For as much as people may deny the significance of math while they sleep through algebra and trigonometry, math is an integral part of society. Still, Apple TV+'s original series, Prime Target, does not make a good argument to create an entire series around it. Of the five episodes that have been released, the series follows Ed Brooks, a brilliant mathematician whose main interest is prime numbers, and how his life becomes endangered by this. However, things for Ed do not pick up until he meets NSA Operative Taylah.
Although Prime Target wants to be an epic thriller series, it certainly does not help that Ed's entire personality revolves around existing and liking math. He has no charisma or brooding element that makes him interesting, and it is more like the series needed a puppet to be interested in math in order for this series to get going. Taylah is the more exciting character with her connections to the United States government, but with Ed as her main scene partner, there is no one for her to truly bounce off of that allows any life to be brought to this show. The supporting characters are simple enough, as they all share a motive to either find and protect Ed or find and kill him.
Perhaps Prime Target would be more interesting if it actually moved the main mystery and narrative along rather than acting as a love letter to math. Most of the time is spent with Ed discussing the significance of prime numbers and Taylah's concern about what Ed's discoveries could uncover. Still, while Prime Target aims to argue that the stakes are very high, confirmed by the inclusion of prime numbers in government use and the number of people seemingly willing to execute Ed, it does not help that this series lacks any personality that would make it captivating to watch. Prime Target is not necessarily a spy thriller like Jack Ryan or a fish-out-of-water spy series like The Recruit. There is only one main plot thread happening in Prime Target, and it could not be moving slower if it tried.
For audiences that were able to get beyond the first two episodes, things finally start moving a little bit once Taylah and Ed actually meet. Sadly, their dynamic has not become anything worth rooting for, as Prime Target has yet to allow them to forge a convincing bond that allows it to feel like it is them against the world, especially when that is exactly what Prime Target wants to present. Still, watching someone frantically scribble numbers and symbols without explaining their relevance is not always the best idea of a good time, especially when other thriller shows offer far more suspense, mystery, action, and personality.