'' is a
Television Series on
Fox that premiered on
August 29 ,
2005 . Thirteen episodes had originally been ordered, but, due to the success of the show, Fox extended it to a full season. ''Prison Break'' was created and co-executive produced by
Paul Scheuring . It is filmed on location in
Joliet Prison in
Illinois . The first 13 episodes ran from August to November 2005 on Mondays on Fox. The remaining 9 episodes aired from March to May 2006. The show has recently been renewed for a second season.
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The premise of the show revolves around a structural engineer named
Michael Scofield (
Wentworth Miller ) who deliberately commits a felony with the intent of being sentenced to Fox River State Penitentiary. Scofield believes that his brother, Lincoln Burrows (
Dominic Purcell ), has been falsely convicted of killing the
Vice President 's brother, and Scofield has entered the prison with an elaborate plan to help Lincoln
Escape from death row which will necessitate allying themselves with other inmates.
The origins of ''Prison Break'' begin in
2003 when the idea was pitched to the
Fox Broadcasting Company , 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
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 television series such as ''
Lost '' and ''
24 '', the Fox Network had a change of mind and backed the production in
2004 .
Michael Scofield is a successful structural engineer and graduate of
Loyola University Chicago . His father left the family before Michael's birth and his mother died of
Liver Cancer when he was 11. His older brother, Lincoln Burrows, lived a life far different from Michael's, including criminal activity. At present, Lincoln has been accused of the murder of Terrence Steadman, who is the brother of the female
Vice President Of The United States ; the evidence supports charges of first degree murder and aggravated discharge of a
Firearm . Lincoln is sentenced to death (by
Electric Chair ). Despite strong evidence pointing to Lincoln's guilt, Michael is convinced that Lincoln cannot have committed such a crime; Lincoln later swears he is not guilty, adamantly insisting it was a set up.
An armed Michael heads to a local
Bank where he proceeds to rob the establishment as well as firing several shots whilst bank commuters are shielding themselves on the bank floor. As
Police squad
Car s and a
Helicopter surround the building, Michael surrenders, achieving the first step of his goal to be arrested, convicted and sent to the same prison as his brother. Longtime family friend Veronica Donovan acts as Michael's
Lawyer . Veronica as well as the judge are shocked by Michael's no contest plea. Despite comments by the
Judge suggesting he rethink it, Michael refuses and is content with his decision. The judge finds Michael guilty of attempted
Armed Robbery . The possibility of probation is excluded as he fired a deadly firearm during his operation at the bank. He is sentenced to five years' imprisonment. Michael requests a
Jail in a close locality, and is sent to the Fox River Penitentiary, the same prison as his brother Lincoln, who lives there on
Death Row .
As Michael enters the old walls of Fox River, his secret journey to free his brother begins. Michael has spawned a detailed plan to break Lincoln out of Fox River. Michael’s advantage of inside knowledge stems back to 1999: being a structural engineer, he was involved in a retrofitting of the prison. Still in possession of these plans he studied them extensively before entering the prison, as well as making other preparations. Additionally, he covered himself in tattoos that are a cryptic map of the prison. Once an inmate, time is working against him 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 before it is too late.
Fox has ordered a second season, and the plot is rumored to be centered around the breakout team as fugitives. During season 2, the show will continue to explore the conspiracy that put Lincoln in jail. The name ''Prison Break: Manhunt'' has been proposed for season 2.
See Also: List of Prison Break episodes
See Also: Airdates of Prison Break
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 of 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. The show has 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 thirteen episode run, but was extended to include an extra nine episodes due to its popularity. The first thirteen episodes ran from August to November 2005, with the remaining nine due to air from March 2006.
Following a big advertising campaign on Australian network
Seven , which hyped the success the show found in
North America , ''Prison Break'' aired on
February 1 ,
2006 , the first episode having an average audience of 1.94 million as well as making its peak with 2.09 million viewers. The hype of the show was later complemented with
Encore screenings in the second week, before being set into a concrete time of 8:30pm on Wednesday nights.
- Actor Stacy Keach ( Warden Henry Pope ) was himself incarcerated for several months in a British prison for drug offenses in the 1980s. The Warden of that prison would serve as the basis for Warden Pope.
- Many scenes are filmed in serial killer John Wayne Gacy 's old cell
- John Wayne Gacy was incarcerated in Menard Correctional Center for the majority of his sentence, not Joliet.
- The Electric Chair is not used as a primary instrument of execution in the State Of Illinois where the series is set. Originally the method of execution scripted was via lethal injection however for shock value this was changed.
- Illinois currently has a moratorium on the death penalty. Illinois is not enforcing any executions.
