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Why did Fox cancel 'Prodigal Son'? Fans petition to save show hoping another network 'will see the potential'

While Fox may have dropped the crime thriller and picked up a range of other shows, fans are not pleased with the decision

There is nothing more disheartening than seeing a good series come to a screeching halt, especially when it still has the potential to be so much more. This time, the series that has gotten the axe is Fox's 'Prodigal Son,' seeing that the crime thriller won't be renewed after two seasons. The Season 2 finale, which airs on May 18, will now also serve as the final episode in the series.

Having debuted in September 2019, 'Prodigal Son' Season 2 also dropped with a lot of difficulties. But knowing that the series managed to barely scrape through the gigantic Fox ax of 2020, fans were glad to see the show in 2021 only to see their happiness cut short so horribly when it came to Season 3.

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Why was the show canceled?

As with every show, it all boils down to ratings. As reported by Deadline, the show had the lowest rating among other Fox series but was doing well in digital viewings. However, as per TVLine, that alone didn't seem to cut it, seeing that a network insider said that although it was a 'difficult decision,' the viewership was just too small to bring it back for a third season.

As reported by Variety,  the cancelation comes prior to the network's upfronts presentation, which is to be held on May 17. While Fox may have dropped 'Prodigal Son,' they have picked up several other shows such as 'Pivoting,' a single-cam comedy, dramas such as 'The Cleaning Lady,' 'Monarch,' 'Our Kind of People,' 'The Big Leap,' an animated comedy set in ancient Greece, and 'This County,' a mockumentary.

Fans 'not ready to let go of Martin Whitly just yet'

Fans took to Twitter, seeing that they were visibly upset regarding the news and hoped another network would pick up the series. Fans have started a petition on Change.org to 'Renew Prodigal Son' and as of writing this article, the petition with a goal of 5,000 signatures already had 2,555 signatures.

"It's genuinely so unfair that fox cancelled prodigal son, it's literally such a good show??" Tweeted a fan. "I really wanna know what's so f**king special about that hospital show that it gets renewed AGAIN for a 18TH SEASON! but Amazing shows like #Hannibal, #KillingEve, #Prodigalson GETS F**KING CANCELED! " asked another fan in disbelief.

"Not ready to let go of Martin Whitly just yet! I want to keep getting to know these well-drawn and sometimes disturbing characters. #saveprodigalson FOX Broadcasting Company: Renew Prodigal Son on FOX ! - Sign the Petition! http://chng.it/PBZrpBTt via @Change @michaelsheen," tweeted a user along with a campaign link to save the show. "I dont understand why with a cast like they have, they decided to cancel the show and not renew a half season and change the airing date and hour? like what went through their pea head? truly? #ProdigalSon #SaveProdigalSon #RenewProdigalSon," asked another user.

"This show trended nearly every week on both twitter and tumblr. Its social media presence was and is growing. This show needs to go somewhere that knows what to do with it #SaveProdigalSon #ProdigalSon," remarked another. "Anyways, hopefully some other network will see the potential & greatness of Prodigal Son and renew it — shows like b99 & Lucifer went on to be massive after being picked up after renewal, this show can do it too #RenewProdigalSon #SaveProdigalSon" tweeted a user. 

What is 'Prodigal Son ' about?

The series is about Malcolm Bright (Tom Payne), a disgraced former FBI profiler who now works for the NYPD, who is the son of Martin Whitly (Martin Sheen), a serial killer who is known as 'The Surgeon.' A young Malcolm was responsible for helping the police arrest his father and the two have not seen each other in 10 years.

But they cross paths soon when he is forced to face his father, seeing that there is now a copycat killer on the loose, imitating his father's methods of killing. He finds himself reluctantly going back to his father for answers in order to help him solve these crimes and in the process is forced to confront and deal with his demons.