Within the first episode we’re treated to a PowerPoint presentation showing how swastikas have been recycled by the Nazis and the alt-right. This Could Be a Make or Break Emmys Season for Peacock and Paramount+īased on the three episodes already sent to press, it’s unclear whether “The Lost Symbol” acts in unison with any of the previous features, though this functions as a prequel in spite of the original novel being set after “The Da Vinci Code.” Here, Robert Langdon (Ashley Zukerman) is a professor of symbology who teaches his class about the ways some of those ancient symbols can be co-opted for nefarious purposes. Even worse is the fact that Brown’s novel “The Lost Symbol” was initially planned to be the third Hanks feature before the switch to “Inferno.” That change might be telling us something about the source material we’re watching. Considering the landscape of both books and television, it’s hard not to feel like a TV series devoted to Brown’s character is arriving a few years past its expiration date. Now, though, it’s hard to remember what all the fuss was about. The eventual adaptation in 2006, starring Tom Hanks, didn’t have as much controversy as the novel, but it did have plenty of its own success. It’s hard to describe the events of 2003 to someone who didn’t feverishly rush out to read Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code,” one of the most popular books at the time, equally loved and castigated for its claims about Jesus being married and having children.

It’s been five years since audiences last saw Dan Brown’s character Robert Langdon in the 2016 feature film “Inferno” and it honestly feels like a moment in time that can’t be recreated.

The lost symbol