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The following post contains major spoilers for Prodigal Son‘s series finale. Proceed with caution!
We’re sensing a trend with Prodigal Son‘s season finales: They usually end with a Whitly sibling stabbing somebody.
Little more than a week after the Fox thriller was cancelled, its series finale aired Tuesday night, culminating with a gasp-inducing twist that found Bright stabbing — and perhaps killing? — his own father. (Last season, it was Bright’s sister, Ainsley, who turned a knife on Nicholas Endicott. Many times.)
During the episode, Martin took Bright up to Vermont, where he was determined to prove to his son that he’s no longer the murderous man he was 25 years ago. To drive that point home, he recruited Bright to try and track down an elusive killer known as The Woodsman, who Martin suspected may have recently abducted a young woman named Jeannie Larkin. Perhaps by finding Jeannie and neutralizing The Woodsman, Martin could convince Bright he was truly a changed man.
In the end, they did suss out The Woodsman, and they did rescue Jeannie Larkin — but Bright called the cops on his father anyway, and a betrayed Martin quickly returned to his old ways. “I was a good father,” Martin told Bright. “But you? You were never a good son.” As Martin approached Bright with a knife in his hand, Bright turned the weapon on his father at the last second, driving it into Dear Old Dad’s stomach. And when Bright’s NYPD colleagues located the men in the woods moments later, Dani had an appropriate question for Bright when she noticed his father on the ground: “What did you do?!”
Below, Prodigal Son co-creators Chris Fedak and Sam Sklaver unpack Martin and Bright’s final confrontation, offer some teasers about where Season 3 would have gone, and update us on the series’ possible resurrection.
TVLINE | Even though this episode ends with a cliffhanger, it felt — to me, at least — like it also worked as a series finale. As you wrote and produced it, were you planning the episode as a potential series ender?
FEDAK | No. We were approaching it as, “What’s the most exciting way to end Season 2?” We also feel, like you do, that it is not a series finale that doesn’t work because we’ve been cancelled. It still does work… This isn’t like ALF being captured by the government before they were cancelled. It’s still a good and exciting story.
SKLAVER | What COVID taught us is that you’re never sure what tomorrow is going to bring. When we knew Fox had ordered 13 episodes, we needed each one to feel like a finale. If we were only able to produce 11 episodes, then it would end with Martin in Vivian’s car, and that would be cool. If it could only be 12, then it would end with Martin and Bright on a sea boat, and that seemed like a pretty great finale. We kept pushing the bar and putting ourselves in these crazier and crazier situations. The finale really feels like we’ve earned everything that happens in that moment, but it’s pretty crazy to know, in 13 episodes, we were able to tell this story. We found it very satisfying. We have a whole Season 3 story locked and loaded, and we don’t want to stop telling this story. But we’re feeling good about how this ended on Fox.
FEDAK | If you’re a network out there looking for a story, we have one. It’s ready to go. Sam and Chris will get on the phone. I feel like a rug salesman. “Come on down to Crazy Chris’s!”
SKLAVER | I know. The fans are working so hard to get our show renewed. I feel like I need to do my part, as well.
TVLINE | To that end, what can you say about what was in store for Season 3?
SKLAVER | Without sharing too much, it was going to be the best season of television ever produced.
FEDAK | That’s true. That’s true.
SKLAVER | [Laughs] No, we have a really fun Season 3 pitch. We don’t want to give too much of it away because we’re still hopeful of being able to tell that story. But Bright stabbing Martin at the end wasn’t going to make anyone’s life easier, and I think our show flourishes when all of our characters face adversity. Bright and Dani just kissed, but they’re not going to be able to get past this. Gil and Jessica are in a good place. There’s so many places that we could jump off from the ending of this season, and that’s what’s so exciting for us.
FEDAK | And on a technical level, our plan was to include Michael Sheen in Season 3, so that gives you a little bit of insight into where we were going. He was definitely going to be a part of the show.
TVLINE | To what degree are conversations happening about bringing the show somewhere else?
FEDAK | It’s not really Sam and I having those discussions. Those conversations are being had. I can’t speak to them, because it’s more of a studio thing. The one thing we’ll say is Warner Bros. has been an incredible advocate for the show. They’ve been great to us, and they’ve been very supportive, and they love the show. And Fox loves the show, too. The executives that bought the show and championed the show were all advocates and all gutted by the situation we’ve found ourselves in. So we’re hopeful, but it’s a studio thing now.
TVLINE | Assuming this episode does stand as the series finale, is there an interpretation of that final scene you want fans to have? Like, should we assume Martin dies in those woods?
FEDAK | I like open-ended finales, but then again, I know there’s Chuck fans that still want to kill me. [Laughs]
SKLAVER | Chris and I are both pleasers, as a personality trait. I would just like fans to be very happy with this finale. However they want Martin to be at the end — I know how I imagine Martin being in the end, but I don’t want to say something that makes someone less happy, you know what I mean? [Laughs]
FEDAK | What a wimp.
SKLAVER | No! I just want people to be happy when a son stabs his father in the gut. I hope that sparks joy for someone. [Laughs] I guess it is an open-ended finale, but I’m very happy with it, and I hope people are happy with it, as well.
TVLINE | So much of this finale centers on Martin’s capacity to change. Did either of you believe he truly could? Or did he simply want to believe he could change?
SKLAVER | I’ll just say it: Even if Martin can change, he killed 23 people. And he can’t be in this world. That’s not up for debate. While the son in Bright wants to believe his father doesn’t have this darkness in him anymore, the profiler and the FBI agent knows, like Bright says, that Martin isn’t for this world. It’s not up to them to decide if Martin is allowed to be out.
FEDAK | I totally disagree with Sam. [Laughs] I’d like to advocate for the serial killer in this version of the story. Can Martin change? I think the answer is kind of yes, maybe. But he is a psychopath. Michael [Sheen] had a very interesting take on this, even from the beginning of the show, which is that he can make the world what he wants it to be. It’s not like he feels tied to those 23 murders. He’s made a decision over time to say, “I’m not this person anymore.” But that doesn’t mean he can actually control it totally.
TVLINE | And a few scenes earlier, we see Martin come out of that cabin, having hurt The Woodsman, and he looks exhilarated by what he’s just done. Is that the moment when Bright realizes, “This is a lost cause”?
SKLAVER | The scene before that is, in my opinion, one of the most interesting scenes we’ve ever done on our show, where Bright has to convince his father to hurt someone, when all Martin is telling us is that he doesn’t want to do that. It’s akin to forcing someone in recovery to take a drink. That scene is as consequential as what happens afterward. I’m not sure if Martin walks out of there exhilarated, in my mind, although he is in a place. He’s under a spell. But it’s a spell that, in some ways, Bright pushed him toward. There’s the reading you had, which is very valid, that this man will never change. But there’s also the reading of, “This man is in this space because I pushed him there,” and how that could affect Bright going forward is a very interesting story to me.
FEDAK | You could look at that final confrontation, and Martin is so upset with his son, not only for calling the police but for getting him to hurt somebody. And you kind of understand why he’s mad! In a way, he’s been betrayed.
SKLAVER | Bright wasn’t the best son. He was the best profiler. He found Jeannie Larkin and saved the girl. And that’s the problem with Bright: He’s always been a son and a profiler. And the need to save a life caused him to be a bad son, for sure.
TVLINE | Looking back on this season, was there anything else — a scene, a storyline — that you’d hoped to explore but didn’t get the chance?
FEDAK | At the beginning of the season, we had a JT story that was part of our first episode, which touched upon the Black Lives Matter movement and racism inside the police force. What happened was, COVID affected the show, and whenever something would happen in regards to [production changes], we’d have to change the story, we’d have to make moves. There were parts of that story that we weren’t able to address in Season 2 that we’d hoped to get to. It was something that we had to address in a different way, with the hope that in Season 3, we’d be able to come back and give that more air and time to breathe.
