‘Prodigal Son’ kicked off and ran for two seasons. It follows Malcolm Bright, a criminal profiler with past that could scare a ghost. He helps NYPD crack tough cases while battling his own issues, like that charming serial killer dad of his. The show has a solid cast- Tom Payne, Michael Sheen, Bellamy Young. Critics rave about its wild plot twists and characters you cant help but get hooked on.

Meet the characters from Prodigal Son

Malcolm Bright

Malcolm is that brilliant, messy genius who lives in his head a little too much and somehow makes chaos look like method. He sees patterns where other people see noise, gets weirdly poetic about crime scenes, and then forgets to eat for like three days — classic. He’s sharp, insecure, and oddly charming if you can handle the sarcasm and the sudden blackout of patience. Also he collects traumatic childhood memories like some people collect stamps, and no, I can’t decide if he’s a lovable trainwreck or a strategic sociopath (probably both).

Gil Arroyo

Gil is the grizzled cop with a heart; tough, practical, the kind of partner who will drag you out of a bar at 3 a.m. and then tell you to stop being dramatic. He grumbles a lot but is deeply loyal, has low tolerance for nonsense and high tolerance for his friends’ nonsense, which is different, okay? He cooks a mean breakfast (or so I’ve been told — maybe it’s just the coffee), and he wears his concern like a flannel shirt: visible, comfortable, a little ragged.

Ainsley Whitly

Ainsley is sharp, socially skilled, and also kind of dangerously good at smoothing things over — like she could calm down a bank robber with a smile and a passive-aggressive compliment. She’s ambitious and stylish and somehow both emotionally guarded and the most emotionally savvy person in the room, which is confusing but very effective. She knows how to use people without being cruel about it (most of the time) and likes to keep secrets in pretty boxes. Also she laughs a lot when she’s nervous; it’s annoying and endearing all at once.

Dani Powell

Dani is the straight-arrow detective who runs toward the problem instead of around it, rules-first but with a soft core you only see in brief, exhausted flashes. She is all practical solutions (file those reports! lock those doors!) and then she’ll unexpectedly make you coffee with way too much sugar and say something ridiculously human. Tough exterior, patient instincts, and the kind of moral compass that makes her the boring hero in the best way. Oh and she has this weirdly perfect poker face — until she doesn’t.

JT Tarmel

JT is the wildcard who seems like a jokester but actually notices literally everything; he sprinkles humor into tense moments and then will drop a chilling observation five minutes later. He’s brash, friendly, the colleague who brings homemade snacks and also questionable theories about serial killers (he’s got a podcast, I think). Somehow he manages to be both the team’s morale officer and the one who will stay late to re-watch footage until he gets sick of blinking. He’s unpredictable, in the best possible way, and definitely keeps things interesting.

Dr. Edrisa Tanaka

Dr. Tanaka is the cool, clinical genius — lab coat, razor-sharp mind, but with an unexpectedly dry sense of humor that sneaks up and slaps you. She explains things in neat little diagrams in the middle of chaos and then admits she binge-watches romantic comedies on Sundays, which is adorable and slightly dissonant. She’s precise, maybe a little cold on purpose, and has a collection of antique microscopes or maybe just an impressive mug collection, I can never remember which. In any case, she quietly runs circles around most people and I stan hard.

Jessica Whitly

Jessica seems like the quietly worn soul who’s been through a lot but keeps smiling like it’s a deliberate strategy rather than denial. She’s tender and sharp in tiny, domestic ways — remembers everybody’s coffee order, hoards old photographs, has rules about dinner — and those small comforts make her surprisingly resilient. There’s a spare sadness in her eyes but also these flashes of stubborn hope, so she’s complicated and real, not a melodrama. Also she probably hums show tunes when making tea; don’t ask how I know that.

Dr. Martin Whitly

Martin is the unsettlingly charming, brilliant doctor with a velvet-thin warmth that hides something very, very dark — the kind of guy who reads bedtime stories with a smile while thinking like a surgeon. He’s manipulative in this polite, clinical way and astonishingly charismatic, which makes him terrifying and magnetic at the same time. He loves routine, order, and artfully placed compliments, and then occasionally does genuinely tender things that make you question your own judgment (annoying, right?). Also he collects porcelain animals or maybe frogs? Either way, his taste is immaculate and creepy.