A new Apple TV+ series puts us in the middle of a government conspiracy

Apple TV+ is on a mission to hook you into a subscription for as long as possible in 2025. Now that the free weekend is in the proverbial rear view window, a new thriller series from writer Stephen Thompson called Prime Target about government conspiracies and math, of all things, is waiting in the wings to keep you on the edge of your seat starting January 22, 2025.

That’s enough mixing metaphors. This is a STEM show, after all! Prime Target is about a mathematical genius in graduate school who accidentally discovers a government conspiracy. He was just trying to find patterns in prime numbers! He didn’t ask for any of this! His thesis could, wild as it may seem, be used to create a kind of weapon and therefore he becomes a target.

Check out the trailer for Prime Target below:

Here’s what we know about Prime Target so far.

I’m not convinced that a show about government conspiracies is the healthiest thing for us at this juncture. Aren’t we all a little wary of people who go down rabbit holes to prove everything is connected? However, it’s hard to resist something that feels like All The President’s Men meets Good Will Hunting. There may also be shades of Mr. Robot or even Mission Impossible thrown in there? Not bad!

Prime Target stars Leo Woodall (The White Lotus, One Day) and David Morrissey (The Walking Dead, The Missing) alongside Quintessa Swindell (In Treatment, Black Adam). Woodall plays the afore-mentioned put-upon math geek Edward Brooks and Swindell plays his perhaps reluctant partner: an NSA agent whose whole job is watching mathematicians and reporting on their behavior. The odd couple potential is already pinging my brain. (Hello to the NSA agent whose job is to report on entertainment news writers. Hit me up if you want to go on an international adventure together.) Other cast members you might recognize include Martha Plimpton, Fra Fee, Stephen Rea, and Harry Lloyd.

The show’s creator, Thompson, may be of interest to you because of a certain episode of television he wrote: Sherlock‘s iconic take on “The Reichenbach Fall.” Thompson also wrote “The Blind Banker” and co-wrote “The Sign Of Three.” The playwright’s television credits also include some episodes of Doctor Who and Deep State. He previously co-created Leonardo, an historical drama starring Aidan Turner about–you guessed it–da Vinci. These are the ingredients for some good, thrilling drama. Can someone “accidentally” figure out the formula to explain why this is a series and not a feature film next, please?

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Leah Marilla Thomas

Leah Marilla Thomas (she/her) is a contributor at The Mary Sue. She has been working in digital entertainment journalism since 2013, covering primarily television as well as film and live theatre. She's been on the Marvel beat professionally since Daredevil was a Netflix series. (You might recognize her voice from the Newcomers: Marvel podcast). Outside of journalism, she is 50% Southerner, 50% New Englander, and 100% fangirl over everything from Lord of the Rings to stage lighting and comics about teenagers. She lives in New York City and can often be found in a park. She used to test toys for Hasbro. True story!