PRISON BREAK is an American award-winning serial drama television series that premiered on the Fox Broadcasting Company on August 29, 2005. The story revolves around an engineer (Wentworth Miller) who installs himself in a prison he helped design, in order to help his brother (Dominic Purcell) who is an inmate on deathrow yet insists he did not commit the crime for which he has been sentenced to death for. The brothers then embark on a long adventure to escape prison and clear their names. Which is easier said than done.
Currently, two seasons of the show have been aired. Due to its immense popularity in its key demographics, the show was renewed by Fox for a third season, even though it was originally conceived to have only two seasons. The uniqueness of Prison Break is attributed to its serialized story structure, a similar format used by Lost and 24, and to its setting, as very few television series were primarily set and filmed in a prison. Its success and recognition as a prison drama revived interest in the genre. Season 3 episodes of the hit show are currently being filmed in Dallas (TX) and air on Monday nights in the US and UK.
The original concept of Prison Break—a man deliberately getting himself sent to prison in order to help someone else escape—was suggested to Paul Scheuring by producer Dawn Parouse, who wanted to produce an action-oriented series. Although Scheuring thought it was a good idea, he was initially stumped as to why someone would embark on such a mission or how he could develop it into a viable television show. He came up with the story of the wrongfully accused brother, and began working on the plot outline and devising the characters. In 2003, he pitched the idea to the Fox Broadcasting Company but was turned down as Fox felt nervous about the long-term possibilities of such a series. He subsequently showed the concept to other channels but was also turned down as it was thought to be more suited for a film project than a television series. Prison Break was later considered as a possible 14-part miniseries, which drew the interest of Steven Spielberg before his departure due to his involvement with War of the Worlds. Thus, the miniseries never materialized. Following the huge popularity of serialized prime time television series such as Lost and 24, the Fox Network had a change of heart and backed the production in 2004. The pilot episode was filmed a year after Scheuring wrote the script and five months later, the show was picked up as a series.
Fox backed Prison Break with a large advertising campaign. The show debuted on August 29, 2005, to an estimated audience of 10.5 million viewers. Fox has not seen such success for summertime Monday numbers since Melrose Place and Ally McBeal aired in September 1998. The two-hour premiere was credited as two episodes by the network. The premiere was the seventh most watched show in America that week according to Nielsen Research, ranking first in both the 18–49 and 18–34 demographics. The strong debut performance was also matched by various positive reviews. According to The New York Times, Prison Break was "more intriguing than most of the new network series, and it certainly is one of the most original", complimenting on its ability to create a "suspenseful thriller" and its "authentic look". Entertainment Weekly has dubbed it as one of the best new shows of 2005. On the other hand, The Washington Post criticized the show for its "somber pretentiousness" and "uniformly overwrought" performances.[31] The show regularly attracted an average audience of 10 million viewers each week and led the debuts of television in the 2005 American fall season. Prison Break was originally planned for a 13-episode run, but was extended to include an extra nine episodes due to its popularity.
The premiere of the second season of Prison Break obtained an average of 9.4 million viewers, down from 10.5 million for the series premiere in August 2005. The decline was steeper among young-adult viewers with a decrease of 20 percent in the 18–49 demographic compared to its series premiere, but its household rating grew from 3.6% to 3.9% during the last half hour. A critic from USA Today commented on the "harebrained absurdities that have swamped this show", and blamed the writers for being "incredibly lazy" for the continuous use of the tattoo as an "all-purpose plot fix". Contrastingly, Detroit Free Press commended the second season premiere on matching the standard set by the first season, which delivered a "rocking good entertainment" due to its "motley crew of cellblock characters" and the "taut, ingenious storytelling of series creator Paul T. Scheuring and his staff." The second season obtained its largest audience on the original airdate of the episode, "Chicago" with an average of 10.1 million viewers. On the other hand, the season finale on its original airdate received one of the lowest audiences in the series' history with 8.01 million viewers. The premiere of the third season obtained an average of 7.5 million viewers, one of the lowest audiences in the series' history
Currently, two seasons of the show have been aired. Due to its immense popularity in its key demographics, the show was renewed by Fox for a third season, even though it was originally conceived to have only two seasons. The uniqueness of Prison Break is attributed to its serialized story structure, a similar format used by Lost and 24, and to its setting, as very few television series were primarily set and filmed in a prison. Its success and recognition as a prison drama revived interest in the genre. Season 3 episodes of the hit show are currently being filmed in Dallas (TX) and air on Monday nights in the US and UK.
The original concept of Prison Break—a man deliberately getting himself sent to prison in order to help someone else escape—was suggested to Paul Scheuring by producer Dawn Parouse, who wanted to produce an action-oriented series. Although Scheuring thought it was a good idea, he was initially stumped as to why someone would embark on such a mission or how he could develop it into a viable television show. He came up with the story of the wrongfully accused brother, and began working on the plot outline and devising the characters. In 2003, he pitched the idea to the Fox Broadcasting Company but was turned down as Fox felt nervous about the long-term possibilities of such a series. He subsequently showed the concept to other channels but was also turned down as it was thought to be more suited for a film project than a television series. Prison Break was later considered as a possible 14-part miniseries, which drew the interest of Steven Spielberg before his departure due to his involvement with War of the Worlds. Thus, the miniseries never materialized. Following the huge popularity of serialized prime time television series such as Lost and 24, the Fox Network had a change of heart and backed the production in 2004. The pilot episode was filmed a year after Scheuring wrote the script and five months later, the show was picked up as a series.
