Serial killer procedural Prodigal Son cancelled after two seasons

Sad news for Prodigal Son fans: The complicated serial killer drama won’t be back for a third season. The series has been considered on the renewal bubble for weeks by industry insiders, and if the Deadline report of its end is any indication, FOX’s decision to cancel the series seems to have more to do with the difficulties the network had making it than with the show itself.

Prodigal Son was the last of FOX’s dramas to snag a renewal last year, and according to Deadline, it was “liked creatively at the network”, and there “was a will to try and find a path to bring the series back”. Unfortunately, that goodwill eventually ran smack into the realities of star Michael Sheen’s super busy schedule, which has apparently been extremely difficult to work around.

Prodigal Son follows the story of a former FBI profiler who works with the NYPD to catch serial killers and other dangerous murderers, often using his knowledge of his own father – a former serial killer known as The Surgeon – to help crack the cases. Often, he is even forced to visit his imprisoned dad for help.

The series starred Tom Payne as the titular prodigal son, Malcolm Bright, alongside Bellamy Young as his mother, Lou Diamond Phillips as his NYPD boss, and Halston Sage as his equally troubled sister. Sheen played his father and clearly seemed to be having a blast as the Surgeon, channeling all kinds of entertaining, manic glee.

Word is that Warner Brothers TV will shop the series elsewhere.

Prodigal Son’s linear ratings were fairly modest, but it reportedly did quite well via digital viewing and on streaming, so HBO Max could be a natural and easy fit for it if the show were to land a second home. (The streamer is owned by Warner Brothers.) Prodigal Son would hardly be the first canceled FOX series to move to find a new lease on life via a streaming platform. Former FOX supernatural drama Lucifer – another low-rated series with an ardent fanbase – moved to Netflix in 2018.

Are you sad to see Prodigal Son go? Are you hoping it finds a second chance? Sound off int eh comments.