--- title: "Prison Break" year: 2005 kind: "series" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/prison-break" fi1m_id: "prison-break" imdb_id: "tt0455275" tmdb_id: 2288 wikidata_id: "Q80044" fi1m_score: 68 critics_score: 70 critics_reviews: 11 published: "2026-09-23T14:13:59.090410+00:00" updated: "2026-09-23T14:13:59.757142+00:00" region: "IS" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Prison Break (2005) Created by Paul Scheuring · Action & Adventure, Crime, Drama ## Identity Prison Break - **Canonical:** https://film.one/tv/prison-break - **Type:** Series - **Fi1m ID:** prison-break - **IMDb ID:** tt0455275 - **TMDB ID:** 2288 - **Wikidata ID:** Q80044 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0455275/, https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/2288, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q80044 **Fi1m score: 68** · Critics 70 from 11 reviews *In a sentence:* One tight season about a man with a prison drawn on his arms, then four more spent looking for the exit > The first season of Paul Scheuring’s series is as tight and daft a thriller as we have seen on television, and Wentworth Miller holds it together with a stare. The four seasons that follow keep running and never find anywhere worth arriving. ## Synopsis Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller), a structural engineer, holds up a bank and makes sure he is caught. He wants a cell in Fox River State Penitentiary, where his brother Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell) is on death row for a murder he swears he did not commit. Michael has had the prison’s plans hidden inside the tattoos that cover his torso and arms. To get them both out he needs his cellmate Fernando Sucre (Amaury Nolasco), a place on the work detail run by the mob boss John Abruzzi (Peter Stormare), regular visits to the infirmary and its doctor Sara Tancredi (Sarah Wayne Callies), and to keep clear of the guard Brad Bellick (Wade Williams) and the inmate Theodore ‘T-Bag’ Bagwell (Robert Knepper). Outside, Lincoln’s son LJ (Marshall Allman) and a lawyer begin asking who wanted Lincoln convicted. ## Review Paul Scheuring’s idea is a good one, and it is a single one. A structural engineer gets himself sent to prison to break his brother out, with the building’s plans tattooed over his body, so the guards search him daily and never find them. Everything in the first season of *Prison Break* follows from that: each episode is a step in the plan and a thing that goes wrong with it, and for twenty-two hours that is enough. The four seasons after it are another matter. Brett Ratner directed the pilot and Dante Spinotti shot it. Fox River is grey wall, green paint and high barred windows that put stripes across every face; the yard is a flat white glare with nowhere to hide. The tattoo is a full-torso spread of demons, angels and curling script with the prison’s ducts and drains drawn into the folds, so that it looks like a bad decision made in a parlour. When Miller takes his shirt off and the show lays the blueprints over his skin, it is the one visual trick the series owns outright, and it uses it every week. Wentworth Miller plays Michael Scofield with almost nothing: a low voice, a level gaze, a small tilt of the head when a plan changes. The man is a planner and the drama is in watching him think. Dominic Purcell, in shackles and waiting to die, can do little as Lincoln but be angry and frightened. Sarah Wayne Callies’s Sara Tancredi, the infirmary doctor Michael visits with a diabetes he does not have, is the season’s only warmth. Peter Stormare’s John Abruzzi runs the work detail like a small business. Amaury Nolasco’s Fernando Sucre wants out to see a girl. And Robert Knepper’s T-Bag, soft-spoken and courtly, inviting new arrivals to hold his pocket as they cross the yard, is the most frightening thing in it, because Knepper plays him as a man who believes he has good manners. We were gripped, and we can say when. Early in the run Michael refuses to give Abruzzi a name he wants, and Abruzzi’s men take two of his toes with garden shears. We sat up. The show had just told us that its hero would be hurt and that it was not going to cut away. From then on every episode ends on a shut door, a found tool or a guard turning the wrong corner, and the editors cut those endings so the credits arrive before you have breathed out. We watched more in one sitting than we had meant to. The weakness is there in the first season too, and it is everything outside the walls. Lincoln has been framed by people in government, Paul Adelstein’s Paul Kellerman smiles and kills on their behalf, and Lincoln’s son LJ (Marshall Allman) is chased by men in dark cars. These scenes are shot in the amber light of every conspiracy drama and explain themselves in the tone of a man reading a memo. Whenever the show left Fox River we waited for it to go back. Then the season ended, and the show had to leave for good, because the title had promised it would. The second season is a chase, and William Fichtner rescues it as Alexander Mahone, who studies photographs of the tattoo and is the only person as clever as Scofield. The third, thirteen episodes in another prison in another country, adds Jodi Lyn O’Keefe’s Gretchen Morgan and Danay García’s Sofia Lugo and gives neither much to do; by its middle we were counting the episodes left. The fourth is a heist built around an object invented for the purpose. The nine-episode revival, *Resurrection*, in 2017, starts