Dark 2-Part Crime Thriller Series Becomes A Netflix Streaming Sensation 5 Years Later

by

The crime thriller series Run Away is experiencing a sudden surge in popularity on Netflix, becoming a streaming hit five years after its initial release. Netflix has quickly become known for its excellent thriller shows, and Run Away, adapted from a Harlan Coben novel, recently surpassed even the popular original series Stranger Things in viewership.

Crime thrillers have been incredibly popular on Netflix, with series like City of Shadows and Land of Sin gaining a lot of viewers in 2025 and 2026. But Netflix’s success isn’t limited to its original shows. Licensed series are also performing well – for example, Prodigal Son, which ran for two seasons and is now a streaming favorite.

According to FlixPatrol, the TV show Prodigal Son is now a top 10 hit on Netflix in the United States. The crime thriller, which first aired in 2019 and stars Tom Payne and Michael Sheen, began streaming on Netflix on January 9, 2026, and quickly gained popularity, appearing on the U.S. charts just three days later on January 12.

Originally airing on Fox in 2019, Prodigal Son drew an average of 5.83 million viewers for its first season. The series premiered with 7.35 million viewers, making it the most-watched episode ever. Season two saw a decline in ratings, averaging 4.04 million viewers. Over its two seasons, a total of 33 episodes of Prodigal Son were released.

Fox cancelled the series Prodigal Son on May 10, 2021, with two episodes of season 2 still remaining. While critics gave the show a mixed rating on Rotten Tomatoes (56%), audiences clearly enjoyed it, giving it a strong 86% score. This likely contributed to its recent surge in popularity on Netflix.

The series Prodigal Son featured Tom Payne (from The Walking Dead) as Malcolm Bright, a gifted former FBI profiler with a unique ability: he investigates murders by trying to understand the killer’s perspective. The show followed Malcolm’s work with the NYPD, alongside his troubled past, which was personified by his father, Martin Whitly – a notorious serial killer known as The Surgeon – played by Michael Sheen.

After the show Prodigal Son was cancelled, fans started a campaign using the hashtag #SaveProdigalSon, hoping for its return. Unfortunately, five years have passed with no progress. Now that the crime thriller is popular on Netflix, there’s renewed interest in potentially revisiting a second season.

Read More

2026-01-13 17:09