More than three months after Fox closed the curtains on one of its most beloved shows, fans are still fighting to keep it alive. Prodigal Son, the Tom Payne-starring procedural drama following a criminal psychologist who helps the NYPD solve crimes and stop killers, was canceled back in early May after just two seasons, but tens of thousands of fans are still demanding a Season 3.
A Change.org petition created just before the cancellation news ripped through the fandom has amassed more than 55,000 signatures from fans hoping Prodigal Son will be saved. The petition notes that the series “has an extremely passionate fan base that has followed both seasons” and need the series “to continue to show us that TV can be fun and entertaining again and simply for pure enjoyment.” The petition calls on “chairman Rupert Murdoch and Executive chairman Lachlan Murdoch, Michael Thorn to give Prodigal Son more seasons and give viewers more reasons to stick around or let HBO MAX, NETFLIX, OR HULU pick it up to continue the story.”
“Prodigal Son has shown us that it can stand on its own in storytelling and without the need to rip stories from the headlines to keep its fanbase engaged-fans who are willing to do what it takes to get more seasons, but that FOX never allows a program to thrive before cancelling it is truly disheartening. Shouldn’t ‘WE’ the viewers decide if a program is worth it?” the petition reads in part. “With every cancellation FOX stands to lose more viewers like it did when they canceled another fan favorite LUCIFER only for the fans to rally and petition for pickup with another network.”
The petition gained momentum amid the “Save Prodigal Son” movement, which also gave rise to the #SaveProdigalSon website. The movement was sparked following the May 10 announcement that Prodigal Son had been canceled by Fox and would not return for a third season. The cancellation reportedly came down to viewership, with Prodigal Son, as of its May 4 episode, having been down 38% and 45% from its first season in total viewers and demo rating.
Despite the cancellation, creators Chris Fedak and Sam Sklaver remained hopeful the series would get a third season. Speaking to Deadline, Fedak said of a potential revival, “I don’t know what our chances are, but writing for these actors and this crew was a great privilege. I hope we get to work together again.” He told the outlet, “WBTV is shopping it as we speak.” At this time, however, there is no hopeful news on a Prodigal Son revival. Deadline reported in late May that HBO Max passed on the series. However, Warner Bros. TV was still said to be shopping the series to other outlets. Warner Bros. TV in the past was successful in getting Lucifer picked up by Netflix following its 2018 cancellation at Fox, though there has been no word on if Netflix is interested in Prodigal Son.