Prison Break
Format	Action Thriller Drama
Created by	Paul Scheuring
Starring	Dominic Purcell Wentworth Miller Amaury Nolasco Wade Williams Robert Knepper Chris Vance Robert Wisdom Danay Garcia and Jodi Lyn O'Keefe with William Fichtner
Country of origin	USA
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	56 (List of episodes)
Production
Running time	43 minutes each episode
Broadcast
Original channel	FOX
Picture format	480i (SDTV) 720p (HDTV) FOX HD 1080i (HDTV) SKY HD
Audio format	Surround sound
Original run	August 29, 2005 – present
External links
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Prison Break is an American serial drama television series that premiered on the Fox Broadcasting Company on August 29, 2005. The story revolves around a man who was sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit and his brother's elaborate plan to help him escape his death sentence. Created by Paul Scheuring, the show is produced by Adelstein-Parouse Productions in association with Original Television and 20th Century Fox Television. The current executive producers are Scheuring, Matt Olmstead, Kevin Hooks, Marty Adelstein, Dawn Parouse, Neal Moritz, and Brett Ratner.^[1] Its theme music is composed by Ramin Djawadi, and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in 2006.^[2]

The show is currently in its third season. 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.^[3] Its success and recognition as a prison drama revived interest in the genre.^{[citation needed]}

Due to the Writer's strike, there are only 13 episodes which have currently been produced for the third season. Although the strike was resolved on the 12th of February it is still unknown if, or when more episodes will be produced.

Casting

The premiere had eight major speaking roles with star billing. The casting process for the role of Michael Scofield, one of the series' protagonists, began several weeks before production. In an interview, Paul Scheuring recalled that most of the actors who tested for the role "would come in playing mysterious, but it was so cheesy and false."^[7] A week before the start of production, Wentworth Miller auditioned for the role and impressed Scheuring with his performance; he was cast the following day.^[8]

Dominic Purcell was cast three days before the start of production and consequently, he was the last actor to join the original cast.^[8] Purcell auditioned for the role of Lincoln Burrows, a death-row inmate and the brother of Michael Scofield, while he had a recurring role as Tommy Ravetto on North Shore. Since working on John Doe, Purcell has had an amiable relationship with Fox. Hence, he was sent the pilot script of Prison Break.^[4] At first, Scheuring thought Purcell was "too much of a pretty boy" after he went to the audition with his hair styled and a tan. However, Purcell won the role and arrived on the set on the first day of filming with a shaved head, which amazed Scheuring with the physical likeness of the series' two leading actors.^[7]

Upon receiving the pilot script, Amaury Nolasco's first thought was that it was "one of those failed pilots that the network didn't really want" since most of the series pilots would have started production by that time. Admitting that he doesn't like to read, Nolasco was amazed that the script was a "huge page-turner". Prior to his last audition for the role of Fernando Sucre, Nolasco recalled his nervousness, which grew when Paul Scheuring told him that he was their favourite choice. Subsequently, he was cast in the role.^[9]

After reading the pilot script, Wade Williams initially did not want to portray the role of Brad Bellick because the character was "horrible and despicable". His reluctance stemmed from being the father of a four-year-old daughter. However, his manager persuaded him to audition for the role and Williams landed the role of Bellick. He has received many plaudits for his on screen performances.

Sarah Wayne Callies was the first actress the producers saw at the audition for the role of Sara Tancredi^[8] and was also the first to become a principal cast member.^[10] After her final audition at the 20th Century Fox lot, Callies came back outside to find that she had left her keys in the ignition inside her locked car. While she waited for the AAA to arrive, she received a call from her agent that she had been cast.^[9]

The remaining original cast included Robin Tunney, Marshall Allman, Paul Adelstein, and Peter Stormare, who were cast as Veronica Donovan, L. J. Burrows, Paul Kellerman, and John Abruzzi, respectively.

[edit] Music

The theme music of Prison Break and the incidental music of each episode are composed by Ramin Djawadi. The score for the first two seasons is featured in the Prison Break: Original Television Soundtrack, which was released on August 28, 2007.^[11] Djawadi and Ferry Corsten produced a remix of the theme music entitled "Prison Break Theme (Ferry Corsten Breakout Mix)" as a single, which was released by Fox Music in 2006.

In France, rapper Faf Larage's song "Pas Le Temps" is used by television network M6 to replace the show's original theme music in the title sequence, which generated publicity and helped to localize the show.^[12] Similarly, "Ich Glaub an Dich (Prison Break Anthem)" (performed by Azad and Adel Tawil) and "Prison Break Anthem" (performed by Kaye Styles) are used in the title sequence in Germany and Belgium respectively.

Plot and episodes

Main article: List of Prison Break episodes

[edit] Season Overviews

Season 1 consists of 22 episodes. Lincoln Burrows is accused of the murder of Terrence Steadman, who is the brother of the Vice President of the United States. With strong evidence supporting the charges of first degree murder and aggravated discharge of a firearm against him, Lincoln is sentenced to death and is sent to the Fox River State Penitentiary to await his execution. Lincoln's brother, Michael Scofield, is convinced of Lincoln's innocence and hatches an escape plan. After installing himself at Fox River, time works against Michael as he must overcome various obstacles and make the right connections among the inmates and prison staff to be successful in breaking out his brother. The protagonists are aided by their lifelong friend Veronica Donovan, who begins to investigate the conspiracy that put Lincoln in jail. However, they are hindered by covert agents, who belong to an organization known as The Company. Michael, and his brother Lincoln, along with six other inmates finally escaped in the season finale.

Season 2 consists of 22 episodes and directly follows from the first season finale. It begins eight hours after the prison escape from Fox River State Penitentiary, focusing mainly on the escapees. New characters are introduced, including federal agent Alexander Mahone, who is assigned to track down and capture the eight escapees. Series creator Paul Scheuring describes the second season as "The Fugitive times eight" and likens it to the "second half of The Great Escape". The fugitives journey to locations across America with the authorities close behind them as they each pursue their individual goals. The secondary plot involving the political conspiracy develops as The Company continues their plan to locate and eliminate Lincoln Burrows and others who get in their way. Though on the surface much of the storyline concerning the conspiracy concludes by the season finale, there are indications that both the role of The Company and that of Michael Scofield are far more complicated and interrelated than it appears. In the season finale Michael ends up being sent back to prison in Panama, and Lincoln is exonerated of all his crimes.

Season 3 continues from the second season finale, where most of the main characters ended up in Panama. While Lincoln is exonerated from his alleged crimes, Michael is imprisoned at Sona Federal Prison facing a homicide charge with agent Mahone, T-Bag and Captain Bellick. They are coerced by The Company into helping fellow convict James Whistler escape in exchange for the release of Sara and LJ. Although the conspiracy storyline has not finished, the third season's plot will be "as different in tone as Season 2 was from Season 1".^[1] Series creator Paul Scheuring has commented that the overall theme of it will be "redemption".^[4]

[edit] Future

There is no word on whether or not there will be a fourth season, but Wentworth Miller gives a bright outlook: "As far as this thing continuing on nine or [ten] seasons like a Friends or a CSI, I’m not sure we’ll go that far, but I do think we have at least another two or three seasons in us.”^[13]

Principal characters

The series' protagonists are Lincoln Burrows (played by Dominic Purcell) and Michael Scofield (played by Wentworth Miller). Lincoln is a high school dropout and a convicted felon, who is wrongfully accused of and charged with the murder of Terence Steadman, the brother of the Vice President of the United States. Michael is Lincoln's brother and worked as a structural engineer before devoting full-time to his brother's case. In order to save his brother's life, Michael creates an elaborate plan to help his brother escape from prison. Over the course of the series, Michael and Lincoln are shown to be protective of each other. They are the only characters to have appeared in every episode to date.

Veronica Donovan (played by Robin Tunney) is Michael and Lincoln's childhood friend and decides to review Lincoln's case at Michael's insistence. She becomes Lincoln's lawyer and appears as a major character in the first season.

L. J. Burrows (played by Marshall Allman) is the teenage son of Lincoln Burrows and is greatly affected by his father's death sentence. He is forced into hiding after he becomes the target of the people who want Lincoln dead.

