Prison Break's Reboot Is Avoiding The Mistake That Killed The Original Show After Season 1

By Tara Salvati

Published Nov 7, 2024

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eight people eventually escaped Fox River State Penitentiary at the end of Prison Break season 1, the next few seasons failed to live up to the expectations of the first one.

It was announced in 2023 that original Prison Break producer Marty Adelstein was looking to reboot the series but 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. While the Prison Break reboot 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

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While the first few seasons of Prison Break were engaging, by the time the show came to its conclusion, many felt like the show had seen better days. When Prison Break’s large ensemble cast or, even better, start a new story from scratch.

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Wentworth Miller at Michael in Prison Break

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Having a new core cast that can be supplemented by familiar faces from Prison Break’s original five seasons is 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 for and hate when it comes to escaping. Overall, bringing Prison Break back 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 that Prison Break season 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 escape to freedom. However, when Michael was taken into custody again at the end of Prison Break season 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 Break might’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 Break season 5 wasn’t well received by audiences, and it ended eerily like how the TV movie The Final Break did. If Fox is looking for a Prison Break reboot 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 of Prison Break to the reboot, the show must walk a fine line.

A great way to incorporate Michael Scofield and Lincoln Burrows into the Prison Break reboot 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 the Prison Break reboot soon.