TV
Fox Has Pulled the Plug on “Prodigal Son” After Just Two Seasons
Before the second season finale even has a chance to air next week, we’ve learned today that Fox has made the decision to cancel “Prodigal Son” after just two seasons of television.
Variety notes, “An insider with knowledge of the situation characterized the move to cancel the series as a difficult one, but… the show’s ratings did not justify a third season.”
“The Walking Dead” actor Tom Payne plays Malcolm Bright in the series, one of the best criminal psychologists around, using his twisted genius to help the NYPD solve crimes.
The catch? Malcolm is the son of a serial killer, played by Michael Sheen.
Alyse Wax had recently raved right here on Bloody Disgusting, “Prodigal Son isn’t the standard monster-of-the-week show that horror fans tend to gravitate towards, but it is far more intense than the standard procedural crime show. Give it a whirl. It’s my current addiction.”
The news of the show’s cancellation comes *exactly* three years after Fox cancelled “The Exorcist,” oddly enough, a series that also got only two seasons before coming to an end.
“Prodigal Son” was created by Chris Fedak and Sam Sklaver.
Production on season two of “Alien: Earth” has begun in London, and Deadline reports that Tracey Ullman (“Tracey Ullman’s Show“), Sam Spruell (“A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms“), and Jerome Flynn (“Game of Thrones“) have joined the cast.
They join previously announced series newcomer Peter Dinklage.
No character details have been divulged so far.
“Alien: Earth” Season 2 is shooting at the historic Pinewood Studios — home of the original Alien as well as Aliens, Alien 3, and Prometheus. The show’s new production designer, Neil Lamont, is the son of Alien production designer Peter Lamont.
Set in the year 2120, five corporations wield the power of nations, and proprietary advancements in technology provide the promise of a new tomorrow. When a mysterious space vessel crash-lands on Earth, a young woman and a ragtag group of tactical soldiers make a fateful discovery that puts them face-to-face with the planet’s greatest threat.
The second season “certainly expands on the promise of the first,” according to series creator Noah Hawley (“Fargo,” “Legion”). “It’s a bigger show, more world-building, and I can’t think of a better place for taking on that bigger challenge.”
Sydney Chandler, Timothy Olyphant, Alex Lawther, Samuel Blenkin, Babou Ceesay, Adrian Edmondson, David Rysdahl, Essie Davis, Lily Newmark, Erana James, Adarsh Gourav, Jonathan Ajayi, Kit Young, Diêm Camille, Moe Bar-El, and Sandra Yi Sencindiver star.
Also on the way from Noah Hawley? A remake of Argentine horror film Terrified for Warner Bros.
Stay tuned for more on “Alien: Earth” season two now that production has begun.