Tonight FOX kicks off the new drama Prodigal Son. Malcolm Bright (Tom Payne, The Walking Dead) didn’t have a normal childhood—as a young boy, he discovered that his father was the notorious serial killer known as “The Surgeon”. To rebel against his father, Malcolm changed his last name, and became a criminal psychologist for the FBI. He has a knack for getting into the minds of killers and understanding their motivations (I guess he got that from his father), but his odd, erratic behavior gets him fired from the Bureau. Malcolm may even be a little crazy himself—he sleeps with restraints, and is constantly popping pills to help him with his night terrors and tremors.

Malcolm heads back home where he reconnects with his overbearing mother, Jessica (Bellamy Young, Scandal), and reporter sister, Ainsley (Halston Sage, The Orville). Old family friend, NYPD Detective Gil Arroyo (Lou Diamond Phillips, Longmire), asks Malcolm to consult for the department on a particularly interesting and personal case—a copycat has been recreating one of Malcolm’s father’s most infamous crimes. Mailcolm is partnered with Detective Dani Powell (Aurora Perrineau, The Carmichael Show) and Detective JT Tarmel (Frank Harts, Master of None), who immediately notice his odd, unorthodox behavior, but are unaware of his past. However, in order to solve the case and stop the killer, Malcolm may need to come face-to-face with his manipulative father, Dr. Martin Whitly (Michael Sheen, Masters of Sex), whom he has avoided for the past 10 years.

I first saw tonight’s pilot back in June at the ATX Television Festival and really enjoyed it. I rewatched it last night and still found it quite entertaining the second time around. What I really like about this show is its unique tone—it is a drama and a thriller, but there is also a lot of humor. Tom Payne really plays up the crazy, and has a lot of fun in the role, and Michael Sheen is perfectly crazy in a completely different way—he really feels like this dangerous, insane serial killer who is working his magic to manipulate his son into getting back in his life.

Tonight, I’ll also be watching/recording The Good Doctor, Bob Hearts Abishola, All Rise, Bluff City Law, 9-1-1, and Final Space.

For additional suggestions on what to check out tonight, including the series premieres of Bob Hearts Abishola & All Rise and the season premieres of 9-1-1 and The Voice, check out the If We Controlled Your Remote… 9/23/19 post at TVisMyPacifier.com.