Prodigal Son
Sky ONE/NOW TV, Tuesdays, 9pm
Call off the search. I’ve found the year’s most insane TV series, and its name is Prodigal Son. It stars Tom Payne (The Walking Dead) – heading so far over the top, it’s difficult to keep up – as Malcolm, son of a notorious serial killer known as The Surgeon, played by the great Michael Sheen. And wouldn’t you know it, Malc works as a profiler of serial killers for the NYPD, having been fired by the FBI for being too bonkers. Not only that, but his sister Ainsley (Halston Sage) is a TV news reporter who covers – what else? – serial killers, because apparently there are so many of them in New York that they can provide a new case every week for 20 episodes.
Of course, this being a shameless rip-off of every serial killer film ever made, but particularly Silence Of The Lambs, Malcolm the prodigal son needs help from his psycho dad to solve his cases, just like Clarice Starling did from her mentor Hannibal Lecter. Luckily, The Surgeon is a thoroughly jolly, helpful chap, clad in a lovely cardigan. And no wonder he’s happy, because his jail “cell” is more like a vast library in a swank private members’ club where he can stroll around willy-nilly, despite having murdered at least 23 victims. If you don’t yet think this sounds too nuts, bear in mind that the first episode features Malcolm having to rescue one poor dude by chopping his hand off with an axe, and it’s pretty much played for slapstick chuckles. I don’t know if Prodigal Son is so bad it’s good, but it’s definitely so mad it has to be seen to be believed.