Prison Break
Lincoln Burrows is on death row for a murder he insists he did not commit. His younger brother Michael Scofield, a structural engineer, robs a bank to get himself sent to the same Illinois prison, with the building's plans hidden in the tattoos across his body. Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell star, with Sarah Wayne Callies and Robert Knepper.
Where to watch
Checked 25 Oct 2026. Services change their catalogues often; the service’s own page has the final word.
Our take
Lincoln Burrows is on death row for a murder he insists he did not commit. His younger brother Michael Scofield, a structural engineer, robs a bank to get himself sent to the same Illinois prison, with the building's plans hidden in the tattoos across his body. Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell star, with Sarah Wayne Callies and Robert Knepper.
Why watch The hook is simple and strong, and the first season plays out with the precision of a heist film, ending most episodes on a cliffhanger. Knepper's T-Bag is a memorably unsettling villain. Best for binge watchers who like puzzle box plotting and do not mind the later seasons stretching credibility to keep the brothers on the run.
What to know
Paul Scheuring created Prison Break for Fox, where it premiered in 2005 and ran for four seasons until 2009. A television film, The Final Break, filled in part of the story around the original finale. Fox revived the series in 2017 with a shorter fifth season, reuniting Miller, Purcell, Callies and much of the cast.
Season one takes place almost entirely inside Fox River State Penitentiary, and it was filmed at the former Joliet prison in Illinois. Later seasons change the shape of the show: season two becomes a cross country manhunt, with William Fichtner joining as FBI agent Alexander Mahone, and season three moves to a prison in Panama.
Where to start
Start with season one, episode one, and treat the first season as the core of the show: it is a complete escape story. Season two is the natural next step, especially for Fichtner’s performance. Seasons three to five are for viewers who want to see the brothers’ story through.
Seasons & episodes
- Season 1
- Season 2
- Season 3
- Season 4
- Season 5
Cast & crew
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Dominic Purcell
Lincoln "Linc" Burrows
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Wentworth Miller
Michael Scofield
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Robert Knepper
Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell
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Amaury Nolasco
Fernando Sucre
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Sarah Wayne Callies
Sara Tancredi
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Wade Williams
Brad Bellick
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William Fichtner
Alexander "Alex" Mahone
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Paul Adelstein
Paul Kellerman
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Rockmond Dunbar
Benjamin Miles "C-Note" Franklin
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Jodi Lyn O'Keefe
Gretchen Morgan
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Marshall Allman
LJ Burrows
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Robin Tunney
Veronica Donovan
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Quick answers
- Where can I watch Prison Break?
- In Canada: Disney+, Prime Video (buy) and Apple TV (buy). In New Zealand: Disney+. In Australia: Disney+, Prime Video (buy) and Apple TV (buy). In the US: Hulu, Prime Video (buy) and Apple TV (buy). In the UK: Disney+, Prime Video (buy) and Apple TV (buy).
- What is Prison Break about?
- Lincoln Burrows is on death row for a murder he insists he did not commit. His younger brother Michael Scofield, a structural engineer, robs a bank to get himself sent to the same Illinois prison, with the building's plans hidden in the tattoos across his body. Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell star, with Sarah Wayne Callies and Robert Knepper.
- Who is in the cast of Prison Break?
- Prison Break stars Dominic Purcell as Lincoln "Linc" Burrows, Wentworth Miller as Michael Scofield, Robert Knepper as Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell, Amaury Nolasco as Fernando Sucre and Sarah Wayne Callies as Sara Tancredi.
- When did Prison Break start?
- Prison Break premiered on 29 August 2005 and ran until 2017, with 5 seasons.
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