Every Prison Break Season & Movie, Ranked Worst To Best

Summary

• Prison Break’s simple yet compelling premise captivated viewers with great characters.
• Season 4 struggled with weak storylines, retcons, and anticlimactic moments that detracted from the show’s impact.
• The revival of Prison Break in 2017 for Season 5 tried something different with a limited series format and a more satisfying conclusion.

Prison Break includes the four original seasons, the movie, and the 2017 revival, but some of these are much better than others. The early 2000s were a great time for television, with many new series doing things differently and introducing new formats and tropes that would inform their respective genres for years to come. Prison Break was one of those shows, and while it had highs and lows, its impact on television is still felt almost 20 years later. The first season of Prison Break had a very simple premise, but as the show went on, new storylines were added.

Few TV shows had an original premise as simple yet compelling as Prison Break. A successful engineer leaving everything behind and robbing a bank so that he could get inside the prison where his brother was about to face the death penalty sounded promising right from the start. Although Wentworth Miller’s Michael Scofield and Dominic Purcell’s Lincoln Burrows were the heart of the show, Prison Break included a great set of characters that became fan favorites and helped the series continue beyond its original premise. Sadly, Prison Break often lost track of what made it so special.

6 Prison Break Season 4

A Disappointing Final Season

Prison Break season 4 made it clear that the show needed to end. After the original “prison break,” Mahone’s quest, and Sona, there was not much left for Prison Break to do with its characters. The show had already placed its protagonists in two different prisons and the run, not to mention the countless twists about The Company and who was behind it all. Prison Break season 4 doubled down on the storylines regarding Michael’s family and even retconned Lincoln’s past, confirming that the show’s main characters were not biological brothers.

Moments like the death of Mahone’s son or Michael’s offscreen demise were very questionable and played against an already weak fourth season.

Before Prison Break returned in 2017, season 4 was supposed to be the final season. Still, it felt like a “filler” adventure with a plotline that barely tied into previous stories. Suddenly, Michael and his associates were supposed to be an elite team of secret agents that would work for a secret government organization to retrieve a data card known as Scylla. The Scylla McGuffin was just not very interesting, and it felt like what was once an intense drama about the bond between two brothers had become yet another action procedural.

Prison Break is one of the most influential TV shows of the 2000s. Alongside the likes of 24 and Lost, Prison Break changed how TV was made and showed that there could be complex stories with fun action and characters releasing every week. However, by the time season 4 arrived, Prison Break was no longer the groundbreaking show it had been. Moments like the death of Mahone’s son or Michael’s offscreen demise were very questionable and played against an already weak fourth season. Fortunately, Prison Break season 4 was not the final chapter of the show.

5 The Final Break

A Needless But Fun Movie

TV movies released to wrap up a series were very common for a while, and Prison Break: The Final Break is perhaps the best example of it. Set between the conclusion of season 4’s main story and the reveal of Mike’s death in the finale, The Final Break revealed what happened to Scofield. The decision to kill Michael offscreen was quite shocking, even though season 4 had confirmed that he was sick. Surprisingly, Michael’s apparent death had nothing to do with his medical condition but rather with his ultimate sacrifice to save Sara.

The Final Break gave Sara her well-deserved time in the spotlight after four seasons of highs and lows regarding her character. Seeing Sara having to break out of prison was a great callback to the first season of the show, during which Sara was the key to Michael’s plan. The Final Break had a runtime of less than two hours, meaning it could only do so much in terms of character development. Still, it was a very intense adventure featuring Sara. Michael’s death was very anticlimactic, and it was fortunately retconned in season 5.

4 Prison Break Season 3

A Season With Great Potential Cut Short

Prison Break was one of many shows affected by the 2007-2008 writers’ strike. This is why season 3 only had 13 episodes instead of the usual 22. The effects of the strike went beyond the number of episodes and were reflected in the quality of the season. Prison Break season 3 felt like an unfinished story that set up a lot of things but did not lead anywhere. After season 2 struggled to find its foot now that the “prison” element of the show was gone, it only made sense for season 3 to try bringing things back to basics.

