Today (Wednesday, January 22) saw the premiere of a brand new thriller on Apple TV+, fronted by an emerging major TV star, but the reaction has been mixed.
The eight-part miniseries boasts a captivating plot and a high-calibre cast, yet for certain critics and audience members, these components didn’t fully deliver.
On the other hand, some have declared the series enthralling despite its somewhat far-fetched nature, and have particularly praised Leo Woodall’s charismatic lead performance, renowned for his roles in Netflix’s One Day and HBO’s The White Lotus.
Featuring alongside David Morrissey, Stephen Rea, Sidse Babett Knudsen, and Quintessa Swindell, the show follows Woodall’s character Edward Brooks, a brilliant post-graduate mathematics student who stumbles upon a formula that could enable him to gain access to every computer on Earth.
Soon finding himself a target due to his discovery, he must go on the run and joins forces with agent Taylah Sanders (Swindell) to dig deep into the conspiracy, reports the Mirror.
Prime Target has proven to be one of the most polarising series on Apple TV+ to date, landing an underwhelming 29 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. RadioTimes dubbed it “so absurd, it’s actually laughable.”
IGN released a particularly critical review, stating: “Eventually, Prime Target begins to buckle under the weight of its ambition. The tension dissipates as the story meanders, weighed down by superficial drama and a lack of compelling new plot points.
“While there are moments of genuine intrigue particularly in the way the writers weave Edward’s work into the main storyline these moments are too fleeting to sustain momentum.”
MovieWeb expressed dissatisfaction with the series, noting on X: “#PrimeTarget has an intriguing premise but never achieves its potential.
“The series is plagued by baffling logic gaps, unlikable leads that lack chemistry, and a molasses-drip spigot of reveals that take way too long to develop.”
However, on a brighter note, a viewer shared their excitement about #AppleTVPlus’s latest thriller #PrimeTarget, featuring One Day’s Leo Woodall, tweeting: “#AppleTVPlus’s latest thriller #PrimeTarget has One Day’s Leo Woodall getting into trouble for being too good at maths… not a problem we’d have!”
They added it’s “It’s an intriguing approach and 3 episodes in, this unusual series is defying a lot of initial expectations.”
Amazon members can now subscribe to Apple TV+ directly through their Prime Video account as an add-on subscription.
Apple TV+ costs £8.99 per month after a seven-day free trial, which also includes an Amazon Prime 30-day trial for non-existing members.
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Amazon/Apple TV+On Reddit, an enthusiast commented: “I am two episodes into this series and I am totally hooked! I really like thrillers like this and I am looking forward to the additional episodes.”
The Guardian also gave its take on the series, calling it “derivative, preposterous, utterly unbelievable and great fun.
“It’s got confidence and style and is here to deliver escapism to the power of pi cubed, or something, and it does. Prime ridiculous entertainment.”
While certain viewers might be skeptical about some elements of Prime Target, it’s clear that the show offers sheer enjoyment for many.
Will you be tuning in to the new series this week? A fresh episode will be broadcast every Wednesday until March 5th, giving you ample opportunity to catch up.
Prime Target continues Wednesdays on Apple TV+.