Wow, Prison Break Was Really A Totally Different Show After Season 1

Summary Prison Break excelled in season 1 but drastically changed its direction and tone in later seasons.

Subsequent seasons moved from a prison break premise to running from the law, resulting in a loss of show's identity.

The attempted revival in season 5 fell short, focusing more on a conspiracy rather than a prison escape narrative.

Prison Break was an immensely popular show when it initially aired from 2005 to 2009, however, the show changed a lot after season 1. Prison Break was an award-winning series that starred Wentworth Miller as a genius named Michael Scofield. After Michael's brother, Lincoln, played by Dominic Purcell is imprisoned, Michael comes up with an elaborate and extensive plan to help break his brother out, but first, he needs to get himself in.

The first season is an incredible and complete story which follows this narrative from beginning to end, and concludes with Michael and Lincoln escaping, along with several other inmates, in spectacular fashion. However, while later seasons have been praised and each adds more to the story of Michael and Lincoln, the show does appear to be distinctly different after it's premier season. From the way the characters change and evolve, to the storytelling and the plots, it feels like a totally different show.

Related 16 Years Later, I’m Still Mad About What Prison Break Did To Mahone The worst season of Prison Break risked ruining one of the show’s best character arcs with a cruel storyline that did not really lead anywhere.

Prison Break Was Never The Same After Season 1

The Show Lost Its Way Over Time

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In a show where the central premise revolves around a prison break, strongly hinted at in the self-evident title, the subsequent stories are totally different. Much of season 2 sees the prisoners dealing with the aftermath of their escape, running from the law, and more elaborate conspiracies beginning to crop up. None of this is inherently bad, and season 2 is widely praised for how well it builds on the first season's narrative in a way that is not offensive or disruptive to the first season.

However, the show lost something special after season 1, where the entire prison break and novelty of the concept and characters had been fleshed out in an impressive and satisfying way. Following this, the story is never quite as strong, and it felt like the things that made the series special were being stretched thinner and thinner until they became utterly ridiculous and pointless. This didn't happen all at once, but the show's decline from the early run is undeniable. Miller and Purcell still deliver performances as best they can, but as the show lost its direction, the characters became less well-defined.

Prison Break’s Later Seasons Felt Like A Completely Different Show

From A Prison Break Show, To A Conspiracy Mystery

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In Prison Break season 2, the show moves from a show about a prison break into a show about being on the run and avoiding capture. This is a clear departure from the earlier season, but it is handled in a way that continues to feel satisfying and on the level for the characters, as this is a direct consequence which is born out of the events of season 1. However, season 3 onward is where things start to take a more distinctive turn and the show begins to really lose its sense of identity. The separation of Michael and Lincoln also creates an odd gap in the show that makes it feel like a departure.

Season 3 sees Michael trapped in a different prison, with new issues as the prison is run by the inmates while the guards only occupy the outer perimeter. This season loses much of the creativity and clever storytelling seen in earlier episodes, and ultimately winds up being considerably less effective compared to season 1. Then, season 4 sees things escalate as the team makes an attempt to take down the Company in the show's intended final season. This season feels convoluted and confusing, but it ends satisfyingly. Only to be ruined and altered in another unnecessary and confusing season 5 that is worlds away from the original series.

Prison Break Season 3 Tried To Recapture The Show’s Magic

Going Back To The Jail Cell

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Despite returning to a prison, Prison Break season 3 did not manage to reignite the intrigue and clever writing of the show. With a writers' strike impacting the overall quality of the season, and the number of episodes being significantly reduced from the usual 22 down to 13, season 3 was cursed to have a different tone from the start. However, there was some degree of promise in a story where Michael was the one trapped in prison, and it was now falling on his brother Lincoln's shoulders to break him out.

However, the promise and hope was more than could be expected, and ultimately, the story ended up being more messy and disappointing as the clever writing, the incredible reveals, and the character development all fell apart. The series also killed off Sara, Michael's partner, only for that to be rewritten in the following season. Ultimately, the season that was supposed to pick the show up and restore its magic felt mostly inconsequential, full of pointless plotlines, and in just 13 episodes, it created something that was almost impossible to identify with, or remotely relate to Prison Break seasons 1 and 2.

Not Even The Prison Break Revival Could Replicate Season 1’s Success

Prison Break Season 1 Is The Original And The Best

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Then, almost 10 years after the show concluded with a relatively satisfying season 4, which managed to at least wrap up the story of Michael Scofield in a way that felt meaningful and true to the story, the show came back. Michael was brought back from the dead, revealing that he was actually just in another prison, and obviously, the show about how good this character is at escaping prisons tried to put him through another prison break. Arguably, part of a prison break's success is whether the individual remains free, but the constant recapture of the hero simply defies his legacy and makes him appear less impressive.

Despite having another nine episodes to wrap up a story that had already ended, Prison Break season 5 did more harm than good to the previous seasons. At this point, the show is firmly set as a conspiracy story rather than a clever prison escape narrative. It doesn't manage to get any closer to the roots of the show, despite trying to mimic details of season 1, and it further creates a divide between the show's seasons as something that feels like a totally different series. In many ways, Prison Break lost its way, and wound up a different show by the end.