Prison Break season 3 tried to replicate what had made the first season so good by putting Michael and most of the other characters inside a new prison, Sona. The season also flipped the dynamic between the two brothers since, this time, it was Lincoln trying to save Michael. Sona was meant to be a much worse, dangerous version of the Fox River State Penitentiary, but much of it was very cartoonish. The stakes were not as high as they should have been, and the actual escape was not as compelling as the first one.

It is difficult to imagine what Prison Break season 3 would have been like under normal circumstances, but I believe it could have had a more satisfying conclusion. Everything happened too fast, and potentially great interactions such as Mahone and Michael sharing a cell were not made the most of. In many ways, Prison Break season 3 played out as a lesser version of season 1. That said, for all its flaws, Prison Break’s Sona arc still had a couple of great episodes. This includes “Bang and Burn” and “Hell or High Water.”

3 Prison Break Season 5

A Revival That Tried Something Different

Prison Break was part of a different era of television before streaming platforms and bingeable series with massive budgets. Therefore, once the series returned in 2017, it had the chance to do something very different from the first four seasons. The best way to illustrate how different Prison Break season 5 was compared to others is that it had only nine episodes, working as a limited series instead of a long-form revival. This alone made Prison Break season 5 quite special, even though it also had a lot of problems.

William Fichtner’s Alex Mahone was not in
Prison Break
season 5.

I was not surprised that Prison Break retconned Michael’s death and brought most of the old crew back for one more adventure considering how successful the original show had been. Additionally, given how anticlimactic the original finale and the movie had been, Prison Break arguably needed a new final chapter. The mystery of what happened to Michael and why he was acting so strangely set the narrative for season 5, which was a more narrowed story instead of tackling multiple plotlines. Prison Break season 5’s ending was more satisfying than that of season 4.

2 Prison Break Season 2

A Massive Change For The Show

Prison Break season 2 was very risky. In fact, it can be argued that Prison Break is one of the shows that shows that should have ended after season 1. Apart from a couple of cliffhangers, the story of Michael and his brother did not need a continuation after the end of season 1. The prison break had been concluded, Lincoln was safe, and all the other characters had now been given a second chance. As different as it was from season 1, Prison Break season 2 was still quite good.

The cat-and-mouse dynamic between Michael and Mahone was incredible and set the tone for the season.

It took a while for the show to adjust to its new premise now that the original story of Michael saving Lincoln’s life by breaking him out of prison was over. Prison Break season 2 was not as good as the first season, but it had enough good episodes to keep the show going strong. The best thing about Prison Break season 2 was Alex Mahone, a villain who raised the stakes for the series and matched Michael’s intellect. The cat-and-mouse dynamic between Michael and Mahone was incredible and set the tone for the season.

1 Prison Break Season 1

A Nearly Perfect First Season

One of the best first seasons of all time, Prison Break season 1 was everything that the show needed to be. With a great premise and a strong cast of characters, Prison Break debuted as one of the most innovative television shows. It combined action, drama, and a somewhat procedural formula without ever feeling repetitive or limiting itself to a “problem of the week” for Michael to solve. Each episode allowed viewers to learn more about Michael Scofield, his brother, and everyone else at the prison. If none of the other seasons had happened, Prison Break would’ve still been a game-changing show.

Michael Scofield is a fantastic main character and easily wins over viewers. It all starts with his creative plan, which includes an instant classic scene in which Micahel reveals that his body is now the map to get out of the prison. Michael’s arrival at the penitentiary changes everything and disrupts the power dynamics that were in place. Enter names like T-Bag and Abruzzi, who serve as antagonists but later become part of the team. Prison Break season 1 ends with the cathartic escape and delivers on every level, making it the show’s best installment by far.