TV SERIES · 2005–2017 · USA
Prison Break
- Created by
- Paul T. Scheuring
- Network
- FOX
- Seasons
- 5
- Episodes
- 88
- Studio
- Adelstein/Parouse Productions, 20th Century Fox Television, RAT Entertainment
23 archived facts 2 topics 1 source Last reviewed Sep 2026
Due to a political conspiracy, an innocent man is sent to death row and his only hope is his brother, who makes it his mission to deliberately get himself sent to the same prison in order to break the both of them out, from the inside out.
Summary: TMDB
9 Facts From the Making of Prison Break
- #001
The original concept of Prison Break, in which a man deliberately gets himself sent to prison to help someone escape, was suggested to Paul Scheuring by producer Dawn Parouse, who wanted an action-oriented series.
- #002
Paul Scheuring developed the story of the wrongfully accused brother and began working on the plot outline and characters for Prison Break.
- #003
In 2003, Paul Scheuring pitched Prison Break to the Fox Broadcasting Company, which turned it down over concerns about the series' long-term possibilities; other channels also passed on it, considering the concept better suited to a film than a television series.
- #004
Prison Break was considered as a possible 14-part miniseries that drew Steven Spielberg's interest before he departed because of his involvement with War of the Worlds, so the miniseries never materialized; Fox backed the production in 2004 after serialized prime time series such as 24 and Lost became hugely popular, and the pilot was filmed one year after Scheuring wrote the script.
- #009
Prison Break was expected to spend more than $50 million in Texas during its second season.
- #018
Prison Break uses a serialized story structure comparable to that of 24, its companion show during the first season.
- #019
At the 2009 TV Critics Press Tour, Kevin Reilly announced that Prison Break would conclude with its fourth season.
- #020
Kevin Reilly attributed Prison Break's cancellation to creativity rather than declining ratings, saying the show had played out and its stories had been told.
- #021
Kevin Reilly described the Prison Break finale as a strong ending, saying he knew where the show ended and called it a hell of an idea.
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
Sources for the entries on this page
- Wikipedia Prison Break — Wikipedia
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