The Lost Symbol is an adaptation of Dan Brown's novel of the same name. It premiered on Peacock in 2021.
Robert Langdon, a professor of Symbology at Harvard, is called to Washington, DC, on short notice to speak at a symposium by someone claiming to be the assistant of his mentor, Peter Solomon. Arriving at the Capitol, Langdon discovers not a symposium, but Peter's severed hand pointing up to The Apotheosis of Washington, a fresco painted on the dome of the Capital Rotunda. He soon finds himself embroiled in the machinations of a mysterious individual named Mal'akh, who wishes to unlock ancient secrets supposedly held by the Freemasons.
According to the production crew, the show is set before The Da Vinci Code. The show was cancelled in January 2022.
The character page for the series can be found here.
This series provides examples of:
- Actor Allusion: More like Producer Allusion. In the second episode, Katherine mentions Willow, which was directed by Ron Howard, an executive producer on this series and the director of the Tom Hanks Robert Langdon movies
- All for Nothing: See Worthless Treasure Twist below.
- Ancient Conspiracy: Although Langdon initially says that the Freemasons are just a social club, he soon discovers that they're a secret group that are protecting a secret related to the Bible.
- Booby Trap: Peter's rooms in the US Capital's sub-basement feature a hallway designed to crush or trap intruders if a special key isn't put back in place.
- Brotherhood of Funny Hats: The plot revolves around the Freemasons and a secret that a sect within them is holding onto.
- Fictional Counterpart: Referendia for Wikipedia.
- The Mountains of Illinois: Although set in Washington D.C. the series was shot in Canada. There are many visible skyscrapers, mountains and cliffs, none of which are supposed to be found in the area.
- Mundane Solution: As Langdon and Sato try to decipher some symbols and puzzle over what decryption method to use, Nuñez points out that they're looking at the writing upside down and that it's the number of a room in the Capital.
- Only a Flesh Wound: Nuñez is shot multiple times and left for dead but is back up and on his feet with seemingly little problem after one night in the hospital.
- Mama Didn't Raise No Criminal: When Isabel is confronted with the fact that Zach as Mal'akh nearly killed Peter, she tells Katherine to stop.
- Police Brutality: Zachary's subjected to having his feet beaten due to something he did while in prison by General Directorate of Security officers.
- Present-Day Past: The series is meant to be a prequel to Tom Hanks' Langdon films, but the characters use technology (such as smartphones) that weren't prevalent or as advanced when The Da Vinci Code was released in 2006.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: As of "Diophantine Pseudonym", Sato's clearances in the CIA were removed due to the numerous failures of her team in capturing Mal'akh. This means that she can't help Peter and company find more clues related to Mal'akh.
- Title Drop: "Cascade" refers to the resonance devices Mal'akh acquired in order to destroy the George Washington Monument.
- Tough Love: When Peter learns that Zachary has been arrested and jailed in Turkey, he decides not to immediately use his connections to have his son freed — reasoning that some time in a harsh environment will knock some sense into him.
- Wham Episode: The episode "As Above, So Below" mentions that Zachary was a CIA asset before he was captured in Turkey.
- "Murmuration" ends when Nuñez arrives at a MPDDC crime scene to find one of the Katherine's colleagues killed with her blood used to inscribe a symbol on the ground.
- "Diophantine Pseudonym" shows Mal'akh survivng the standoff after he apparently fell from the cliff to avoid being arrested.
- "Cascade" has Samyaza on a rendition flight arranged by Blake.
- Worthless Treasure Twist: The "Ancient Wisdom" turns out to be just Washington's old Bible. No Magical download or power of any kind. Of course, Langdon keeps the book and is still studying it, so who knows...
