Prodigal Son Star Blasts FOX Cancellation: "This Was a Mistake"

By Charlie Ridgely

Quite a few TV fans still haven't gotten over the swift and unexpected cancelation of Prodigal Son. The eerie crime drama about an FBI profiler and his serial killer father earned plenty of acclaim after its debut, and found itself with an extremely loyal fanbase. The series seemed to be one of the most talked-about dramas on network TV at the time, drawing comparisons to the likes of Hannibal and The Following. FOX ultimately decided to bring the ax down on Prodigal Son after just two seasons. Fans haven't quite let that choice go yet, and neither have some of Prodigal Son's stars.

Lou Diamond Phillips recently spoke to TVLine about his guest role in The Cleaning Lady, and he didn't bother hiding his feelings about the cancellation of Prodigal Son. As one of the show's stars, he felt as though they were bringing something different to television and FOX made a mistake by ending it.

"I'm not denigrating any other shows, but there's so much that's run-of-the-mill and safe and middle-of-the-road on television," Phillips told TVLine. "For Prodigal Son to be as unique and different and exciting [as it was], and to have that cast – I just really feel as if this was a mistake."

When Phillips got the call about Prodigal Son's cancellation, he thought for sure he was getting good news about the third season, especially after the cliffhanger that brought Season 2 to a close.

"One hundred percent, I thought it was the call to say, 'Hey, buddy, we're going back to work in July,'" the actor said. "I had every reason, as did the cast and crew, to believe that this was going to be the case."

"Ultimately, when [Fox] approved a cliffhanger at the end of Season 2, I thought there was no question. You don't do that if you're going to pull the plug," Phillips continued. "You say, 'Hey, guys, wrap it up.' You usually get an indication about which way things are going, so this came out of the blue like a thunderbolt. And literally, as they were closing the doors to the airplane, Chris said, 'Bro, they cancelled us.' And I was like, 'You're joking, right? You're kidding.' It was stunning."

Are you with Lou Diamond Phillips on this one? Did FOX make a mistake by cancelling Prodigal Son? Let us know in the comments!

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