'Prodigal Son' on Netflix: Tom Payne’s FBI Agent Battles Criminal Father Legacy in Netflix’s Latest Debut

Published 01/11/2026, 11:54 AM CST

Family history has a way of shaping lives, even when it is something to escape. The past rarely stays silent, especially when it is tied to crime and violence. Carrying that kind of legacy turns every decision into a test of identity and control.

Prodigal Son, now streaming on Netflix, centers on this conflict through Tom Payne’s role as an FBI profiler with an unsettling advantage. The series blends misdeed, suspense, and psychological warfare, showing the struggle to stop dangerous minds while resisting the pull of a dark shadow that never truly disappears.

Prodigal Son — Cancelled TV drama finds second life on Netflix

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Prodigal Son aired on Fox in September 2019 and ran for two seasons before being cancelled in May 2021. The show follows Malcolm Bright, a disgraced FBI profiler who now works with the NYPD to catch killers by using his deep understanding of criminal minds—a skill shaped by the fact that his father is a notorious serial killer known as The Surgeon. Both seasons of the title arrived on Netflix this month.

Besides Tom Payne, the cast includes Michael Sheen, Bellamy Young, Lou Diamond Phillips, Halston Sage, Aurora Perrineau, Frank Harts, and Keiko Agena in key roles. On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds a 58 percent critic score with an audience rating of 86 percent, reflecting mixed reviews from industry experts but strong viewer interest in its mix of crime solving and family drama. Similar tropes, notably, can also be checked out in Netflix’s newest original drop.

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Based on a book of the same name, the following title follows an estranged couple entangled in a murder mystery in a small town.

Netflix’s latest thriller unveiled

His & Hers is a six-episode effort that expanded Netflix’s vault of literary gems on January 8. The show follows Anna, a former news anchor who returns to her Georgia hometown after a brutal murder shakes the community, and Jack, a local detective and her estranged husband, with his own reasons to dig into the case. Told from both his and her viewpoints, the story twists through hidden clues, old wounds, and shifting suspicions.

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Both Prodigal Son and His & Hers highlight Netflix’s growing collection of compelling, character-driven thrillers that keep audiences hooked with suspense and psychological tension. From Malcolm Bright’s struggle with a dark family legacy to Anna and Jack’s tense investigation in a small town, these streamer shows that crime drama can be about more than just solving cases—it is about human complexity, secrets, and the choices that define people.

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Will you be watching Prodigal Son soon? And what is your take on Netflix’s His & Hers? Let us know in the comments below.

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Seema Sinha

808 articles

Seema Sinha is a journalist at Netflix Junkie, covering the celebrity culture and global cinema beats. With three years of experience at major Hollywood media verticals, she filters real news from the gossip and buzz. Her core focus is on pop culture narratives surrounding musicians—primarily Taylor Swift—with her reporting striking a fine balance between human insight and editorial clarity.

Edited By: Hriddhi Maitra

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