Prison Breakwas one of the best crime dramas of all time, with a fascinating premise and characters you loved to hate. That said, the show quickly began to lose focus, with most ofthe best episodes ofPrison Breaktaking place in the first and second seasons. The series began as a gritty crime drama but evolved into a sci-fi series.
Prison Breakis about Michael Scofield, who breaks into a prison that he designed to get his innocent brother out, following a map that he has tattooed on his body.The characters inPrison Breakrange from heroic to monstrous, sometimes switching sides.Prison Breakhas five seasons and a movie, with multiple retcons and a reboot on its way.
Prison Break Season 1 Was A Masterpiece
The Story Began To Lose Focus After Michael Ran Out Of Tattoos
The first season ofPrison Breakwas nearly perfect, getting a 95% positive audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The story was a relatively simple one, but featured constant twists and turns, with excellent acting from everyone in the cast, and each episode ended on a nail-biting cliffhanger. The tattoo concept was genius, as it was a unique concept that made the crime drama stand out.
Part of the problem with the later seasons ofPrison Breakwas the fact that it strayed so far from the original concept.
Part of the problem with the later seasons ofPrison Breakwas the fact that they strayed so far from the original concept. Some of the most important episodes revolved around one ofthe hidden messages in Michael Scofield’s tattoos, and this continued into season 2. However, Michael eventually ran out of tattoos, andPrison Breakhad to leave its best idea behind.
Prison Break Deserved Better Seasons After A Perfect First Year
The Show Switched Genres In Season 4 (& It Didn’t Work)
While the second season ofPrison Breakwasn’t bad, it did not live up to the first season.Expanding the scope of the show should have worked, giving us a chance to see howthe Fox River Eightevaded being captured. However, the plot became repetitive, involving another prison break, while the genre switch made the show unpredictable in the wrong way.
Prison Break’s seasons and movie, ranked
Rotten Tomatoes critics' rating
Rotten Tomatoes audience rating
1
2005
78%
95%
2
2006
71%
90%
3
2007
50%
68%
4
2008
63%
2009
-
82%
5
2017
56%
Throughout most of its seasons,the main villains inPrison Breakwere the sadistic guards and other prisoners, like the terrifying T-Bag. This changed in season 4, as themysterious government faction known as The Companybecame the main focus. The show rapidly became an espionagE series with crime elements, and this did not work afterPrison Break’s gritty beginning.
Prison Break Should Arguably Have Ended After Season 1
The Prison Break Reboot Is Unlikely To Be Another Retcon
The final episode ofPrison Break’s season 1 showed most of the men successfully escaping Fox River Penitentiary, with the police gearing up for a manhunt. While a cliffhanger might not have been a good ending, some flash-forward scenes could have provided an update for the characters. Alternatively, a shortened season 2 could have given them proper endings without changing the tone of the show.
Prison Breakhas had three different endingsas it tried to retcon Michael’s death. This was confusing, and it is likely that thePrison Breakreboot will not be another retcon. It is confirmed that it will take place in the same universe as the original show, but will focus on different characters. This may be a welcome return toPrison Break’s best formula.
