Prison Playbook

With his major league baseball debut right around the corner, a star pitcher lands in prison and must learn to navigate his new world.

Prison Playbook (2017-2018) is a South Korean prison comedy-drama series created by Lee Woo-jung and Lee Do-hyun for tvN. Its protagonist, a star baseball pitcher poised for his major league debut, is wrongly swept into a detention center and must learn to survive a new world of rival inmate gangs, scheming guards and corrupt officials. Park Hae-soo plays Kim Je-hyeok, the pitcher who has to rethink what loyalty and ambition mean, alongside Jung Kyung-ho as Lee Jun-ho and Lee Kyoo-hyung as Looney, whose friendships and rivalries shape each episode. The series is built around everyday prison survival: negotiating cell hierarchies, outmaneuvering gangsters and seeking a way home without giving up the integrity he brought with him. Its single season of sixteen long episodes gives the story room to move from comic mishap to heavier stakes. The tone is witty and irreverent with a gritty undercurrent, balancing sharp humor against harsher prison realities. Fans of Oz, Orange Is the New Black and Misfits will find resonance in its blend of institutional satire, ensemble camaraderie and dark comedy.

Audiences broadly acclaim the series for its witty dark comedy, sharp prison-life detail and strong ensemble performances.

• Ozshared dark comedy tone, prison setting, and institutional corruption themes
• Orange Is the New Blackshared prison comedy-drama blend with a fish-out-of-water protagonist
• Misfitsshared workplace-style ensemble comedy with a sharp, witty tone and gritty undercurrent

Created by

Lee Woo-jung, Lee Do-hyun

Release Date

2017-11-22

Episode runtime

92 min

Rating

8.3 / 10 (109)

What is Prison Playbook about?

A star baseball pitcher on the verge of his major league debut is sent to prison and must learn to survive its gangs, guards and politics.

What is Prison Playbook like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Prison Playbook as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is Prison Playbook violent?

Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Prison Playbook as moderate.

What did critics think of Prison Playbook?

Audiences broadly acclaim the series for its witty dark comedy, sharp prison-life detail and strong ensemble performances.

Which shows are like Prison Playbook?

Shows with a similar feel include Oz, Orange Is the New Black, and Misfits.

How long is Prison Playbook?

Prison Playbook: 1 season, 16 episodes.

Is Prison Playbook still running?

No, Prison Playbook has ended.

Where can I watch Prison Playbook?

In United States, Prison Playbook streams on Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads.