If you're like me, you love a good thriller show. So when I was making my list of what shows to watch in 2025 from all the various streaming services, I made sure to take note of "Prime Target." This latest thriller from Apple TV Plus stars Leo Woodall (of "The White Lotus" season 2 fame) as Edward Brooks, a young Cambridge University mathematician thrust into a dark conspiracy.
I wasn't alone in thinking that this show from the streaming service that brought us "Slow Horses" could be a hit. After the trailer dropped earlier this month, TG's own Alix Blackburn said that it was going on her watchlist as well.
Well, the wait is finally over. I have watched the first two episodes, which arrived on Apple TV Plus earlier today and I can officially render a verdict. So let's dive into what "Prime Target" is all about and whether or not you should stream Apple's latest thriller.
What is 'Prime Target' about?
"Prime Target" Leo Woodall as Edward Brooks, a young but somewhat abrasive mathematician studying as a postgraduate at Cambridge University. His old mentor Professor Raymond Osborne (Joseph Mydell) is suffering from Alzheimer's, so now he's tasked with working with Professor Robert Mallinder (David Morrissey). But once Mallinder realizes what Edward is working on, he tells Edward to stop working on it immediately.
But Mallinder isn't the only one who's concerned about Edward's work. Multiple groups are tracking his work in prime numbers including the NSA, and a secret shadowy cabal we don't quite know about just yet. One of the NSA agents tracking him, Taylah Sanders (Quintessa Swindell) decides to go off-book and help Edward, even though up until now she's been one of those trying to keep his progress in check.
Verdict: 'Prime Target' misses its mark
Spoilers for "Prime Target" episodes 1-2 follow
If we got the show we were promised by the logline and trailer, I think I'd be more positive about it. But, unfortunately, "Prime Target's" pacing through two episodes is awful. I was genuinely so bored I was checking my watch to see when the second episode — the better of the two episodes — would end.
The show also fails to deliver on its conspiracy from the trailer, which promises Edward's work is on a digital key that has the potential to unlock any computer in the world. In the first episode, Edward's work hasn't even been proposed to Mallinder, and all we know is that he's looking into a formula for prime numbers. There's no hint at any work towards a digital key. Edward doesn't even seem to own a cell phone, so his interest in the digital world seems negligible at best.
In the second episode, we at least get some nod to the threat Edward's work could present to the digital world, but even then, it is still theoretical. We merely learn that Taylah is part of an NSA project called "Syracuse" that monitors academic institutions around the globe to spot projects that could eventually lead to the creation of digital weapons. They're not specifically interested in Edward's work, and at first, they're watching it because they think it's Mallinder who is working on the prime number formula, not Edward.
Could there ultimately be a compelling, engaging conspiracy in the show's subsequent episodes? Sure. I rewatched the trailer earlier today and it still looks really interesting. Unfortunately, we don't get much of that trailer in the first two episodes at all, and I can't advocate you suffer through them just to see if "Prime Target" is eventually good. You can skip this Apple TV Plus thriller.
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