Prime Target (TV series)
| Prime Target | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Genre | Thriller |
| Created by | Steve Thompson |
| Directed by | Brady Hood |
| Starring | |
| Composer | Arthur Sharpe |
| Country of origin |
|
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producers |
|
| Cinematography | Dan Atherton |
| Editor | Beverley Mills |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | Apple TV+ |
| Release | 22 January 2025 – present |
Prime Target is a thriller television series created by Steve Thompson and starring Leo Woodall as a mathematician. It premiered on Apple TV+ on 22 January 2025.
Synopsis
[edit]Edward Brooks is a doctoral student at the University of Cambridge. The subject of his dissertation is an analysis of patterns in the sequence of prime numbers. His academic supervisor, Robert Mallinder, is being monitored by NSA agents, including Taylah Sanders, who keep watch on anyone who might make advances in this field given its importance to cryptography. When Mallinder realises the subject of Brooks' work, he warns him off the project and destroys his student's research. Shortly afterwards Mallinder appears to kill himself. Around about the same time, Sanders' colleagues are executed and she flees to find Brooks. They travel to Baghdad to continue his research in a newly discovered historical site that may contain information from early Islamic mathematicians. Sanders finds that her supervisor has approved Brooks' assassination. Eventually Brooks is detained by the NSA and is able to develop a prime finder that will aid codebreaking.
Brooks realizes that Professor James Alderman has been the one ruthlessly pursuing the prime finder and will keep ordering killings in order to find it. Brooks kills him and goes on the run while Sanders faces the police.
Cast
[edit]Main
[edit]- Leo Woodall as Edward Brooks, a mathematics student at Cambridge University
- Quintessa Swindell as Taylah Sanders, an NSA agent remotely spying on various academics
- Sidse Babett Knudsen as Professor Andrea Lavin, Robert Mallinder's wife, an archaeologist and professor at Cambridge
- David Morrissey as Professor Robert Mallinder, a mathematics professor who died under suspicious circumstances
- Stephen Rea as Professor James Alderman
- Fra Fee as Adam Mellor
- Joseph Mydell as Professor Raymond Osborne
- Jason Flemyng as Stephen Patrick Nield
- Martha Plimpton as Jane Torres
- Harry Lloyd as Andrew Carter
- Ali Suliman as Dr. Akram Nizar
Recurring
[edit]- Maanuv Thiara as Dr. Charan Nathoo
- Sergej Onopko as Bogdan Vlahovic
Guest
[edit]- Daisy Waterstone as Fiona Carey
- Tim Faraday as Keith Wyatt
- Rod Hallett as Brian Brooks
- Tom Stourton as Ricky Olson
- Sofia Barclay as Safiya Zamil
- Tom Byrne as Tom Grayson
Episodes
[edit]| No. | Title [1] | Directed by | Written by | Original release date [1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "A New Pattern" | Brady Hood | Steve Thompson | 22 January 2025 |
| 2 | "Syracuse" | Brady Hood | Steve Thompson | 22 January 2025 |
| 3 | "The Sequence" | Brady Hood | Steve Thompson | 29 January 2025 |
| 4 | "Kaplar" | Brady Hood | Steve Thompson | 5 February 2025 |
| 5 | "House of Wisdom" | Brady Hood | Steve Thompson | 12 February 2025 |
| 6 | "The Last Link" | Brady Hood | Thomas Martin | 19 February 2025 |
| 7 | "Prime Finder" | Brady Hood | Selina Lim & Steve Thompson | 26 February 2025 |
| 8 | "The Key" | Brady Hood | Steve Thompson | 5 March 2025 |
Production
[edit]It was announced in February 2024 that Apple TV+ had greenlit the series, created by Steve Thompson.[2] Principal photography took place in Windsor in May 2023, with other filming locations reported to include London.[3] Filming took place in Cambridge in August 2023.[4] Photography took place in Morocco, Paris, and Kent.[5][6]
Release
[edit]Prime Target was released on Apple TV+ on 22 January 2025, with the first two episodes available immediately and followed by one episode on a weekly basis until the eighth episode on 5 March.[7]
Reception
[edit]The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 46% approval rating with an average rating of 5.2/10, based on 43 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "(Goofy concept + likable ensemble) ÷ sludgy pacing = an attractive but mediocre globetrotting series."[8] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 56 out of 100 based on 21 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Shows A-Z – Prime Target on Apple TV Plus". The Futon Critic. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ Yossman, K.J. (14 February 2024). "One Day Star Leo Woodall to Lead New Apple TV+ Conspiracy Drama Prime Target Alongside Quintessa Swindell". Variety. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
- ^ Waites, Daisy (24 May 2023). "Apple TV is filming a new show in Windsor". Slough Observer. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
- ^ Peel, Adrian (20 August 2023). "In pictures: Film crews in Cambridge as The White Lotus actor Leo Woodall shoots Varsity for Apple TV". Cambridge Independent. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
- ^ Singh, Jashandeep (18 January 2025). "Where was Prime Target filmed? Details about the upcoming thriller series on Apple TV+, explored". soapcentral.com. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
- ^ Sharma, Dhruv (24 January 2025). "Where Was Prime Target Filmed? All Locations Explained". ScreenRant. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
- ^ Roots, Kimberly (24 October 2024). "Prime Target: Leo Woodall Conspiracy Thriller Gets Premiere Date at Apple TV+ — See New Photos". TVLine. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
- ^ "Prime Target: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
- ^ "Prime Target: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
External links
[edit]- Prime Target at IMDb
- Apple TV+ original programming
- American English-language television shows
- British English-language television shows
- 2025 American television series debuts
- 2025 British television series debuts
- 2025 American television series endings
- 2025 British television series endings
- American thriller television series
- British thriller television series
- Television series by Scott Free Productions
- Television shows set in Cambridge
- Television shows set in Iraq
- Television shows set in Paris
- Television shows set in France