Pilot 

Malcolm Bright, a disgraced former FBI profiler, is conveniently recruited to assist the NYPD on a case that hits a little too close to home.

Director:

Lee Toland Krieger

Writers:

Chris Fedak (created by), Sam Sklaver (created by)

Stars:

Tom Payne, Lou Diamond Phillips, Halston Sage

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Payne	...	Malcolm Bright
Lou Diamond Phillips	...	Gil Arroyo
Halston Sage	...	Ainsley Whitly
Aurora Perrineau	...	Dani Powell
Frank Harts	...	JT Tarmel
Keiko Agena	...	Dr. Edrisa Tanaka
Bellamy Young	...	Jessica Whitly
Michael Sheen	...	Dr. Martin Whitly
Michael Cerveris	...	Carter Berkhead
James Cusati-Moyer	...	Nico Stavros
Jeb Brown	...	County Sheriff
Kasjan Wilson	...	Young Malcolm
Esau Pritchett	...	Mr. David
Brette Taylor	...	Blair Berkhead
Rowan O'Neil	...	Young Ainsley

Storyline

Malcolm Bright is the assumed name of the brilliant son of super-maxed serial killer Dr. Martin 'the Surgeon' Whitly, under which he proved himself as (over-)committed FBI profiler, yet was fired as 'mental risk'. He's engaged as consultant by metropolitan lieutenant detective Gil Arroyo in his native New York, where his meddling mother Jessica and reporter sister Ainsley can reconnect properly. His first case of multiple murders, on a patriarch and his estranged family, soon proves the work of an imperfect copycat of Martin, whom Malcolm decides to contact again after having severed ties ten years ago to end a traumatically 'fake' childhood, which still causes pathologically extreme nightmares, hence sleeplessness on top of his allergy to most foods. The NYPD team has mixed feeling about the consultant who thinks like the worst criminal and doesn't hesitate to save a surprising 'collateral' victim from a fatal explosion at home by ax-amputation.

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Plot Keywords:

season premiere | series premiere | father son relationship | serial killer | reference to jeffrey dahmer | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-14

Did You Know?

Trivia

Actor Finn Jones was originally cast in the lead role, but was replaced by actor Tom Payne due to creative differences after the pilot's first table read.

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Goofs

Jessica (mom) would know better than to sneak into Malcolm's apartment, and not respond when he calls, risking being shot by an armed FBI agent.

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Quotes

Malcolm Bright: No one is born broken. Someone breaks us.

User Reviews

One of my New Favorite Shows!!!

Out of all the new shows starting this fall, Prodigal Son is definitely in my top 3. It reminds me so much of 'The Silence of the Lambs' Tom Payne, who played Jesus on The Walking Dead stars as Malcolm Bright, a disgraced FBI agent that now works as a criminologist. His father, Dr. Martin Whitly is actually a serial killer who killed over 20 people back when Malcolm was just a child. Malcolm is good at his job because of this, and can see things from the perspective of the killer. When a case becomes too difficult, he's forced to go visit his father and get his expert opinion on what the killer's next move is. Here's where it resembles some aspects of 'The Silence of the Lambs' I would definitely recommend PRODIGAL SON!!!

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 September 2019 (USA)

Also Known As:

Pilot

Filming Locations:

New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Berlanti Productions, Sklaverworth Productions, VHPT Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

45 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD