This article contains references to graphic violence.
Prison Break's four seasons, reboot, and movie took the show from gritty drama to sci-fi at times.
The first season of Prison Break is tense, claustrophobic, and tragic. When the escape succeeds in the season 1 finale, this leads the show into a manhunt that consumes most of season 2. The first two seasons were excellent, with some shocking and brutal moments in season 3, but Prison Break's quality declined by season 4, which had far less violence. The divisive ending of the original series has been retconned, meaning that the show now has three different endings. However, the Prison Break reboot must resolve the ending and return the show to its original tone.
The Prison Break Reboot Must Be As Dark And Violent As Season 1
Some of Prison Break's Most Brutal Moments Happened In Season 1
Part of what made Prison Break so compelling was its unflinching portrayal of the violence and internal conflicts that happen inside a prison. Michael has to contend with the sadistic guards and several allegiances and fights between the inmates, all while carrying out his escape plan. The later seasons focus too much on sanitized government conspiracies, losing the essence of the show. The Prison Break reboot must fix the original show's problems, and one of these is the drastic genre change. The reboot must be a dark and violent drama and not a slick sci-fi.
Even Michael is not immune to torture in Prison Break season 1.
Several of the Fox River Eight are killed in season 2, but some of the most tragic moments in Prison Break happen in season 1. When the villainous T-Bag (Robert Knepper) abuses yet another frightened young man, the experience is so traumatic that he takes his own life in front of the entire prison. Later, Westmoreland (Muse Watson) finds that his beloved cat has been murdered by the antagonistic guard Bellick (Wade Williams) before he dies in agony during the escape. Even Michael is not immune to torture in Prison Break's season 1, with the mafia boss John Abruzzi (Peter Stormare) cutting two of his toes off.
Prison Break Became Too Cartoonish As The Show Went On
The Prison Break Reboot Must Simplify Its Story To Succeed
Many of the villains in Prison Break are larger-than-life characters, with both Bellick and T-Bag often stealing the show whenever they appear onscreen. That said, these antagonists are somewhat realistic, while the ones in seasons 3 and 4 have more in common with Bond villains than characters in a gritty crime series. Pitting Michael and his team against the government and its Scylla database took away some of the character-driven aspects of the show, and this failure is one of the harsh realities of rewatching Prison Break. Therefore, the reboot must make its antagonists human rather than cartoonish.
The Prison Break Reboot Is Already Avoiding The Mistake That Killed The Original Show
The Prison Break reboot is making the controversial decision of veering away from Michael and Lincoln’s storyline for the first time.
The original premise for Prison Break was simple. Each episode shows Michael working on his escape plan, using his tattoos as a guide for each step. While there are side plots and a government coverup, these all directly affect Lincoln's fate, which is still tied to Michael and the central escape plot. Prison Break season 1 told a simple story in a complex way, and this is where the third and fourth seasons went wrong. Rather than trying to add too many elements, the Prison Break reboot should simplify its story and bring back the brutality of the flagship season.
Prison Break
- Release Date
- 2005 - 2017-00-00
- Network
- FOX
- Showrunner
- Paul Scheuring
Cast
Curtis Lum
Sarah Wayne Callies
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