In an interview to Entertainment Weekly, the Prodigal Son showrunners Chris Fedak and Sam Sklaver spoke about Michael’s casting as Dr. Martin Whitly:
Did you always have Michael Sheen in mind to play that serial killer/good dad?
FEDAK: When we knew Fox was going to make the show, there was this big, gigantic search where we put together a list of names and start to figure out who’s going to be the person. Michael Sheen’s name was always going to be on that list and we were just like, “There’s no way! There’s no way we could possibly get Michael.” Then he read the script and he liked it, and all of a sudden it was just like, “Wait a minute. Everybody stop! Breathe! Hold on!” He’s a generational talent. He’s incredible and for us, we were so stoked and amazed to be working with him. We always wanted someone who could be dark and sinister and scary, but we also needed someone who could be a great dad and wear a cardigan and have a beautiful beard. We didn’t really let ourselves believe that Michael would do the role until he did the role because it’s hard on network television to get this caliber of actors that we got — not just in Michael, but in Bellamy, bringing in Lou. The material brought us some great actors who we were thrilled to get.
They also gave some hints of what to expect from “The Surgeon” when the crime drama returns on January 20th 2020:
Does Martin get out of solitary confinement soon? Has that messed him up even more?
FEDAK: He will not be unaffected by solitary confinement, because Martin being alone with his thoughts is one of the most dangerous and scary things you can probably imagine. From a spoiler perspective, we can promise that he will be featured heavily and a be a big part of our return in episode 11.
SKLAVER: To Jessica Whitley’s dismay, he will not stay in solitary forever.
FEDAK: Which also gives us an opportunity to do something we’ve been wanting to do for a while: In episode 11, it’ll give us a chance to put Michael Sheen and Lou Phillips Diamond in the same scene.
You can read the rest of their interview here and find more about “Silent Night”, the fall finale aired last night on Fox. Don’t click if you haven’t seen the episode yet!