FOX makes first pickup of fall, ordering full season of 'Prodigal Son'

In the first pickup of the fall season, FOX has ordered nine additional episodes of the No. 1 new series, “Prodigal Son,” raising the episode order to 22. From Emmy Award-nominated executive producer Greg Berlanti, executive producer Sarah Schechter (“Riverdale,” “You”), and executive producers/creators Chris Fedak (“Deception,” “Chuck”) and Sam Sklaver (“Deception,” “Bored to Death”), FOX said, “ ‘Prodigal Son’ is a fresh take on the traditional crime drama with a provocative and outrageous lead character and a darkly comedic tone.”

The series premiere of “Prodigal Son” was the highest-rated new series on any network and helped lead FOX to its first victory on opening night of the broadcast season in 10 years. “Prodigal Son’s” premiere also delivered 8.5 million multi-platform viewers, and more than 10 million viewers, including Friday’s encore telecast. 

“ ‘Prodigal Son’ delivers a fantastic crime procedural with a complicated and compelling father-son relationship at its core, thanks to the stellar performances from Tom Payne and Michael Sheen,” said Michael Thorn, president, entertainment, FOX Entertainment. “The series has razor-sharp writing, cinematic visuals and is an inventive twist on the genre. We want to thank our executive producers, Greg, Sarah, Chris and Sam, Peter Roth and our partners at Warner Bros., and the entire cast and crew. We can’t wait to see how this twisted journey continues to unfold.”

“Prodigal Son” centers on Malcolm Bright (Tom Payne, “The Walking Dead”), a psychologist who has a gift for understanding how serial killers think, because his father, Dr. Martin Whitly (Emmy Award and Golden Globe nominee Michael Sheen, “Frost/Nixon”), was one of the worst, a notorious serial killer called “The Surgeon.” Bright is the best criminal psychologist around and murder is the family business. He uses his twisted genius to help the NYPD solve crimes and stop killers, all while dealing with his manipulative mother, Jessica Whitly (Bellamy Young, “Scandal”), his annoyingly normal sister, Ainsley Whitly (Halston Sage, “The Orville”), and a homicidal father still looking to bond with his prodigal son – not to mention his own constantly evolving neuroses.

The only way Bright feels normal is by solving cases with the help of his longtime mentor, NYPD Detective Gil Arroyo (Emmy Award and Golden Globe nominee Lou Diamond Phillips). Arroyo’s one of the best detectives around, and he expects no less from his team – Detective Dani Powell (Aurora Perrineau, “The Carmichael Show”), a headstrong no-nonsense cop who quickly becomes impressed with Bright’s work; and Detective JT Tarmel (Frank Harts, “Master of None”), a born-and-bred New Yorker who questions whether Bright is a psychopath himself.