SKLAVER | The other thing is, toward the end of this season, we started to really love Martin out in the world — in the finale, but even in that beach house with Vivian. We’ve done a lot of episodes with Michael, and he’s always in Claremont or he’s in flashbacks. He’s always on our stage. Once we could put him out in the world — I think Michael felt it, too — it was just another version of Martin Whitly, and it’s a version that I loved. Take what you will from this, but it was something we were very interested in pushing further in Season 3, just getting Martin out of Claremont more and giving this complex character even more dimensions.
Your turn, Prodigal Son fans! Grade the series finale in our poll below, then hit the comments with your full reactions.
Please please please Someone save this save! The writing and acting are top notch. The dynamic between Tom and Michael is incredible! We need a season 3 please!!!!!
I wish I knew who to turn to to help Keep Prodigal Son on Air. I feel it is being taken off Air because it is too intelligent.
I agree with you! To me this is one of the best shows on TV.
I love the show. I have recommended it to several people. HOnestly, it was taken off the Air because Network TV is a business and Prodigal Son’s same day ratings were…not good.
It did do well in Live +3 and Live +7, so it might be appealing to a streaming service. I was thinking HBO Max, but, now, the Warner/Discovery planned merger could have everything up in the air.
I can attest to that MANY people watch it on HULU! Executives need to realize that ratings should not be determined how they used to be.
This show is absolutely amazing. I was deeply drawn into it from episode 1 until the very end. I found myself rewinding moments in it’s story over and over again because they resonated to me. And the finale ending was one of those moments. To not see anymore to the story after that would truly be a travesty. Too many fantastic television shows get gutted simply because they lack a certain quantity of viewers over a period. When really, shouldn’t it be about the quality of the show, not its numbers? I thought quality over quantity was a saying people believe in, or is bottom lines far more important? I realize that every show can’t be saved, BUT I can honestly say that Prodigal Son DEFINITELY deserves to be.
Exactly! I don’t even have cable, i watch hulu and neflix. that’s it
So true. And every dump show is getting renewed these days. It’s all about viewers numbers for the networks. Quality doesn’t matter anymore.
Please! Please! Please! We need a season 3! The characters, actors and writers are incredible! This is one of my top 3 shows altogether. You cannot let it end this way. Sincerely request you reverse cancellation and renew for another season.
Such a terrible waste to see Prodigal Son end
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Definitely one of the better shows of the last years – while some dross gets renewed…
I love this show, & want it to continue, whether on FOX or elsewhere – I don’t care, I’ll follow it, even if I have to add another streaming service. I would like to know what the best thing fans can do to try to get this to happen.
Who do we call, who do we write? We have to get moving on this ASAP. I’m not ready to leave the Whitley family!!
You could try tweeting with #saveprodigalson and #pickupprodigalson. You could also sign the petition on change.org and emailing Netflix,hulu, hbo max. That is what I and thousands of fans have been doing and it seems to be making an impact. Hopefully, we’ll see some results soon
Thank you! I was looking for the petition.
Martin wasn’t going back to jail, without a fight. It has to be more to this please a season 3.
There has to be a network or streaming platform that sees the value of great story telling and great acting. Prodigal son is just too good to end this way,
Save this show!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!!
Jaime Buelter
I thought the series finale was fantastic! It left me wanting more! I am hoping it will be picked up and continued lile Lucifer was!!
I just watched the finale and it was AWESOME!!! It had me laughing so much and there was so much excitement. This is the best show on Fox and how they had the guts to cancel it when they renewed all the other crap on there is beyond me. I think Fox must be smokin somethin!This show NEEDS to be on tv, there is no other show like this. Someone needs to save this show. It’s too good not to ever be seen again!! #saveprodigalson
Just like the other fans here, I was absolutely gutted when the cancellation news came out. But now that I’ve seen the finale, I NEED MORE PRODIGAL SON!!!!
