Dexter, Hannibal, Profiler are just some of the show that has inspired Prodigal Son.
Malcolm Bright (Tom Payne) is rather like Lincoln Rhyme. Clever but arrogant. Bright is a criminal psychologist whose reckless attitude sees him being kicked out by the FBI. He suffers from PTSD and narcissm.
Bright is picked up by the NYPD to help out. His boss Lieutenant Gil Arroyo from major crimes knows of Bright's talents but also about his past. His father Dr Martin Whitly (Michael Sheen) also known as The Surgeon was a serial killer who killed at least 23 people.
It is no accident that Arroyo wants Bright on the team. In the pilot, NYPD are investigating potential copycat killings of Dr Whitly. It brings Bright face to face with his father in jail after ten years.
The casting of Sheen who is Welsh just like Anthony Hopkins brings to mind The Silence of the Lambs. The grotesque killings the police are investigating, Bright visiting his father in prison for help, the Gothic setting. It all brings to mind Jonathan Demme's hit movie.
The important part is the relationship between father and son. Is Whitly playing games with Bright? That has to be the arc.
With so many similar themed shows over the years, Prodigal Son lacks originality. It does have humour to add with the grimness. A victim tied to a chair and a bomb underneath gets his hand axed off so he could escape.