Fox's 'Prodigal Son' actor Frank Harts says the series strikes a nice balance between humor and reality
'Prodigal Son' follows a criminal profiler in Tom Payne's Malcolm Bright. Young, bright and intelligent, Malcolm is perhaps the best criminal profiler around. But what makes him the best is his connection to one of New York's most notorious serial killers — Dr. Martin Whitly (Michael Sheen).
Malcolm is Dr. Whitly's son. When on a case, Malcolm knows how murderers and serial killers think, he draws their profile meticulously, often evolving as the case goes along and somehow managing to nail the bad guy.
After he gets fired from the FBI for showing "psychotic tendencies" like his father, Malcolm is taken in by Lou Diamond Phillips' Gil Arroyo to help nab serial killers for the NYPD.
There he works closely with Frank Harts' Detective JT, who, at first, is very skeptical of having Malcolm Bright on his team. For one, Bright doesn't have a badge — he's not an official officer.
He was also fired from the FBI, which according to JT doesn't give him much credibility. But the most off-putting thing about Bright is his past.
"He is the son of a serial killer. Not that they should have to pay for the sins of the father. But he comes from a very odd family as far as JT's concerned," Harts tells MEA WorldWide [MEAWW] in an exclusive chat. "So it's going to take a lot a little bit of time before he welcomes Bright into the NYPD family."
A sinister gritty story spiked with dark humor and suspenseful direction, 'Prodigal Son' puts a unique twist on police and crime procedurals. The audience solves not just the crimes along with the characters, but also dig deeper into their pasts — since everything is not what it seems.
In fact, the show itself is pretty brave for network television given its gore and disturbing elements (apart from the gruesome visual effects) but the mystery intact in its core imprints the audience.
"What I love about 'Prodigal Son' is it's dark and dirty and pushing the limits of network television. But at the same time, there's a humorous streak as well. I think people will get a good laugh as well as be disgusted then moved to tears by the end of each episode. So that's a nice balance," points out Harts.
But its thrilling potential is not the only thing that attracted Harts to the role. Underneath the gritty storytelling is a scenario that rings true to reality.
From the storyline and the show's setting to its eerie characters and the gruesome crimes, 'Prodigal Son' is not far from reality. And reality is a component that Harts regards high in work.
"The roles that excite me the most are those that are connected to the everyday person — the real people, cops and firefighters, doctors and lawyers, but at the same time, you know, my heart also is heavily connected to characters from any class or background," Harts says.
"I mean, that's the exciting thing about being an actor and why you put yourself through the rigorous training at a school like Juilliard [where Harts did his training] is so that you can take on any role in any character and start with a blank slate and be truthful to them and don't prejudge," he adds.
Harts' portrayal of Detective JT, whose relationship with the protagonist Malcolm progresses from skepticism to empathy, is one to look out for. 'Prodigal Son' will premiere on Fox on September 23, 2019, at 9 PM ET/PT.
This is a two-part interview with Frank Harts, who plays Detective JT on 'Prodigal Son'. Watch this space for the second part, which will be out on Monday.