Netflix Dark Action Thriller Series Remains Fan Favorite Years Later
If you’re looking for a solid thriller series to stream on Netflix, you’ll be happy to learn that the ever-popular Prison Break is back on the platform. The show is always pretty popular when it returns to streaming, and there are sure to be plenty of old fans and newcomers binging right along with you. Prison Break isn’t the most, ahem, groundbreaking series out there, but it’s got fun, pulpy twists and turns that keep you pretty engaged throughout.
A Mixed, But Solid Viewing Experience
Prison Break follows brothers Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller) and Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell), the latter of which was convicted of a crime he didn’t commit and sentenced to Death Row. Michael, a structural engineer, decides to purposefully get himself incarcerated to help his brother break out. Fortunately, Michael has some extra knowledge that can help the two brothers with their plans.
If you do decide to binge Prison Break and have never seen it before, you should go in knowing that the series does pretty much peak in the first season. While the first season is great and some of the other seasons are decent, some are downright bad. If you don’t mind some bad TV mixed in with some pretty great TV, then you’ll probably be on board with this series.
A Strong Start And Steady Decline
Funnily enough, Fox actually turned down Prison Break when it was initially pitched because the network was concerned with the long-term prospects and appeal of the show. Fox saw tons of success with Lost and 24 and decided that serialized TV could be reliable after all and gave the series the green light. While Lost and Prison Break both managed to hold on to pretty big audiences throughout their runs, Fox wasn’t necessarily wrong about them going downhill later in the show.
Perfected Its Formula Too Soon
Prison Break suffers from the problem of having a great concept that could probably be wrapped up in one season, but the huge popularity of the show meant that it dragged on much longer than it needed to.
As you might expect, the first season was met with critical acclaim and huge viewership, while later seasons were faced with a good bit of critique and some later seasons were even met with overwhelmingly negative reviews. If Prison Break hadn’t overstayed its welcome, it would probably have been looked at in a more positive light later on, but it’s hard to recommend a full five-season binge.
Season 1’s Powerhouse Performance
With that being said, the first season of Prison Break is a lot of fun and worth the watch, and you can always call it quits after watching that season go down. Or whenever you feel like it, as that’s the magic of having all five seasons available in your streaming queue. Of course, there are probably plenty of people who enjoy the back half of Prison Break, I’m just not one of them.
Streaming Prison Break On Netflix
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There’s also supposedly a Prison Break reboot in the works, but there’s no word on when that will come out. We do know that Wentworth Miller has said he wouldn’t return, so it’ll feature a new cast of characters. In the meantime, you can stream the original Prison Break on Netflix now.
