Prodigal Son in the Media

[Meredith Quill]

Your Media Topic!

[Trini]

Pilot available on youtube this weekend only:

[denise42]

Does any one know how many episodes this show is given, i can only find 3 surly its longer that that most tv series have at least 10 .

[Trini]

It's new this Fall; most new shows - if they don't get cancelled - get 13, and maybe more if it does well enough.

[Lady Calypso]

Great news for the show: it has scored 9 additional episodes, bringing the count up to a full 22 episode first season

[rove4]

I'm glad.  The show isn't perfect but I'm enjoying it.  It's been the best performing freshman show from what I understand. 

[Trini]

New promo:

 

[Trini]

For those who might not know, the next two Mondays will be reruns, and March 9 will have another show take the show's timeslot for that night. So the next new episode is March 16th.

Next episode promo:

 

Edited February 23, 2020 by Trini

[Trini]

Fox is going to livestream the pilot on Friday... I think?? Or it's on Fox stations, not sure.

 

[Trini]

Pilot on twitter:

 

[Trini]

 

[nodorothyparker]

I didn't realize why Edrisa looked familiar to me until last week's Better Call Saul.  The actress also has a recurring role as Viola, Kim's ever eager paralegal, there but we hadn't seen her in awhile.

[Trini]

So the show will be back on April 20, and there are only two more new episodes (#18 + 19; there was supposed to be 22) according to the promo:

 

[Trini]

Some spoiler-ish interviews with Dermot Mulroney,

TV Insider:

Quote

Yes, there's a flashback or two. The storyline is very deep. The backstories are brilliant. It all comes to a climactic conclusion in the final episode that's kind of unbelievable. You will see more of it.

TVLine:

Quote

“You should be worried about everybody for the rest of the season,” the actor admits with a laugh. “It’s very, very dangerous to be one of those characters.”

TV Guide:

Quote

So, what was it like to read that your character would be so evil that it could be intimidating to even The Surgeon?

Mulroney: I thought that was going to be great, and it turns out the storyline that they came up with is way more — I only read that first script, right when they offered, I didn't hesitate for a second. Then I saw this cast. So, I took the part, and then I saw a couple of episodes, so that made me even more excited when I realized they were really onto something. It's sort of like their creepy, posh tone and weird, psychological humor — yeah, they've had some really cool stuff on this show, and it all comes to pitch in the end of this first season. It is really fun to play.

 

[Trini]

Another April Fool's joke from the network:

 

[Trini]

  The season is shortened, but it doesn't really effect the finale apparently, since it was shot out of order; from one of the writers:

 

 

[Lady Calypso]

Wow, that is incredibly lucky on their part. So, at least season 1 will get a satisfying conclusion.

[Trini]

This article about how the pandemic shutdowns have affected Fox programming mentions the reason for the out of order filming: 

Quote

But a lucky scheduling predicament helped Fox have a proper ending for its breakout freshman drama Prodigal Son. Because of a theater commitment in London for star Michael Sheen, episodes were shot out of order, so the Season 1 finale was filmed early. While the season will be two episodes short, the stand-alone episodes do not interfere with the overreaching season arc, which will come to a conclusion in the finale.

https://deadline.com/2020/04/fox-entertainment-suddenly-well-suited-weather-covid-19-shutdown-wwe-animation-fewer-pilots-1202897342/

[Trini]

Featurette:

 

[Trini]

'...Stars and Showrunners Reveal Their Favorite Episodes of Their Own Shows'

Quote

Tom Payne - Prodigal Son

S1E1, "Pilot" - "Because this is the introduction to the world and the characters of Prodigal Son, and making it was such a wonderful whirlwind experience."

S1E13, "Wait and Hope" - "The Super Bowl episode where we crammed as much crazy stuff in as possible! I also got to reunite with our delightful guest star Michael Siberry who I worked with way back in 2005 in my first West End play in London."

 

 

[Trini]

Interview and episode 19 post-mortem: 'Tom Payne on Malcolm's Nightmare Come True & the Whitly Family Reunion'

 

[Trini]

Finale promo:

 

[Trini]

'Prodigal Son creators on 'explosive' season finale: 'Bright is screwed''

 

[Trini]

Post-finale interview with showrunners Fedak and Sklaver: 'Prodigal Son Bosses Break Down the Finale's Killer Twist, Reveal Original Plan for Scrapped Season 1 Episodes'

[Trini]

This is a good, lengthy interview: 'Creators Chris Fedak & Sam Sklaver Explain That Gory Ending As They Are “Cautiously Optimistic” About Returning For Season 2'

[Trini]

Another showrunner interview: ''Prodigal Son' Bosses: 'The World of the Show Has Been Turned on Its Head' After Season Finale'

[Trini]

Another interview: 'Post-Mortem: Chris Fedak and Sam Sklaver Break Down Long-Planned Finale'

[Trini]

Another showrunners interview about the finale at TVGuide: 'Prodigal Son Bosses Explain That Shocking Finale and Season 2 Hopes'

[Trini]

I wonder if the fact that the show films in New York City - which is one of the places hardest by the pandemic in the U.S. - is a factor in whether it gets renewed or not? I feel like there should have been news either way by now.

