‘Prodigal Son’ Star Lou Diamond Phillips Has Strong Words for Show’s Cancellation

The cancellation of Fox’s Prodigal Son has many upset, but maybe no one more so than series star Lou Diamond Phillips, who recently had some strong words about the situation. Phillips spoke with TV Line about the show being canceled, and explained that the day he got the bad news call from series co-creator Chris Fedak, he was certain the conversation was going to be completely different. “One hundred percent, I thought it was the call to say, ‘Hey, buddy, we’re going back to work in July,’” Phillips recalled. “I had every reason, as did the cast and crew, to believe that this was going to be the case.”

Phillips, who played Lieutenant Gil Arroyo in Prodigal Son, went on to say that he was “gutted” and “blindsided” at the news, especially considering how Season 2 ended with major implications for the future of the story. “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 said. “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.”

Had the show been renewed for Season 3, Phillips explained that it would have developed things between his character and Bellamy Young’s Jessica Whitly, and the impact that would have on Gil’s relationship with her son, Malcolm (Tom Payne). Even though the show was canceled months ago, Phillips added that he is still “stung by it” because he felt that Prodigal Son was “ridiculously special” when compared to other TV shows on the air right now.

“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 clarified. “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.” While Prodigal Son may not be coming back for a third season, fans can still relive all 33 episodes of the thrilling series on HBO Max, where it is exclusively streaming.