Prodigal Son: The Complete Second Season

I didn’t watch Prodigal Son. I gave it a try, because Good Omens and Staged made me a huge fan of Michael Sheen, and this was such an unusual choice for a role. He plays a convicted serial killer whose son (Tom Payne) is a really messed up (obviously) profiler for the FBI and NYPD. The son is able to think like a killer but lives in fear he will become like his father.

I didn’t stick with it, though, as it was too dark and bloody for me, and there wasn’t enough Sheen. I’ve also been spoiled by UK TV, as the 20 episodes of the first season seemed like too much of a commitment before finding out what was going on. (It was supposed to be a full season of 22, but the pandemic cut short filming.) Then the studio sent me a review copy of the second season.

Prodigal Son: The Complete Second Season is only 13 episodes. The premise has the son continuing to solve murders while covering up one from the first season involving his younger sister Ainsley (Halston Sage). Also starring are Bellamy Young as the doctor’s ex-wife, Lou Diamond Phillips as an NYPD detective, and in season 2, Catherine Zeta-Jones as a doctor at the mental hospital where Sheen’s character is incarcerated… until he escapes.

There are no plans for a third season. Many people online are bemoaning the “cliffhanger ending”, but having watched just the final episode, it can be seen as a conclusion, albeit a dark and pessimistic one. I’m gathering that’s in keeping with the show overall. I wonder if fans are calling it a cliffhanger because they don’t like the implications.

There are two short extras on the set, both promotional and thus superficial.

“Killer Genes” (7 minutes) mentions the origin of the show and the theme of how parents affect their children, as Dr. Whitly is the worst dad possible trying to be a good father.

“Emerging From Blood” (6 minutes) is about how season one affected the second season. It seems to have been a pre-season teaser, as it talks about how cool the second season is going to be (and how it was “grosser”, so… not for me).

Too bad they weren’t able to do any additional extras about what was planned for the show, or an overview looking back at the whole run.