Dr. Martin Whitly will be licking his lips.
Fox has made the first move in fall pickups by ordering nine more episodes of “Prodigal Son,” taking its season 1 episode count to 22.
The Michael Sheen and Tom Payne series is the highest-rated new fall show to date, with the premiere delivering 8.5 million total viewers across all platforms. The serial killer drama also grew 50% after three days delayed viewing to top the debut series ratings chart with a 1.5 among adults 18-49.
It is worth mentioning that none of the new shows to date has scored particularly impressive ratings or viewership in comparison with previous years, and that “Prodigal Son” is on top of an extremely tight field, with only a 0.1 or a 0.2 ratings point separating many of the series.
“’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 of entertainment at 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.”
The show centers on Malcolm Bright (Payne), a psychologist who has a gift for understanding how serial killers think, because his father, Dr. Martin Whitly (Sheen), was one of the worst, a notorious serial killer called “The Surgeon.” Bright uses his twisted genius to help the NYPD solve crimes and stop killers, all while dealing with his manipulative mother, Jessica Whitly (Bellamy Young), his annoyingly normal sister, Ainsley Whitly (Halston Sage) and a homicidal father still looking to bond with his prodigal son. Lou Diamond Phillips, Aurora Perrineau, and Frank Harts also star.
“Prodigal Son” is produced by Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television and Fox Entertainment. Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter serve as executive producers, alongside Chris Fedak and Sam Sklaver who are the writer-showrunners on the series. Lee Toland Krieger directed and exec produced the pilot.