Culture

Prime Target’s gay romance between Leo Woodall and Fra Fee has fans “hooked”

By Demetri Woode

30th January 2025

Apple TV+’s conspiracy thriller series Prime Target has premiered, featuring One Day star Leo Woodall as a gay lead character.

The eight-episode series follows Woodall’s Edward Brooks, a math postgraduate who is “on the verge of a major breakthrough”: “If he succeeds in finding a pattern in prime numbers, he will hold the key to every computer in the world.”

“Soon, he begins to realize an unseen enemy is trying to destroy his idea before it’s even born,” the synopsis continues, “which throws him into the orbit of Taylah Sanders, an NSA agent (played by Trinkets star Quintessa Swindell) who’s been tasked with watching and reporting on mathematicians’ behavior.

“Together, they start to unravel the troubling conspiracy Edward is at the heart of.”

The cast also includes Stephen Rea (The Honourable Woman), David Morrissey (The Walking Dead), Martha Plimpton (The Regime), Sidse Babett Knudsen (Borgen), Jason Flemyng (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Harry Lloyd (Game of Thrones), and Joseph Mydell (The Eternal Daughter).

Fra Fee, who gained fame in Disney Plus’ Hawkeye and recently starred in the BBC’s gay miniseries Lost Boys & Fairies, also plays Adam Mellor, a bartender with whom Edwards becomes intimate in the first episode.

While Prime Target has received mixed reviews from critics so far, the inclusion of a queer character leading a conspiracy thriller—typically dominated by heterosexual protagonists—has been praised by viewers. The romance between Woodall and Fee, an openly gay actor, also received positive attention.

“#PrimeTarget on Apple TV is my new favorite show!!! A good storyline to keep me hooked and a gay main character with a hot love interest?!?!? Count me in!!!” one fan tweeted. 

Another wrote: “Leo Woodall plays a queer man in #PrimeTarget? Brb, imma renew my AppleTV+ subscription.”

A third said: “Between Culprits, Prime Target, and Day of the Jackal (though that falls in a “bury your gays” category), I like that we’re getting queer characters in lead roles in spy/action stuff. More please.” 

Additionally, Swindell commended the show’s progressive portrayal of Woodall’s character in an interview with Queerly.

“I love how Leo’s character is represented because it’s not something that’s very obvious,” said Swindell, who is non-binary, “it’s just like a byproduct of who he naturally is and doesn’t need to be discussed.”

They added: “If that doesn’t broaden people’s understanding of like who can be trans, queer, non-binary, gender identity, sexuality, then for me I’m kind of like maybe it’s for someone else.”

Prime Target airs every Wednesday on Apple TV+. Check out the best X/Twitter reactions to the show’s queer characters and themes below.