheen), was a notorious serial killer called “The Surgeon” who killed at least 23 people. Since murder is “the family business”, Malcolm uses his twisted genius for good, to help the NYPD solve crimes and stop killers. He works alongside his longtime mentor, Gil Arroyo (Phillips), and two detectives — no-nonsense Dani Powell (Perrineau) and JT Tarmel (Harts), a born-and-bred New Yorker who questions whether Bright is a psychopath himself. In season two, Malcolm must deal with the repercussions of the first season finale and his father seeks to deepen his relationship with his prodigal son.
Airing on Tuesday nights, the second season of Prodigal Son averages a 0.41 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 2.09 million viewers in the live+same day ratings. Compared to season one, that’s down by 45% in the demo and down by 38% in viewership.
The last episode of the second season (and the series) will air on May 18th. According to Variety, the decision to cancel the show was a tough one and noted that the network brass just didn’t feel that the ratings justified a third year. It’s not known yet if the show will be shopped to other outlets.
Cast and crew reactions can be found here.
Check out our FOX status sheet to track the network’s new series pickups, renewals, and cancellations.
What do you think? Have you kept up with the Prodigal Son TV show on FOX? Were you looking forward to season three?
Bad decision by Fox! Perhaps ratings wouldn’t have dropped if they kept a regular weekly schedule instead of keeping viewers waiting 3 weeks between episodes. My husband and I are extremely disappointed….we love The Surgeon!!
Fox ran Prodigal Son after 911 last year, a good slot for a freshman show since 911 is a well established, highly rated show with a lot of familiar faces. This year they moved it to Tuesdays, with a weak lead-in, up against ‘This Is Us’ and ‘Blackish’, two highly rated, critically acclaimed water cooler shows – everybody watches and talks about it at work the next day. How was PSon supposed to grow its audience under those circumstances? The show only got better each episode this season, with no weak links or filler episodes. Each week it was must-see… Read more »
Absolutely horrible. Best show on tv.
I adore prodigal son!!so much for fox finally getting it right !
So disappointed in Fox’s decision to cancel this show. It was the only show on Fox that I watched, and now I won’t watch any Fox shows. Shame on them!
I hope another network picks up Prodigal Son simply because it’s one of the best shows on TV and on Fox but all Fox is interested in is a certain age group and the rest of us can go scratch. Maybe the reason for lower viewing is because no one knows when it be on! On 1 week off the next 2 weeks so people lose track of it…it’s not that no one watches it’s that Fox keeps messing with it. So right now I can’t think of anything on Fox that I want to watch.
The youngest demo doesn’t even watch tv anymore! They don’t even stream. They play video games and screw around on Discord. Actually, my family members in that demo were hooked on Prodigal Son from seeing it when I had it on, so yeah, college age males liked it too, if they could get off the gaming long enough to see it.
This just makes me ill! Leave ONE good show on!
When Prodigal Son was first unveiled I knew this was going to be a show I’d watch every week. I thought FOX was on it’s way back to great programming. (After many years) It appears I was wrong! Trash the unreal reality shows, competition(fixed) shows. Otherwise I’m quitting FOX!!!!
So upset! My favorite show on TV right now! Someone hopefully will pick it. They would rather renewal other shows that are so bad! Come on get it together. Prodigal son needs so stay!!!!
I am very disappointed that FOX has cancelled Prodigal Son. Finally, a show with intelligence, humor, and great scripts. This show was cancelled to keep inane shows such as “Call Me Kat” and “911”. This network has completely gone to hell. I am going to stick with other networks that take into consideration the intelligence of their audience.
What the heck? Best show on tv. So creative , top starts. Take off Rob Lowe’s rip off 911 show. We need Prodigal son. Only new show in years that is cool and different.
We love Prodigal Son and even though we don’t always get to watch on Fox, it has become our hot date on an alternate night. We really hope another network or channel has the brains to pick this show up and continue the series. One the more innovative shows out there right now. So over the hospital and sappy dramas with puffed up unlikely hero that the rest of your line up offers…just like all the other tired network channels.
THEY need to chloroform the executives at fox. You keep a stupid show like call me Kat and you get rid of a gritty crime drama like Prodigal Son. Shame on you!!! I hope whoever picks up Prodigal Son has the best ratings ever and everyone laughs at the idiots who got rid of Prodigal Son.
Goodbye FOX. Not watching any of your shows anymore. You cancelled the best show on TV. Maybe they need to make Prodigal Son into a cartoon.
I am so upset about the show being cancelled!! It was only reason I watched any tv! Not many people had heard of the show, and everyone who had liked it!! Maybe, they should of got the word out better as to when where and what about. People would of watched!!!
Yeah, once people saw it, they were hooked. Fox did the show dirty by putting it up against Blackish and This Is Us. It didn’t have a chance.