from a premise we will not describe and never persuades us it needed to exist. *Escape from Alcatraz* and *Le Trou* both knew that the pleasure of a break-out is in the tools and the waiting, and for one season Scheuring knew it too. Watch that season and treat its last episode as an ending. If you go on, go on for Fichtner, with your hopes lowered. It began on 29 August 2005 and carries a 15 certificate. *Fi1m score 68, published 23 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics like Prison Break, and they like it for the same reason: the premise. A structural engineer tattoos the prison’s blueprints onto his body and gets himself locked up to free his brother, and the reviews agree the first season’s intricate plotting and steady escalation make that idea hold. Wentworth Miller’s steely lead performance gets much of the credit for carrying viewers through it, and the ensemble draws warm notices, with Robert Knepper’s T-Bag named repeatedly as the standout. The reservations cluster on everything after the first season. Later runs are described as a repetitive cycle of capture and escape, with convoluted plotting and diminishing returns, and Paste argues the series should have stopped after one year. The 2017 revival divides the reviews: IndieWire welcomes its return to the old formula of tattoos and conspiracies, while The Hollywood Reporter thinks it should have stayed dead. The spread is wide, from open enthusiasm to that lone dismissal. ## Straight answers **Is Prison Break worth watching?** *Prison Break* is worth watching for its first season alone, and we scored the series 68 overall. Those twenty-two episodes are a tight, daft break-out thriller held together by Wentworth Miller's stare, and we watched more in one sitting than we meant to. The four seasons that follow keep running without arriving anywhere, so treat the first finale as the ending. **Where can I watch Prison Break in Iceland?** *Prison Break* is streaming on Disney+ in Iceland. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is Prison Break, and is it suitable for children?** *Prison Break* carries a UK 15 certificate and is not suitable for children. Early on the hero loses two toes to garden shears and the camera does not cut away, Robert Knepper's T-Bag is a soft-spoken predator who is the most frightening thing in it, and the whole plot turns on a man waiting to be executed. Older teenagers used to crime drama will manage; the squeamish should look elsewhere. **How does Prison Break compare to The Wizard of Oz?** *Prison Break* and [*The Wizard of Oz*](https://film.one/film/the-wizard-of-oz) share almost nothing beyond a hero desperate to get somewhere else, and the 1939 film is the better and more durable of the two. Fleming's musical belongs to family viewing, with Judy Garland making the homesickness hurt, while Scheuring's series is a 15-rated thriller about a planned escape. Choose the film for an evening with children and the first season of the series for adults who like watching a plan go wrong. **What should I watch after Prison Break?** After *Prison Break*, try [*Oz*](https://film.one/film/the-wizard-of-oz) (1997, Fi1m 91): Tom Fontana’s prison series, where nobody plans to leave and the block is the whole world. Then [*A Prophet*](https://film.one/film/a-prophet) (2009, Fi1m 86): Jacques Audiard follows a young inmate learning how a French prison works, slowly and violently; and [*Money Heist*](https://film.one/tv/money-heist) (2017, Fi1m 70): A mastermind, a plan and a gang of loud nicknames; the Spanish heist with the same pulse. ### Reviews we read (11) - **Empire**, Angie Errigo (89/100, inferred): The critic praises the audacious high-concept premise of a structural engineer tattooing prison blueprints on his body to break out his brother, calling it one of the most compelling serial thrillers from US television. They single out the clever, nail-bitingly intricate plotting and escalating ingenuity in the early episodes for particular praise. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/prison-break-season-1-part-1-review/) - **IndieWire**, Liz Shannon Miller (84/100, inferred): The critic celebrates the revival's return to the original series' weird, addictive formula of tattoos, conspiracies and escapes, praising how it embraces the show's unapologetic absurdity without major changes. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/shows/prison-break-review-return-1201801040/) - **The Guardian**, Charlie Brooker (77/100, inferred): The critic celebrates the show's unapologetic stupidity as a potential new golden age of inanity. He singles out the ludicrous premise, including the tattooed prison blueprints and the structural engineer's bank robbery to get imprisoned, for particular mockery and delight. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2006/jan/21/tvandradio.theguide) - **The Times**, Stephen Armstrong (77/100, inferred): The piece profiles the show's star and describes the bonkers, bruising premise as a surprise hit. It singles out Wentworth Miller's lead performance as largely responsible for carrying viewers through television’s all-time most ludicrous plot involving conspiracies, death row, and intricate escape plans. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/television-he-aint-guilty-hes-my-brother-0tn5s70tqz7) - **Variety**, Brian Lowry (75/100, inferred): The review finds the series intriguing primarily due to its strong cast led by Wentworth Miller as the determined brother masterminding the escape. It singles out Miller’s steely intensity and the tantalizing setup for praise while noting the surplus of moving parts in the premiere leaves some uncertainty about sustaining the premise. [Read](https://variety.com/2005/film/awards/prison-break-4-1200523700/) - **The AV Club**, Josh Modell (C+): The review notes the revival's silly, convoluted plot and over-the-top elements but finds it ultimately entertaining and fun in a mindless way, highlighting the excitement of the escape premise and some MacGyver-like moments. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/prison-break-rises-from-the-dead-takes-off-running-1798190910) - **The Telegraph** (3/5): The critic views the revival as a nostalgic blast of pure escapism that works for fans of the original's outlandish schemes. They single out the monotonous cycle of incarceration and escape after season one as the main flaw, alongside the enduring appeal of the clever twists and attractive characters. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2017/04/11/prison-break-returns-blast-pure-escapism-review/) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Tim Goodman (38/100, inferred): The critic views the revival as one best left dead, aimed only at diehard nostalgic fans, with a clunky story reliant on prior knowledge of characters and motivations. They single out the revival of the main character from the dead and reliance on familiar but exhausted plot devices for complaint. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/prison-break-review-991046/) - **Den of Geek** (70/100, inferred): The piece praises the first season's compulsive, entertaining prison-break thrills and standout characters like T-Bag and Mahone while criticizing the later seasons' convoluted plotting, diminishing returns and wasted potential. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-wasted-potential-of-prison-break/) - **Digital Spy**, Morgan Jeffery (70/100, inferred): The retrospective highlights the addictive storytelling and strong ensemble of the early seasons, especially the first, while noting the show's bold risks, memorable characters like T-Bag and Mahone, and its peak as slick, fun TV despite later weaknesses. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a356121/prison-break-tube-talk-gold/) - **Paste**, Amy Amatangelo (5.8): The critic argues the series probably should have ended after one season, calling it a preposterous but entertaining testosterone-fueled soap opera for its initial run. They single out the breakout performance of Robert Knepper as T-Bag as a highlight amid the cheesy sets and corny dialogue. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/prison-break/prison-break-should-have-stayed-locked-up) ## Details - **Created by:** Paul Scheuring - **Creator:** Paul Scheuring - **Director:** Bobby Roth, Kevin Hooks, Nelson McCormick, Dwight H. Little, Karen Gaviola, Michael Switzer, Guy Ferland, Milan Cheylov, Vincent Misiano, Greg Yaitanes, Jace Alexander, Vern Gillum, Garry A. Brown, Sergio Mimica-Gezzan, Jesse Bochco, Kevin Tancharoen, Matt Earl Beesley, Bryan Spicer, Maja Vrvilo, Jonathan Glassner, Dean White, Randy Zisk, Craig Ross Jr., Fred Gerber, Eric Laneuville, Sanford Bookstaver, Peter O'Fallon, Jesús Salvador Treviño, Robert Mandel, Mark Helfrich, Michael W. Watkins, Brad Turner, Brett Ratner - **Writer:** Zack Estrin, Nick Santora, Karyn Usher, Matt Olmstead, Paul Scheuring, Seth Hoffman, Kalinda Vazquez, Christian W. Trokey, Monica Macer, Michael Horowitz, Graham Roland, Vaun Wilmott, Nicholas Wootton, Rachel Abramowitz, Michael Pavone, Joshua Goldin - **Story:** Paul Scheuring - **Teleplay:** Zack Estrin, Matt Olmstead - **Cinematography:** Fernando Argüelles, Jeffrey C. Mygatt, Robert LaBonge, Christopher Manley, Robbie Greenberg, Rick Anderson, Dante Spinotti - **Editor:** Scott Eilers, Etienne Des Lauriers, Eric Seaburn, Warren Bowman, Kaja Fehr, James Coblentz, Scott Powell, Bart Rachmil, Fred Peterson, Gregory T. Evans, Mark Helfrich, Dino C.C. DeLorenzo - **Producer:** Garry A. Brown, Nick Santora, Karyn Usher - **Cast:** Wentworth Miller as Michael Scofield; Marshall Allman as LJ Burrows; Dominic Purcell as Lincoln Burrows; Sarah Wayne Callies as Sara Tancredi; William Fichtner as Alexander Mahone; Paul Adelstein as Paul Kellerman; Wade Williams as Brad Bellick; Jodi Lyn O'Keefe as Gretchen Morgan - **Release (Iceland):** 29 August 2005 - **Genres:** Action & Adventure, Crime, Drama ## Where to watch in Iceland - Disney+: streaming, hd *Checked 2026-09-23.* Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, IE, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Le Trou* (1960): Jacques Becker’s Paris cellmates dig in near silence, and every scrape of the spoon counts. - *Escape from Alcatraz* (1979): Eastwood, a spoon and a papier-mâché head; the break-out as patient manual labour. - *Oz* (1997), Fi1m 91: Tom Fontana’s prison series, where nobody plans to leave and the block is the whole world. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-wizard-of-oz.md) - *A Prophet* (2009), Fi1m 86: Jacques Audiard follows a young inmate learning how a French prison works, slowly and violently. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/a-prophet.md) - *Money Heist* (2017), Fi1m 70: A mastermind, a plan and a gang of loud nicknames; the Spanish heist with the same pulse. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/money-heist.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/tv/prison-break