Nocturnal 
Ayo Edebiri and Will Sharpe have swapped restaurant kitchens and Italian villas for a classroom reunion of sorts in the first-look images for Apple TV+’s new series Prodigies.
The seven-episode romcom, which Sharpe created, wrote, directed and executive produced, casts the pair as Didi and Ren, two former child prodigies who have been a couple since they were nine years old. Now in their early 30s, they begin to question whether their “very ordinary” adult lives have lived up to the extraordinary promise of their childhoods, according to the official synopsis shared across the coverage of the announcement.
That soul-searching inevitably spills over into their relationship, with the pair finding themselves caught up in what’s described as “a new and terrifying kind of chaos” as old doubts resurface.
What is Prodigies about?
The story unfolds across London, Tokyo and Virginia, giving the series an international scope as it explores themes of potential, ambition and the complexities of long-term relationships. Edebiri co-stars as Didi and also serves as an executive producer alongside Sharpe, plus Jane Featherstone, Naomi de Pear and Katie Carpenter for production company SISTER.
SISTER, the Emmy and BAFTA-winning outfit behind Black Doves, has previously worked with Sharpe on Giri/Haji and Flowers, the latter of which earned him a BAFTA nomination for his writing.
Joining Edebiri and Sharpe in the ensemble are John Malkovich as a guest star, alongside Tobias Menzies, Yumi Asō, Maria Bakalova, Sophia Di Martino, Rina Sawayama, Reece Shearsmith, Dame Meera Syal and Andrene Ward-Hammond, as confirmed by HeyUGuys and the AV Club.
Why it matters
Both leads arrive on Prodigies at career high points. Sharpe won a SAG Award for Giri/Haji and is fresh off his BAFTA-winning turn in The White Lotus season two, with further projects including Lena Dunham’s Netflix series Too Much and a Sky series from Black Doves creator Joe Barton in which he plays Mozart. Edebiri, an Emmy and SAG winner for her role as Sydney in The Bear, has credits including Bottoms and is next due to appear in James L. Brooks’ Ella McCay and Luca Guadagnino’s After the Hunt.
For Edebiri in particular, Prodigies marks her first proper foray into the romcom genre, something fans have been vocal about online since the first-look images dropped, with reaction on social media describing it as her “romcom era”. The show also stands out for pairing two leads of Afro-Caribbean-American and Japanese-British heritage, a detail that’s drawn extra attention from viewers.
What happens next
Prodigies is set to launch globally on Apple TV+ on Wednesday 10 February 2027, with two episodes dropping at once. The remaining episodes will then be released weekly, building to a season finale on 17 March 2027. Until then, fans will have to make do with the first-look stills and growing anticipation for what’s being billed as an unconventional take on the romcom format.
