"Prison Break" (2005) TV series 2005-2009

Creator:

Paul Scheuring

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Breaking out was easy, getting away will be hard (Season 2).

Plot:

Due to a political conspiracy an innocent man is sent to death row and his only hope is his brother who makes it his mission to deliberately get himself sent to the same prison in order to break the both of them out from the inside out.

Plot Keywords:

Prison | Death Row | Conspiracy | Murder | Self Sacrifice

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 3 wins & 21 nominations

Cast

Dominic Purcell	...	Lincoln Burrows (81 episodes, 2005-2009)
Wentworth Miller	...	Michael Scofield (81 episodes, 2005-2009)
Amaury Nolasco	...	Fernando Sucre (81 episodes, 2005-2009)
Robert Knepper	...	Theodore 'T-Bag' Bagwell (81 episodes, 2005-2009)
Sarah Wayne Callies	...	Dr. Sara Tancredi (69 episodes, 2005-2009)
Wade Williams	...	Brad Bellick (67 episodes, 2005-2008)
William Fichtner	...	Alex Mahone (59 episodes, 2006-2009)
Paul Adelstein	...	Paul Kellerman (46 episodes, 2005-2009)
Marshall Allman	...	LJ Burrows (44 episodes, 2005-2008)
Rockmond Dunbar	...	Benjamin Miles 'C-Note' Franklin (40 episodes, 2005-2009)
Jodi Lyn O'Keefe	...	Gretchen Morgan / ... (37 episodes, 2007-2009)

Also Known As:

Prison Break: On the Run (Australia) (second season title)
The Break (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

42 min (plus commercials) | 60 min (including commercials)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

USA:TV-14 | South Africa:PG (13V) (DVD rating) | South Africa:PG (13V) (TV rating) | UK:12 (some episodes) | UK:15 (some episodes) | Australia:M (some episodes) | Ireland:18 (Season 1 DVD rating) | Finland:K-15 | Norway:15 (DVD rating) | Malaysia:18PL | Germany:16 (TV rating) | Singapore:NC-16 (season 2 DVD rating) | Singapore:PG (season 1) (season 2) (season 3) | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Hungary:16 (some episodes) | New Zealand:R16 (season 3) | Australia:MA (some episodes) | Singapore:NC-16 (season 4)

Filming Locations:

Building One, Studios at Las Colinas - 6301 North O'Connor Road, Irving, Texas, USA

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Trivia:

The idea for the show was originally pitched to the Fox Broadcasting Company in 2003 but was turned down as Fox felt somewhat nervous about the long-term possibilities of such a television series. It was later considered as a possible 10-part mini series, which allegedly drew interest from big names in the film industry such as Steven Spielberg and Bruce Willis. However, the mini series never materialized. Following the huge popularity of serialized prime-time television series such as "24" (2001) and "Lost" (2004), the Fox Network had a change of heart and backed the production in 2004.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): In several episodes of the first season Brad Bellick is called 'Brian' on several occasions.

Quotes:

Dr. Marvin Gudat: I can promise you nothing.
Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell: Story of my life.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "30 Rock: The Problem Solvers (#4.5)" (2009)

One could have never thought that you could make a show about breaking out of jail so entertaining, or could one?

Prison Break is now on its third successful season and shows no sign of this wonderful drama ending. Prison Break has everything from petty crooks to government conspiracy to crooked cops. One could have never thought that you could make a show about breaking out of jail so entertaining, or could one? This show reminds me a lot of the ShawShank Redemption. I wonder if that movie inspired the writers at all? Even though they could have been inspired, this show is definitely unique. It all starts because Linc (Dominic Purcell) was falsely accused of killing the vice presidents brother, and is now sitting on death row. Linc's brother Michael (Wentworth Miller) robbed a bank so he could land himself in prison to help break his brother out. To do this Michael has the blueprints of his escape secretly tattooed all over his body.

Now Michael has some pretty good luck, what are the odds that he was sent to the same prison that his older brother is at? I would have to agree with Gillian Flynn from Entertainment Weekly When he states, "Let's pause, laugh, and salute this series for being so well shot and acted that these little dragonflies of illogic buzz us only briefly. (But seriously, how lucky for Michael that he was sent to this particular prison — otherwise we'd be watching him in Leavenworth hitting his head and muttering ''Stupidstupidstupid!'' for five years.)" It is very convenient that he helped design this particular prison. What would he have done if his brother got transferred or if Michael was sent to a different prison, I bet he would have felt pretty stupid. I am also very impressed that not only does his full body tattoo look good, but it is a map of their escape. Another pretty amazing thing is that he can actually remember what everything means. I don't know about you but I think I might get some things mixed up.

Putting aside the unlikely elements of this entire show, it is actually rather entertaining. It is very suspenseful and you never know what is going to happen next. Also people can somewhat relate with this show seeing how it is not exactly science fiction. Everybody knows that there are innocent people that are sent to prison, and even put on death row just like Linc in this show. So except for the "government conspiracy" for some people this show might hit at home, making it very entertaining.

The acting in this show is done very well. I have not once said to myself wow he sucked. From the main characters all the way to the extras the acting has been superb especially on Michaels part. I think his best acting episode had to of been when he was pretending to be insane. I could have sworn that he was not faking his mental illness. Another character that stands out in my head that is a very good actor is Haywire. If I did not know better I would honestly believe that he was mentally insane. He plays this part perfectly and makes his scenes very entertaining.

The graphics and the special effects in this show are not bad as well. From Michael being burned to Linc getting in the accident, it all looked pretty real. I never saw anything that looked really fake. I did see some things that were rather unlikely though. Like when T-Bag got his hand cut off and sewed back on. He was about to get caught so he ripped his hand off to get away. To me I think I might have passed out or at least have to go to a hospital afterwards, which he never did. He just put a fake hand on his arm like it was not going to get infected. Now even though this is a little for fetched it does make this wonderful drama a lot more exciting.

One thing I noticed when I was watching this show is that there is no narrator. There is nobody telling you anything about the show. I think that this makes the show more exciting. It is like it adds more suspense to it. When you have a narrator he/she tells you wants going on and what to think. Two examples of dramas like this are Grey's Anatomy and Desperate House Wives. When you do not have one you have to think for yourself. Therefore your mind is racing with ideas of what is going to happen next.

Even though this show has a few things that are very unlikely to happen, it has a lot of things that are very likely to happen. It has a lot of good qualities to it. It has good acting, graphics, and special effects. It has all the elements of a very entertaining television drama. I would have to say that this is a very good show and that I will continue to watch it.