TV Show review
Review basis: 2 seasons, 33 episodes · through May 18, 2021
September 23, 2019 · 45 min · TV-14 · Canceled
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
Prodigal Son is a crime drama about Malcolm Bright, the son of a notorious serial killer called the Surgeon. He works as a criminal psychologist helping the NYPD solve murders while dealing with his own trauma and family issues. Season 2 includes a subplot where a Black detective faces racism and profiling from fellow officers, with supporting dialogue about systemic issues in policing. The police team shows diversity in several supporting roles.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Prodigal Son.
Woke representation / casting
The NYPD team includes a Black detective, biracial female detective, Asian medical examiner, and Filipino lieutenant in prominent supporting roles. The main Whitly family is White. Lou Diamond Phillips expressed public pride in the diversity of the team. Patterns are visible but fit a modern urban setting without extreme emphasis or story mismatches.
Woke political dialogue
Season 2 features direct scenes and lines about police racism and profiling. JT is choked by fellow officers who assume he is a suspect. Dani states that people just realized cops target Black people. The team pushes for a formal report. This is audience-visible and recurs over multiple episodes.
Identity-driven story themes
The core narrative focuses on family dysfunction, childhood trauma, and using a killer's mind to solve crimes. A season 2 subplot gives JT a story about racial discrimination at work. The element stays secondary for most of the series.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Season 2 depicts the NYPD as having officers who profile and fail to support a Black colleague. Dialogue frames racism as a broader institutional reality noticed more after recent events. This critique appears only in the later season and is not the main focus.
Production
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant. The series is an original creation with no prior source material, established characters, or historical figures altered for identity reasons.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Some viewers complained specifically about the season 2 racial injustice arc as woke or BLM content. Comments described it as "faux racism," "BLM rubbish," or injected political messaging. Reactions appeared on social media and reviews but stayed limited in volume and news coverage.
Creator track record context
Creators Chris Fedak and Sam Sklaver have low recorded activist profiles and focused on sci-fi, crime, and genre work. Executive producer Greg Berlanti has a higher profile for inclusive and LGBTQ-focused projects in other series.
