Michael Sheen’s Cancelled Crime Thriller Finally Hits Netflix and Is Worth a Weekend Binge

3 days ago 10

Greg is a Lead TV Writer & Critic at Screen Rant who also covers Movies and Music. He's published over 2500 articles at SR, including weekly binge guides and dozens of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. He previously worked in Development at ABC Television & Lawrence Bender Productions.

Greg majored in Film Production at Chapman University's Dodge College. Greg also has years of broadcast TV production experience at major networks such as NBC, TNT, and ESPN. He currently lives in Greater Boston.

Seven years after it premiered on Fox, this fan-favorite yet cancelled psychological crime thriller starring Michael Sheen finally lands on Netflix, allowing subscribers to binge-watch the series for the first time ever.

Premiering in 2019, this 2-season series quickly gained a strong following, resulting in an 86% Rotten Tomatoes audience score compared to its more divisive critic score of 56%. Even though there are so many new streaming releases this week, such as Netflix's own #1 trending hit His & Hers, this forgotten hidden gem is still one of the best shows to binge-watch on Netflix this weekend.

Prodigal Son Finally Arrives On Netflix – What It's About

Both seasons of Prodigal Son just dropped on Netflix for the first time ever after primarily streaming on Hulu and HBO Max for years. The Fox original series follows a familiar police procedural format with elements of psychological thriller, suspense, mystery, and crime drama.

The series follows former FBI profiler Malcolm Bright, played by Tom Payne, who solves crimes for the NYPD. As a child, he exposed his father, Dr. Martin Whitly (Michael Sheen), as a serial killer. Years later, Malcolm is becoming concerned that he has a few too many similar traits to his sociopathic father while still trying to put criminals behind bars.

Prodigal Son undoubtedly took inspiration from other serial killer-oriented classics before it, namely The Silence of the Lambs or even Criminal Minds, but it still holds up as a unique and immersive series to this day. The true star of the series is Sheen in one of his career best performances, but he's also joined by a strong ensemble that includes Lou Diamond Phillips, Halston Sage, Frank Harts, and more.

Prodigal Son Is A Fun & Twisty Thriller To Binge On Netflix

Prodigal Son is a fun and twisty crime thriller worth binge-watching on Netflix that feels a bit like Dexter meets Mindhunter. There's also a bit of a similar edge to Malcolm Bright that gives him a similar charm and expertise to Simon Baker in The Mentalist. If any of these shows sound like your perfect kind of television, binge-watching Prodigal Son on Netflix this weekend sounds like a safe bet.

The series was notably cancelled after two seasons in 2021, which sparked outrage online amongst loyal fans calling for its continuation elsewhere. If Prodigal Son becomes a surprise Netflix hit following its quiet January 9 release, there may actually be a chance that the fan-approved series could return in some capacity.

If you're looking for one of the most entertaining new arrivals on Netflix this weekend, Prodigal Son is undoubtedly one of the very best choices to binge-watch.