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Reviews
Prodigal Son (2019)
Phenomenal crime show
Prodigal son is a great show to watch with the whole family. It mixes crime thriller and psychological horror brilliantly. The acting is solid, the cinematography is sleek, and the plot is engaging. If any show can make me emotional and feel a character's pain (which is what Prodigal Son achieved with me) it's a show worth watching.
Do not listen to the low-star reviews, leave it to them and we'll never have anything good to watch on TV, just a bunch of reality shows. If you want a crime show that isn't just about catching random goofballs every episode, but about a multi-faceted character with a complicated life who has to overcome his own gift/curse to bring serial killers to justice? Prodigal Son is for you.
Oh, and another thing, who cares about Bellamy Young (plays the mother) being 12 years older than Tom Payne (plays the son/protagonist). I didn't realize that until I read these silly nitpickers complaints! It's called acting for a reason and they play their parts just fine.
Emergence (2019)
Interesting premise with some weak acting
This show has an interesting (although slightly predictable) premise. Its biggest issue is the acting, though. In this era of TV shows getting better and better, Emergence feels like a high school play; the acting is just unconvincing, starting with the main protagonist.
Allison Tolman as police chief Jo Evans doesn't fit. I imagine Jo being a veteran in law enforcement that has seen the worst of the worst in Long Island until a mysterious child appears at the scene of a plane crash. Instead, she's like a sweet, huggable teddy bear wearing a police uniform.
She's great for a motherly role, but not a police chief. She should look at Brenda Blethyn's portrayal of DCI Vera Stanhope (from the British crime show 'Vera') for inspiration. Robert Bailey Jr. as Chris Minetto, Jo's right hand, is second in line because he acts like an incompetent rookie cop who should probably do something outside of law enforcement such as painting, sculpting, or something creative.
Everyone else is "fine" mostly, not outstanding or anything but good enough for their respective roles. Is it worth the watch? That depends on your standards. Other than that, you aren't missing out on anything that another show hasn't already done better.
A few improvements and it'll make a big difference. I want to see the show succeed, but I also think they can do a lot better than they have so far.