Prison Break Buff

Prison Break - Key to Success

by Nikki on March 31st, 2008

Prison Break launched on the Fox Broadcasting Company on August 29, 2005 and quickly became a huge success.

The television series revolves around Michael, a man who tattoos up an elaborate plan to break his brother, Lincoln, out of prison. Lincoln has been sentenced to death after being wrongly accused of murdering the Vice President’s brother.

But of course the prison escape is wrought with twists and turns, tons of action, and a love story. Season 2 follows the brothers, and their gang of escapee assistants, as they are on the run from the FBI, and each other. Season 3 finds Michael imprisoned in a different prison – this time in Panama. He is tasked with freeing a co-prisoner, with Lincoln’s assistance on the outside. Yet again Michael succeeds in a prison break.

And yes, Fox has just given word that Prison Break will return for a Season 4.

So just how does this series continue on? What makes the show such an international hit, and compel people to return season after season to watch what happens to the brothers, their friends, and their enemies?

Action:
First and foremost, Prison Break is an intense, action-packed adventure. The seasons contain twists and turns and the majority of episodes contain their own mini cliff-hangers, leaving us on the edges of our seat, waiting for the next episode to air. Nobody seems safe from being killed off and we find ourselves changing who we root for as the series progresses.

Storytelling:
The plotlines and storytelling in Prison Break are somewhat farfetched. Okay, very farfetched in places! The Boston Herald says, “The show’s plot twists happily skip in and out of the boundaries of logic, ignoring the rules of sense to keep us entertained.” And USA Today says that this is “the kind of show for which you don’t just have to suspend disbelief, you have to pitch it out the window.”

That said, Prison Break is unique in that we can actually identify with these criminals, and ultimately hope for their success in breaking OUT of prison. The character development on the show displays the motives of each character, and manages to make each character likable in his own way.

Acting:
Another major factor in Prison Break’s success is the extraordinary cast! As Ryan Boudinot puts it in his review of the show, “Prison Break is anchored by tight, suspenseful writing clearly relished by the largely little-known cast. Standouts include Robert Knepper as the murderer/pedophile T-Bag, who somehow makes such a despicable character likeable. The mind-bendingly intricate plot is a framework for moments when people make others suffer and cope with the burden of their own suffering.”

The actors are phenomenal in making us believe their storylines.

William Fichtner is amazing in his role as the drug addicted FBI agent. Mahone’s scenes in Sona where he is sweaty and delusional are completely believable.

Wade Williams somehow makes us go from hating Bellick in Season 1 to feeling bad for him in Season 3!

Paul Kellerman also made us hate him in Season 1 and then left all the fans desperate for his return after being killed off in Season 2.

And of course Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell make us feel for the characters and their relationship with each other. I, along with every other female out there, love Wentworth. His quiet intensity and piercing gazes depict more than words ever could.

International Acclaim:
The numbers speak for themselves…

Prison Break has been aired in several countries around the globe, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, Poland, Greece, and more!

Prison Break broke records in Poland and Hong Kong, as the highest rated episode of any foreign series.

Awards:
Prison Break has been nominated for several awards, including:

• 2005 - People’s Choice Awards

• 2005 – Saturn Award
• 2006 - Golden Globe Awards
• 2006 – Television Critics Association Awards
• 2006 – Satellite Award (Robert Knepper)

Paul Scheuring, creator and writer of Prison Break, admitted to the Sydney Morning Herald that he was shocked by the success of the show in the United States.

“If you had have asked me on August 29, 2005, the day we launched in the States, if it was going to be popular and that I would be talking to journalists in Australia about it’s launch there I would have said you were on crack,” he said matter-of-factly.

“We thought it was a really good project with a great cast, but we just didn’t know if anyone would respond to it because it is so unorthodox.”

“I have heard the word addictive a lot when people talk about the show,” Scheuring said.

“Generally that is not a compliment, but when it comes to a TV series it is. I think people like the production value because it feels like a mini movie every week and the girls love the two leads.”

So what do you think? Why is Prison Break such a success?

2006 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Robert Sebree/FOX R. Sebree/FOX

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