Prison Breakwas an incredibly successful show after it initially premiered in 2005, but a potential reboot is going to have to avoid the mistake that almost killed the original show.Prison Breakinitially told the story of Michael Scofield(Wentworth Miller), who intentionally gets himself imprisoned so he can break his brother Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell) out before he is executed for a crime he didn’t commit. Whileeight people eventually escaped Fox River State Penitentiaryat the end ofPrison Breakseason 1, the next few seasons failed to live up to the expectations of the first one.
It was announced in 2023 that originalPrison Breakproducer Marty Adelstein was looking to reboot the seriesbut without the main cast, most notably Wentworth Miller who has publicly stated that he would not return to the character of Michael Scofield. It’s not clear what characters these scripts Adelstein is developing will follow, but, interestingly, the door has been left open for other characters from the original show. WhilethePrison Breakreboot hasn’t yet been greenlit at Fox, audiences can hopefully expect an announcement sooner rather than later.
The Prison Break Reboot Is Right In Following New Characters Over Michael & Lincoln
Fans Shouldn’t Expect to See Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell
While the first few seasons ofPrison Breakwere engaging, by the time the show came to its conclusion, many felt like the show had seen better days. WhenPrison Breakcame back for season 5 in 2017which was nine years after the season 4 finale, it was clear that the show had lost a lot of its touch. Thoughthe root of the show centered around the relationship between Michael Scofield and Lincoln Burrows, writers can also pull from any number of characters fromPrison Break’s large ensemble castor, even better, start a new story from scratch.
Prison Break: Everything We Know About the Upcoming Revival
A Prison Break revival is reportedly in the works, and this is what we know so far.
Having a new core cast that can be supplemented by familiar faces fromPrison Break’s original five seasonsis kind of brilliant. Michael and Lincoln’s storylines had been nicely wrapped up in seasons 4 and 5, so letting them live normal lives offscreen is probably for the best.Having a new core cast would also breathe new life into the franchise and give fans new characters to root forand hate when it comes to escaping. Overall, bringingPrison Breakback to its roots by making it a show centered around a prison break is a good idea.
Not Knowing When To End Michael & Lincoln’s Story Is What Killed Prison Break
The Show Just Went On For Too Long
The idea thatPrison Breakseason 1 had the main protagonists break out of a physical prison and the season 2 premise was that Michael and Lincoln’s new prison to escape was the United States itself was interesting.The escape from Fox River was essentially just step one of the brothers’ overall escapeto freedom. However, when Michael was taken into custody again at the end ofPrison Breakseason 2, it was clear that Michael and Lincoln’s story wasn’t over.
Michael’s whole goal in breaking Lincoln out of prison was to save his life, but when that was no longer the show’s guiding light, it started to fall flat.
Prison Breakmight’ve gone down as one of the best series of all time if the show had ended after season 2, but a lackluster season 3, a confusing season 4, and an entirely unnecessary season 5 have left a bad taste in some people’s mouths. Michael’s whole goal in breaking Lincoln out of prison was to save his life, but when that was no longer the show’s guiding light, it started to fall flat. This paired with consistently shoehorning in characters like T-Bag and Fernando Sucre made the story hard to follow and believe.
A Reboot With New Characters Is The Only Way To Continue Prison Break
The Ending Doesn’t Leave Room For Old Characters
It’s not surprising that Fox is looking to reboot a show that did so well for them. However,Prison Breakseason 5 wasn’t well received by audiences, and it ended eerily like how the TV movieThe Final Breakdid. If Fox is looking for aPrison Breakreboot to do well, it must be with new characters if it wants to be a mainstay for them.While connections, whether that be in references, or character cameos, would be great to connect the old version ofPrison Breakto the reboot,the show must walk a fine line.
A great way to incorporate Michael Scofield and Lincoln Burrows into thePrison Breakreboot would be to have the new main cast essentially look up to them, idolize them, or reference their escapes to aid their own. This way, it’s possible to keep the spirit of the original show alive, along with the characters of Michael and Lincoln, but without having to bring back actors like Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell. Details may still be sparse about the plot, but hopefully, audiences will get a greenlight announcement about thePrison Breakreboot soon.
Prison Break
Cast
Prison Break tells the story of two brothers who must unravel a political conspiracy while escaping from one of the most secure places on Earth. When petty criminal Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell) is falsely convicted of murdering the Vice President’s brother, his own brother, Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller), has himself incarcerated in order to stage a daring prison break using the blueprints of the facility he has tattooed on his body.