The two most prominently featured prisoners who Michael meets at Fox River State Penitentiary are Fernando Sucre (played by Amaury Nolasco) and Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell (played by Robert Knepper). Sucre is Michael's cell-mate and provides comic relief to the show. His character's story focuses mainly on his wish to reunite with his girlfriend. Sucre develops a friendship with Michael and Lincoln, and becomes their ally. On the other hand, T-Bag is mainly seen as a villain in the series, due to his murderous ways and for blackmailing Michael to be included in the escape.

After he was incarcerated, John Abruzzi (played by Peter Stormare) became a prominent figure at Fox River State Penitentiary due to his role as the leader of a Chicago mafia. He agrees to provide an escape plane for Michael in exchange for the location of the eyewitness to his crimes, Otto Fibonacci. He appears regularly in the first half of the first season and makes selected appearances towards the end of the first season and the beginning of the second season. Benjamin Miles "C-Note" Franklin (played by Rockmond Dunbar) is introduced as a Fox River prisoner, who becomes suspicious of Michael. He later forces Michael to include him in the escape. Along with T-Bag, C-Note is seen as Michael's opponent in the first season, although he is a more sympathetic and likable character than T-Bag.

As well as other prisoners, Michael meets the captain of Fox River's correctional officers, Brad Bellick (played by Wade Williams) and the prison doctor, Sara Tancredi (played by Sarah Wayne Callies). Bellick dislikes Michael and causes trouble for him throughout the series. Sara is Michael's love interest. As their relationship develops over the course of the series, her role is also increased in the storyline.

Although Paul Kellerman (played by Paul Adelstein) was introduced as a Secret Service agent working for the Vice President to make sure that the execution of Lincoln Burrows goes smoothly, his character has alternated between a villain and an ally to Michael and Lincoln.

Season 2 introduces a new major character, FBI Special Agent Alexander Mahone (played by William Fichtner), who is assigned to locate the fugitives. Mahone is intellectually matched with Michael and his background unfolds as the series progresses.This led to the exit of Robin Tunney's character Veronica Donovan and Peter Stormare's character John Abruzzi at the beginning of the season. Sara Tancredi rises to become an extremely major character in Season 2. At the end of the season, Paul Adelstein's character exited, his disappearance rumoured to be killed off.

After the exit of 3 main characters, Season 3 sees the addition of four major characters. Lechero (played by Robert Wisdom) is a prisoner at Sona and a Panamanian drug kingpin, James Whistler (played by Chris Vance) is incarcerated in Sona for the murder of the Mayor's son, Gretchen "Susan B. Anthony" Morgan (played by Jodi Lyn O'Keefe) is an operative for the company who is in charge of ensuring the escape of James Whistler and Sofia Lugo (played by Danay Garcia), who is Whistler's girlfriend. Sarah Wayne Callies' character Sara Tancredi was killed off in the season's fourth episode. Wentworth Miller later commented on Callies' departure as a "loss" to the series.^[15]

[edit] Recurring characters

Major recurring characters from the first season include Fox River's Warden Henry Pope (played by Stacy Keach), lawyer Nick Savrinn (played by Frank Grillo), Special Agent Daniel Hale (played by Danny McCarthy), a secret service operative loyal to the conspiracy and Charles Westmoreland (played by Muse Watson), a veteran of the prison having served 32 years. Michael believes he is D. B. Cooper and has hidden $5 million outside the prison, which forms a subplot of the second season. Two other Fox River prisoners who join in Michael's escape are David "Tweener" Apolskis (played by Lane Garrison) and Charles "Haywire" Patoshik (played by Silas Weir Mitchell).

Additionally, some of the walk-on characters who played prisoners actually served time at the Joliet Prison.^[10] One major recurring character, Bill Kim, was introduced in the second season as an operative of the Company who is ordered to oversee the actions of Mahone and Kellerman.

The character of Terrence Steadman was played by two actors, first by John Billingsley in the first season, then by Jeff Perry in the second season as Billingsley was cast as a regular on the ABC series The Nine. Steadman has few appearances in the series, nevertheless, the character is at the center of the conspiracy which caused Lincoln Burrows to be charged with his murder. Steadman's sister, Caroline Reynolds (played by Patricia Wettig), was introduced as the Vice President of the United States in the first season and later becomes the President of the United States after poisioning the former president.

Nika Volek (played by Holly Valance) appears in the first two seasons as the wife of Michael Scofield.

In the first 10 episodes from the third season Sammy was a recurring character.