[Trini]

Well, Fox announced its Fall schedule today, and Prodigal Son wasn't mentioned. However, the analysis at Deadline seems to think the outlook is good:

Quote

Fox is yet to make decisions on several current series and all of its pilots, whose production was suspended by the pandemic. Of the remaining series, dramas The Resident and Prodigal Son and comedy Last Man Standing are looking good to come back next midseason, contingent on making deals with the producing studios.

 

And there's this from TV Grim Reaper, who keeps track of renewals and cancellations:

 

[Trini]

Now Deadline is saying it's renewed, but that hasn't been officially announced:

https://deadline.com/2020/05/outmatched-canceled-fox-one-season-1202901039/

Quote

The move, which was fully expected, leaves Prodigal Son as the only Fox series formally on the bubble. That drama, starring Michael Sheen, is getting renewed, contingent on finalizing deals and locking in Sheen’s schedule.

 

I'm guessing they are also weighing their options for possibly moving production out of NYC.

[Lady Calypso]

And now it's official! Renewed!

[Chaos Theory]

1 hour ago, Lady Calypso said:

And now it's official! Renewed!

This was my favorite new show of the season so I could not be happier.   I am really looking forward to where the show takes Ainsley next season.   The first season had its stumbles but for me it hit more then it missed.    Although it does look like the wait is going to be longer then usual but still....yay!!!!!! 😃 🎉 😆 

Edited May 21, 2020 by Chaos Theory

[ouinason]

Oh thank god

[jelaine]

Hallelujah!

[Sile]

1 hour ago, Chaos Theory said:

This was my favorite new show of the season so I could not be happier.   I am really looking forward to where the show takes Ainsley next season.   The first season had its stumbles but for me it hit more then it missed.    Although it does look like the wait is going to be longer then usual but still....yay!!!!!! 😃 🎉 😆 

Usually I am the death knell for new shows, so I try not to get attached.  But this year I went 3 for 3!!

Evil got the renewal right away, but they made me nervous with Stumptown, especially.  It seemed like Prodigal Son was guaranteed a renewal but, with my track record, I never count chickens.

It's a Quarantine Miracle!

As long as I'm guaranteed a maximum dose of Sheen, I can wait.

[Driad]

How about threads in this forum for the characters?  Would be interesting to discuss Ainsley's development, for example.

[luckyroll3]

5 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

And now it's official! Renewed!

Yay!  Hopefully Bright will get his act together next season and take Edrissa out finally. 

27 minutes ago, Driad said:

How about threads in this forum for the characters?  Would be interesting to discuss Ainsley's development, for example.

You can actually start the threads yourself.  

[AnimeMania]

7 Questions with… Prodigal Son’s Tom Payne: ‘I’m someone who loves taking a swing. I don’t want to play it safe, ever’ - Exclusive

[AnimeMania]

Prodigal Son is returning on Tuesday nights sometime in January on FOX.

 

[Chaos Theory]

23 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

Prodigal Son is returning on Tuesday nights sometime in January on FOX.

 

I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to this.  This was definitely one of my favorite new shows.    January can’t come soon enough.  

[Trini]

And now there's a season 2 premiere date: Tuesday, Jan. 12.

And a little bit about season two:

Quote

Season Two picks up with Bright's personal life in disarray after the shocking actions of his sister, AINSLEY (Halston Sage), in the Season One finale. Now, he must "take care" of her and protect his mother, JESSICA WHITLY (Bellamy Young), from a secret that could tear the family apart all over again. Further complicating matters, Martin seeks to deepen his relationship with Bright, his "prodigal son," but forging this bond leads to shocking twists and revelations.

 

[Trini]

And new promo art:

 

[Trini]

Season 2 trailer!

 

 

Apparently that was the teaser promo art; here's the poster for Season 2:

[rove4]

Yay!  Can't wait!  

[Trini]

‘Prodigal Son’ Season 2 First Look -- new clips and the actors give some teases.

[Trini]

Another promo:

 

[Trini]

Interview with the showrunners, Chris Fedak and Sam Sklaver:

Quote

Nerds and Beyond: One of the things you sort of touched on, is that your show is unique in that you have to balance having an interesting case of the week, with also moving along the serialized plot. And this season especially, it seems like you’re going to continue to have very interesting, very dark cases of the week. How do you create that balance of making whatever case they’re working on that week entertaining, but still giving the answers to the larger arcs and the larger question?

Chris Fedak: It’s really a structure, it’s a scaffolding that you build the show on top of. So, the fact that you have a case of the week isn’t a bad thing. It allows you to explore a specific theme and story. And because we as writers are allowed to choose what case and how we want to attack it and what world we’re going to be going into, we’re usually trying to find a way to kind of blend the theme and the character work along into the case itself. So, it’s not always like a one to one. Bright’s not always trying to solve a case that has to do with bad dads, but they’re always using the case to kind of help us along.

But I think that we also figured out last year is that, there are episodes where we twisted the way the case works, be it episode 11 or the finale. And the show can handle it. The show doesn’t have to be “there’s a body at the end of act one,” but sometimes we can change that up a little bit. So, that’s a real kind of testament to the cast and our team, but it’s exciting for us.

 

[Trini]

Paley @ Home panel with the cast tomorrow:

 

Edited January 6, 2021 by Trini

[Trini]

Also, whoa - new cast member: