Why Prodigal Son gained a full-season order immediately

Prodigal Son has become the first new TV series to land a full-season order this fall. Here’s why it immediately deserved it.

TV networks are keeping an eye on their new shows. Most are ordered for just 13 episodes (some only an initial six) before having episodes added. Prodigal Son is the first new show to land a full-season order, which means nine more episodes are coming to the show.

What makes Prodigal Son stand out against all the rest? Why has this show landed the extra episodes when other shows across all networks are still in limbo? There are a few factors that play into this decision, and here’s why it deserves this immediate full-season order.

The ratings are great!

Prodigal Son quickly proved to be the new TV show to beat in the ratings during premiere week, and nothing could. Despite it being FOX (usually the lowest-rated of all four networks, especially on Mondays), the show quickly proved to be popular with both the demo and the audience.

More importantly, the drop wasn’t too big in the second week. In fact, according to TV Series Finale, the demo went up by 4%. The drop in the total audience was just a small 3%, which is negligible. Most new TV shows will see a 10-20% drop in the total audience because viewers aren’t intrigued enough by the pilot episode.

Good mixture of procedural and serial

Procedural dramas often have the problem of too much focus on the case of the week, which can lead to not enough character development. In other cases, the lead characters get all the focus and there’s very little focus on the supporting characters. That’s not the case for Prodigal Son.

Immediately, the series gave us an excellent mixture of procedural and serial. And the serial isn’t that obvious or unoriginal. While it is focused on the lead character’s past, it’s not the standard drawn-out backstory of him explaining his past. Tom Payne’s Malcolm Bright genuinely doesn’t remember elements of his past, and those that do know the truth refuse to tell him everything. This gives us something to work out and guess along the way.

Excellent characters for all needs

This is a show that could have relied on one actor: Michael Sheen. He is a major reason a lot of people initially started watching the show. Bellamy Young is another big reason for people tuning in. However, neither of them steal the show or are required to carry the entire show.

Payne certainly holds the show well as the lead character, but it wouldn’t be the same without the supporting characters. While Malcolm adds the mystery, Dani, Ainsley, and JT all help to add the human connection and grounding a show like this needs. Gil Arroyo is the heart and supportive connection to the past.

The show wouldn’t work with just a focus on the family drama. This needs all connections, all characters to keep the show grounded and relatable.

Beautiful and sharp writing

A TV show is never just about the actors. It’s about the writing, the directing, the cinematography, and more. Prodigal Son offers it all, but the emphasis does need to be put on the writing, and the research into that writing.

Payne routinely brings up facts about behavior, serial killers, and even snakes! This show would break down if there wasn’t good research into all elements, so you can tell the writing team is on top of everything necessary. However, the show isn’t bogged down by research and facts.

There’s humor even in the darkest characters that keep people entertained. This is written to tell a story with an edge.

The good news about the quick full-season order is that there’s a high chance of getting a second season. This is likely a show you’ll find coming back next fall, especially if the ratings fully stabilize at this point.

What do you think of Prodigal Son? Are you ready for an extra nine episodes for the season? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Prodigal Son airs Mondays at 9/8c on FOX. Follow Precinct TV for the latest in the series and more TV crime dramas.