I Think Prodigal Son needs to be picked up by Netflix I’m not thrilled with Fox at all
Love my Netflix
Remember when Fox cancelled Firefly? Same thing,different year.
Bring back the show . It is one of the best shows on TV .
It was both a very cool jumping off point for a next season and a pretty good overall finale. I would love to see more, especially in a season not hampered by the pandemic. Some of the characters were pretty sidelined this season, I assume because of the limits of filming right now, which was a bummer. Anyhow, if it continues somewhere, I’ll watch.
Best show ever!! Needs to be saved!! Loved every episode in all seasons!!!
I think that Netflix needs to pickup the series. They did You and Lucifer so why not this? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE pickup Prodigal Son!
it has to be saved..<3 luv the show/
I do hope this great show is picked up by another platform. It is too good to simply fade away. As good as this episode was, it was not a satisfying series ending. We fans need and want more!
They are getting rid of all the good shows. I love this show.
I only watch a couple of primetime dramas. I never miss Prodigal Son. Don’t screw up and lose it.
This show was the only show my son who is 18 and I watch together. It’s our quality time. We watch it and talk about it and what could happen next. Now the show has been canceled we don’t agree on shows we like very often. Not sure what show will be next but I’m hoping they will reconsider canceling this one.
Time to Sac up boys and find a Network to pick up this show. Great TV shows should continue on. This show blows NCIS and Mark Harmon out of the water…no contest. Great writers don’t quit on their viewership. Find a way gentleman. Get it done.
Please please bring it back,it’s awesome smart and I love the family part of it…..I love the prodigal son and Tom Payne is amazing so is Michael sheen….please an advid devoted fan😍❤️😍❤️
Man…what a FANTASTIC Act II of a three act play. Too bad we won’t get to see Act III unless some dumb exec wisens up. #SaveProdigalSon
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Now, back to the show. Remember, Malcolm stabbed Dad once before, and he knows how to do it without killing him. I like to think the end of Act II was a callback to the last time Malcolm stabbed Martin. As well as a nice bookend to Act I’s finale stabbing.
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And how kick ass was that Jess/Viv fight? Go Jess! Loved the line about the pill tolerance. AND the inference she made to Gil.
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The whole POINT of psychological incarceration is that treatment CAN work. But Martin’s behavior just prior to the breakout shows that although he may be a changed man, he’s still far from cured. Malcolm is right about where Martin should not be.
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I need the final act. Make my days bright…make then Malcolm Bright that is. ;) There is no other show on TV like this one. They shouldn’t waste time reviving Dexter…they just need to reverse this cancellation now.
Please remind me when Malcolm stabbed his father?
It was in Claremont. Martin told Malcolm a story about stabbing someone in just the right way to not kill him. IIRC, Jess was planning to kill Martin b/c she was blackmailed to do so, but after Martin told his story, Malcolm stabbed him instead. And of course, Martin survived, or Malcolm would not have been able to stab him again last night.
Prodigal Son is an amazing show! Wonderful writing, great acting, that special on-screen chemistry between the actors that you just can’t define & exciting story lines. When there’s so much bad stuff on network TV these days, why would Fox cancel this gem? Hope someone can save it – we want more Malcolm😉👍🏻
I couldn’t agree more. Well said!!!
I can’t believe that every time you get used to a good show they cancel it without a proper ending. I hope this goes to some other platform because is one of the best still on television and deserves to continue.
This show could never have a ‘proper ending” because the Whitly saga is like The Godfather or The Omen & could go on for generations. The difference here is that it is the father who brought evil into their home & even though EVERY family member has now killed, can the others resist turning into him permanently? Will Martin’s evil prevail over the protective, defensive natures of his survivors? The finale reminds me of Law & Order, writers didn’t know their shows were ending but ended up providing perfect endings regardless. Not only is Malcolm NOT his father, but he willed the Surgeon back to save a victim & then stabbed him to save himself. Malcolm is NOT a good son because he refused to sacrifice himself to him, nor follow in his footsteps.