EXCLUSIVE: Former Scandal star Bellamy Young is set as a lead opposite Michael Sheen in Prodigal Son, Fox’s police drama pilot from Deception creator Chris Fedak and Sam Sklaver, Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros TV.
Written by Feder and Sklaver and directed by Lee Toland Krieger, Prodigal Son is described as a fresh take on a crime franchise with a provocative and outrageous lead character and darkly comedic tone. It centers on Malcolm Bright, who has a gift. He knows how killers think, how their minds work. Why? His father Martin Whitly (Sheen) was one of the worst — a notorious serial killer called “The Surgeon.” That’s why Bright is the best criminal psychologist around; murder is the family business. He will use his twisted genius to help the NYPD solve crimes and stop killers, all while dealing with a manipulative mother, annoyingly normal sister, a homicidal father still looking to bond with his prodigal son and his own constantly evolving neuroses.
Young will play Bright’s mother, Jessica Whitly, an elegant WASPy New Yorker who wields sarcasm like a samurai sword. As the wife of a serial killer, she is a disgraced member of high society, but she refuses to hide from her truth, and she wishes her son would follow suit.
Lou Diamond Phillips, Aurora Perrineau and Frank Harts co-star in the pilot, which Fedak and Sklaver executive produce with Krieger, Berlanti Prods’ Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter. Warner Bros TV produces with studio-based Berlanti Prods.
Last season, Young starred in the ABC dramedy pilot False Profits, which came close to a series pickup. Young, who will appear in Netflix’s Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings anthology, is repped by UTA, Anonymous Content, and Schreck Rose Dapello.
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