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 Paul 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, currently in its third season, was originally only planned to run for two seasons. [3] 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. [4] Its success and recognition as a prison drama revived interest in the genre.[5]
Production
Conception
The original concept of Prison Break—a man deliberately getting himself sent to prison in order to help someone else escape—was suggested to Paul Scheuring by producer Dawn Parouse, who wanted to produce an action-oriented series. Although Scheuring thought it was a good idea, he was initially stumped as to why someone would embark on such a mission or how he could develop it into a viable television show. He came up with the story of the wrongfully accused brother, and began working on the plot outline and devising the characters. In 2003, he pitched the idea to the Fox Broadcasting Company but was turned down as Fox felt nervous about the long-term possibilities of such a series. He subsequently showed the concept to other channels but was also turned down as it was thought to be more suited for a film project than a television series.[6] Prison Break was later considered as a possible 14-part miniseries, which drew the interest of Steven Spielberg before his departure due to his involvement with War of the Worlds. Thus, the miniseries never materialized. Following the huge popularity of serialized prime time television series such as Lost and 24, the Fox Network had a change of heart and backed the production in 2004.[7] The pilot episode was filmed a year after Scheuring wrote the script and five months later, the show was picked up as a series.[8]
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."[9] 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.[10]
Dominic Purcell was cast three days before the start of production and consequently, he was the last actor to join the original cast.[10] 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.[6] 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.[9]
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.[11]
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[10] and was also the first to become a principal cast member.[12] 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.[11]
The remaining original cast included Robin Tunney, Marshall Allman, and Peter Stormare, who were cast as Veronica Donovan, L. J. Burrows, and John Abruzzi respectively.
Music
The theme music of Prison Break and the incidental music of each episode are composed by Ramin Djawadi. 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.[13] 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.
Broadcast history
The first season of Prison Break premiered on the Fox Network in the United States on August 29 2005 at 9:00 pm ET and went on hiatus on November 28 2005. After the show resumed on March 20 2006, it was moved to an earlier timeslot to 8:00 pm ET, followed by 24. Season 1 reached its completion on May 15 2006. The second season was aired from August 21, 2006 to April 2 2007 while retaining its Monday 8:00 pm ET timeslot. The first 17 minutes of the season three premiere was made available online for streaming by Fox on August 24 2007 and was subsequently posted on various television media websites. [14] The third season premiered on September 17 2007 and airs in its previous Monday 8:00 pm ET timeslot on Fox. Season one initially premiered in the UK on Channel 4, but due to poor viewer ratings the programme rights were sold to Five who repeated the series from the very start. As its popularity grew, in the fall of 2007 Five sold the viewing rights to Sky One for a reported £1,000,000. Season 3 started on Monday 17th September 2007.[15]
Filming locations
The majority of the first season of Prison Break was filmed on location in Chicago.[16] After it was closed down in 2002, Joliet Prison became the set of Prison Break in 2005, and was immortalized as Fox River State Penitentiary on screen. Scenes set in Lincoln's cell, the infirmary and the prison yard were all shot on location at the prison.[17] Lincoln's cell is the same one that John Wayne Gacy was incarcerated in. Most of the production crew refused to enter the cell, thinking that it was haunted.[16] The cells that housed the general prison population were specially built with three tiers whereas the actual cells located in Joliet Prison only had two tiers and were smaller.[17] Exterior scenes were filmed in areas around Chicago, Woodstock, and Joliet in Illinois. Other locations included O'Hare International Airport in Chicago and Toronto, Ontario in Canada. Prison Break spent $2 million per episode in the state of Illinois, which cost them a total of $24 million in 2005.[16]
Renewed for a second season, Prison Break resumed filming on June 15 2006 in Dallas, Texas due to the close proximity of rural and urban settings.[18] Locations within a 30-minute radius of Dallas were chosen which included Little Elm, Decatur and Mineral Wells.[19] Many of these locations were used to represent various American towns.[20] For the final three episodes of the second season, filming took place in Pensacola, Florida to represent Panama.[21] Each episode takes eight days to film and approximately $1.4 million goes to the local economy per episode.[22] The show is expected to spend in excess of $50 million in Dallas.[23]
Plot
Main article: List of Prison Break episodes
Promotional photo of Michael Scofield and Lincoln Burrows.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.
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".[23] 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.
Series creator Paul Scheuring has commented that the overall theme of Season 3 will be "redemption".[6] The plot will continue from the second season finale, where most of the main characters have ended up in Panama. 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". While Lincoln is exonerated from his alleged crimes, Michael is imprisoned at Sona Federal Prison facing a homicide charge. He is supposed to break out to free another convict, James Whistler.[1]
Characters
Main article: List of Prison Break characters
Prison Break maintains an ensemble cast of ten or more actors for each season along with many recurring guest stars. The first season's regularly appearing characters include characters that were based in Chicago or at Fox River State Penitentiary. The second season contains most of the first season's cast with the inclusion of a new major character, an FBI agent whose job is to track down the eight escaped prisoners from Fox River. The third season, which is set in Panama, introduces four new characters; two of whom are prisoners at Penitenciaría Federal de Sona (Sona Federal Penitentiary). Most of the changes in the cast have been due to character deaths. Series creator, Paul Scheuring, explains that killing off major characters "makes the audience that much more fearful for our protagonists" and that "it actually does help us in terms of reducing story lines".[24]
Season 1 promotional photograph of the Prison Break cast.
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 the Vice President of the United States's brother. 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 and a minor character in the second 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.
Season 3 sees the addition of four major characters: Lechero (played by Robert Wisdom), James Whistler (played by Chris Vance), Susan B. Anthony (played by Jodi Lyn O'Keefe) and Sofia Lugo (played by Danay Garcia). Lechero is a prisoner at Sona and a Panamanian drug kingpin while "Susan B. Anthony" is an operative for the Company. Sofia is the girlfriend of Whistler, who is incarcerated in the same prison as Michael.
Season 4
premiered on September 1, 2008 and follows on from Season 3. Michael seeks revenge for Sara's death and finds out that she is alive and that the head given to Lincoln was someone else. Michael also learns the truth about Whistler, that he has secretly been working alongside Mahone to take down the Company. Whistler's life is taken shortly after this by a Company Operative. It is learned that the inmates rioted at Sona and Bellick, T-Bag and Sucre escaped during the chaos. Donald Self (Michael Rapaport), a Department of Homeland Security agent, recruits Michael and Lincoln as well as Sucre, Bellick (Wade Williams) and Mahone for their help to bring down the Company in exchange for their freedom. Also joining the group are Sara, who escaped from Gretchen which resulted in Gretchen's own captivity by the Company, having failed to secure a valuable item, and Roland (James Hiroyuki Liao), a hacker who was assigned to help them after getting arrested for identity theft. Together, they devise a plan to retrieve data from the Company that will help to destroy the Company. In the meantime, Wyatt (Cress Williams), an agent from the Company, attempts to track Michael and Lincoln down and T-Bag heads North to the US with the "Birds" book in his possesion. He is in the process of stealing Whistler's plan.
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