Fox backed Prison Break with a large advertising campaign. The show debuted on August 29, 2005, to an estimated audience of 10.5 million viewers. Fox has not seen such success for summertime Monday numbers since Melrose Place and Ally McBeal aired in September 1998. The two-hour premiere was credited as two episodes by the network. The premiere was the seventh most watched show in America that week according to Nielsen Research, ranking first in both the 18–49 and 18–34 demographics. The strong debut performance was also matched by various positive reviews. According to The New York Times, Prison Break was "more intriguing than most of the new network series, and it certainly is one of the most original", complimenting on its ability to create a "suspenseful thriller" and its "authentic look". Entertainment Weekly has dubbed it as one of the best new shows of 2005. On the other hand, The Washington Post criticized the show for its "somber pretentiousness" and "uniformly overwrought" performances.[31] The show regularly attracted an average audience of 10 million viewers each week and led the debuts of television in the 2005 American fall season. Prison Break was originally planned for a 13-episode run, but was extended to include an extra nine episodes due to its popularity.
The premiere of the second season of Prison Break obtained an average of 9.4 million viewers, down from 10.5 million for the series premiere in August 2005. The decline was steeper among young-adult viewers with a decrease of 20 percent in the 18–49 demographic compared to its series premiere, but its household rating grew from 3.6% to 3.9% during the last half hour. A critic from USA Today commented on the "harebrained absurdities that have swamped this show", and blamed the writers for being "incredibly lazy" for the continuous use of the tattoo as an "all-purpose plot fix". Contrastingly, Detroit Free Press commended the second season premiere on matching the standard set by the first season, which delivered a "rocking good entertainment" due to its "motley crew of cellblock characters" and the "taut, ingenious storytelling of series creator Paul T. Scheuring and his staff." The second season obtained its largest audience on the original airdate of the episode, "Chicago" with an average of 10.1 million viewers. On the other hand, the season finale on its original airdate received one of the lowest audiences in the series' history with 8.01 million viewers. The premiere of the third season obtained an average of 7.5 million viewers, one of the lowest audiences in the series' history
CAST MEMBERS
Dominic Purcell (Lincoln Burrows)
Wentworth Miller (Michael Scofield)
Amaury Nolasco (Fernando Sucre)
Wade Williams (Brad Bellick)
Robert Knepper (Theodore 'T-Bag' Bagwell)
Chris Vance (James Whistler)
Robert Wisdom (Lechero)
Danay Garcia (Sofia Lugo)
Jodi Lynn O'Keefe (Susan B. Anthony)
William Fichtner (Alexander Mahone)
Dominic Purcell (Lincoln Burrows)
Wentworth Miller (Michael Scofield)
Amaury Nolasco (Fernando Sucre)
Wade Williams (Brad Bellick)
Robert Knepper (Theodore 'T-Bag' Bagwell)
Chris Vance (James Whistler)
Robert Wisdom (Lechero)
Danay Garcia (Sofia Lugo)
Jodi Lynn O'Keefe (Susan B. Anthony)
William Fichtner (Alexander Mahone)
PREVIOUS CAST MEMBERS & GUEST STARS
Sarah Wayne Callies (Sara Tancredi)
Paul Adelstein (Paul Kellerman)
Marshall Allman (LJ Burrows)
Patricia Wettig (Vice President Caroline Reynolds)
Rockmond Dunbar (Benjamin 'C-Note' Franklin)
Lane Garrison (David 'Tweener' Apolskis)
Peter Stormare (John Abruzzi)
Robin Tunney (Veronica Donovan)
Reggie Lee (Secret Service Special Agent William 'Bill' Kim)
Muse Watson (Charles Westmoreland)
Stacy Keach (Warden Henry Pope)
Silas Weir Mitchell (Charles 'Haywire' Patoshik)
Camille Guaty (Maricruz Delgado)
John Heard (Governor Frank Tancredi)
Holly Valance (Nika Volek)
Sarah Wayne Callies (Sara Tancredi)
Paul Adelstein (Paul Kellerman)
Marshall Allman (LJ Burrows)
Patricia Wettig (Vice President Caroline Reynolds)
Rockmond Dunbar (Benjamin 'C-Note' Franklin)
Lane Garrison (David 'Tweener' Apolskis)
Peter Stormare (John Abruzzi)
Robin Tunney (Veronica Donovan)
Reggie Lee (Secret Service Special Agent William 'Bill' Kim)
Muse Watson (Charles Westmoreland)
Stacy Keach (Warden Henry Pope)
Silas Weir Mitchell (Charles 'Haywire' Patoshik)
Camille Guaty (Maricruz Delgado)
John Heard (Governor Frank Tancredi)
Holly Valance (Nika Volek)
PRODUCED BY
Adelstein-Parouse Productions in association with 20th Century Fox Television
Adelstein-Parouse Productions in association with 20th Century Fox Television
CREATED BY
Paul Scheuring
Paul Scheuring
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
Paul Scheuring
Marty Adelstein
Dawn Parouse
Matt Olmstead
Brett Ratner
Paul Scheuring
Marty Adelstein
Dawn Parouse
Matt Olmstead
Brett Ratner
CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Michael Watkins
Michael Watkins
CONTACT
Prison Break
20th Century Fox Television
Acme Productions
10201 West Pico Boulevard
Building 38, Room 125
Los Angeles, CA 90035
USA
Prison Break
20th Century Fox Television
Acme Productions
10201 West Pico Boulevard
Building 38, Room 125
Los Angeles, CA 90035
USA