# Prison Break (2005)

> A structural engineer deliberately lands himself in the same prison as his wrongly condemned brother so he can plan their escape from within.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/2169

## Facts

- Seasons: 5
- Episodes: 88
- Episode runtime: 45 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: crime, drama, thriller
- Created by: Paul T. Scheuring
- Network: FOX
- Cast: Wentworth Miller, Marshall Allman, Dominic Purcell, Sarah Wayne Callies, William Fichtner, Paul Adelstein, Wade Williams, Jodi Lyn O'Keefe
- TMDB rating: 8.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0455275/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: tense, propulsive, paranoid, earnest, operatic

## What critics say

Viewers broadly acclaim the high-stakes escape-plot engineering and the tense cat-and-mouse rhythm, with audience ratings that drift downward across the run.

## Synopsis

Prison Break (2005-2017) is an American network serialized crime thriller created by Paul T. Scheuring for FOX. Structural engineer Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller) deliberately gets himself sent to Fox River State Penitentiary so he can break his wrongly condemned brother Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell) out from the inside. Lincoln's younger son LJ Burrows (Marshall Allman) and Michael's ally Fernando Sucre (Amaury Nolasco) add stakes outside and within the walls, while Sara Tancredi (Sarah Wayne Callies) and the relentless agent Alexander Mahone (William Fichtner) pull the story in other directions. Each stretch of the run is built from blueprints, tattooed clues, bribes, smuggled tools and guards who must be outwitted, and every season widens the frame-up into a larger political conspiracy. The tone is taut, propulsive and paranoid, with an operatic streak of loyalty and sacrifice. Across five seasons and 88 episodes, the show builds a serialized escape saga that rewards close attention. Fans of Oz, 24 and Lost will find resonance in its blend of tight plotting, moral compromise and season-long mystery. Set in contemporary America, it moves between prison yards, Chicago streets and far-flung hideouts.

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- [Breakout Kings (2011)](https://ember.film/tv/30245)
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- [For Life (2020)](https://ember.film/tv/77967)
- [Thief (2006)](https://ember.film/tv/3739)
- [Lost (2004)](https://ember.film/tv/4385)
- [Orange Is the New Black (2013)](https://ember.film/tv/1340)
- [The Following (2013)](https://ember.film/tv/40965)
- [Prisoner (2026)](https://ember.film/tv/1105173)

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