PRODIGAL SON Sets

Article first published as TV Review: PRODIGAL SON on Seat42F.

This week, FOX launched the new drama series PRODIGAL SON. The titular child, actually a grown man, is a mentally unstable profiler of serial killers. Fired from the FBI in the opening sequence, he returns home. But rather than leave the business behind, he is recruited by the local cops to catch a copycat murderer. The slayer the copycat is copying is the PRODIGAL SON’s dad, who helps our hero expose the bad guy. But did genius daddy orchestrate the whole thing?

That all sounds convoluted, a mix of a bunch of other television shows, and it is. Part Silence of the Lambs, part Blacklist, part every crime procedural on the air, PRODIGAL SON puts in a bit more mythology and serial story than most case-of-the-week series, but the main focus will still be that easy criminal caught in sixty minutes or less. And the extra stuff layered in is weird, doesn’t entirely make sense, and seems over the top, at best.

PRODIGAL SON has a stellar cast. The lead is Tom Payne (The Walking Dead), playing Malcolm Bright, whose last name is exactly as on the nose as one would expect from the rest of the program. Daddy dearest, Dr. Martin Whitly, is Good Omens’ Michael Sheen. Rounding out the family is Bellamy Young (Scandal) as controlling mother Jessica and Halston Sage (The Orville) as reporter sister Ainsley. Lou Diamond Phillips (Longmire) is the cop whose life young Malcolm saved and who now is depending on the grown lad. Other law enforcement officers are played by lesser knowns Frank Harts (The Path), Aurora Perrineau (Jem and the Holograms), and Keiko Agena (Gilmore Girls). Michael Cerveris (Fringe) is wasted in a one-episode role, appearing only in the pilot.

Frankly, this cast is far too good for this show. Yes, many fine actors are staying with the small screen these days for high quality programs, but PRODIGAL SON does not qualify. While there might be some interesting concept buried in this that could be teased out were it on FX or AMC or Netflix, the mix of unbelievability and caricature render it less than the some of its parts. Payne and Sheen, especially, are playing crazy wonderfully. But they’re practically begging for a complex story that is worthy of their performances.

We’ve seen cops. We’ve seen good guys working with the bad. Several very popular current and past shows fit into the category. If you’re going to go down that road again, you’d better have a very good reason for doing so. Or at least a solid story. This series has neither.

I get what FOX is doing here. The broadcast networks are slowly dying and they’re trying to hold onto their audience by thinking short-term. Crime procedurals still make money, and adding the serial element could possibly make it binge-worthy when it hits a streaming service. It sounds good in theory, even though it’s been seen to fail over and over again when not going enough into the serial.

If that were the only thing PRODIGAL SON had wrong with it, the cast alone might be enough to let the flaws be overlooked. But the flimsy story-telling full of connections that shouldn’t be and characters that feel one-note seals the deal that this is one to skip. Might it garner enough of an audience to run for half a dozen seasons? Sure, I’ve seen worse shows make it. But will it be a beloved classic folks remember and want to re-watch? Unless it changes significantly, definitely not.

My recommendation is to not tune in. Let PRODIGAL SON die quickly and release the performers to go onto better things. Most of them will bounce back with something better.

PRODIGAL SON airs Mondays on FOX.

THE ORVILLE Soars

Article first published as TV Review: THE ORVILLE on Seat42F.

There have been rumors of a Galaxy Quest television show for years. I’d love to see that. But for now, the closest we’re going to get is THE ORVILLE, a new sci-fi dramedy coming to FOX. Though not exactly the same sense of humor as the beloved Galaxy Quest movie, THE ORVILLE does take the adventure and wonder of Star Trek, mix it with Seth MacFarlane’s trademark brand of humor, and keep it grounded and dramatic enough to actually build a cohesive story with characters you can invest in. It is no small feat to get such a thing right.

As THE ORVILLE begins, as you likely have already heard, Ed Mercer (series creator Seth MacFarlane, Family Guy) has just been given his first command: the Orville. It’s not top-of-the-line or anything too fancy, but it’s a nice little sleek exploratory starship that will leave Earth and explore the galaxy.

Ed gets to choose one crewman, his best friend Gordon Malloy (Scott Grimes, American Dad!), but most of the compliment is already set. And the last addition, which he has no control over nor prior knowledge of, is his ex-wife, Kelly Grayson (Adrianne Palicki, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), who will serve as his XO. Kelly cheated on him, and Ed is predictably not eager to have her back.

That in of itself is a humorous concept, but thankfully THE ORVILLE doesn’t go too far into sitcom territory with it. There is tension between the couple, yes, and that drives their interaction. Equal side-by-side seats on the bridge of the ship probably don’t help Ed feel any more in control. But their chemistry, while not entirely new, does seem fresh in the performances, and they seem to be a pair audiences will root to get back together. They could bicker just as effectively in a relationship, and there are clearly still feelings between them. Palicki and MacFarlane are great together.

The diverse crew include a robot, Isaac (Mark Jackson), a member of a single-gender species, Bortus (Peter Macon, Shameless), and a young woman named Alara who is out to prove herself (Halston Sage, Neighbors). It is a solid mix of varied personalities, with several species represented, and while many of the actors are not well-known, they all handle themselves well. The show doesn’t hesitate to explore the differences, and delights in the alien characteristics that humans will not understand, something sometimes minimized in other science-fiction or reserved for ‘special’ episodes.

Lest you worry about cred, Penny Johnson Jerald (Star Trek: Deep Space 9, 24) is the wise Dr. Claire Finn, chief medical officer, and producers and directors also carry over from Star Trek. Toss in some stellar guest stars like Jeffrey Tambor and Victor Garber, and this show has unexpected gravitas. It is far more than just a dumb comedy, and while it could not exist in the Star Trek universe, it also wouldn’t fit in the realm of Family Guy or American Dad! either. THE ORVILLE is its own brand.

The humor comes in the authentic moments. Crewmen talk to one another the way people do now, not as some high-minded advanced society, but as relatable folks. THE ORVILLE stops short of going full-out MacFarlane, and instead drapes the jokes over a serious plot with actual drama and danger. The humor bolsters, rather than distracts, and I would not classify this anywhere near a strict comedy. And Gordon’s introduction is one of the funniest bits.

THE ORVILLE is imaginative, clever, and darn fun to watch. I went straight into the second episode, and will definitely be tuning in weekly. This show, at least in the first two hours, deftly sticks a complicated landing.

THE ORVILLE premieres September 10^th on FOX.