Lou Diamond Phillips is speaking his mind about the cancellation of “Prodigal Son”, the Fox serial killer drama that was abruptly axed last year after its second season had already finished production.
In an interview with TVLine, Phillips admitted he was confident the show would be coming back for a third season, given that the second ended on a cliffhanger, and was “blindsided” by the network’s decision.
“One hundred percent, I thought it was the call to say, ‘Hey, buddy, we’re going back to work in July,’ I had every reason, as did the cast and crew, to believe that this was going to be the case,” he explained.
READ MORE: ‘Prodigal Son’ Cast React After Show Is Cancelled
“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.”
Phillips said that he still feels “stung by it,” not just because of the abruptness of the cancellation but because he felt the show was “ridiculously special” compared other network television offerings, boasting a cast that also included Michael Sheen, Tom Payne, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Bellamy Young.
“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,” he added. “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.”
