Prison Break is an American serial
action/
drama television series that premiered on the
Fox Broadcasting Company on August 29, 2005. The series revolves around two brothers; one who, as of the pilot, has been
sentenced to death for a
crime he did not commit, and the other, a
genius, who devises an elaborate plan to help him escape
prison. Created by
Paul Scheuring, the show is produced by
Adelstein-Parouse Productions in association with
Original Television and
20th Century Fox Television. The current executive producers are Scheuring (also the
Head Writer),
Matt Olmstead (Co-Head Writer),
Kevin Hooks,
Marty Adelstein,
Dawn Olmstead,
Neal H. Moritz, and
Brett Ratner.
[Fox Broadcasting Company, Prison Break show info, Prison Break official site. Retrieved on September 13, 2007.] Its
theme music is composed by
Ramin Djawadi, and was nominated for a
Primetime Emmy Award in 2006.
[Emmy nominations in all categories Associated Press. July 6, 2006. Retrieved on October 10, 2006.]
Production
Conception
The original concept of
Prison Break—a man deliberately getting himself sent to prison in order to help someone else (his brother, in this case) escape—was suggested to
Paul Scheuring by producer Dawn Parouse, who wanted to produce an action-oriented series. Although Scheuring thought it was a good idea, he was initially stumped as to why someone would embark on such a mission or how he could develop it into a viable television show. He came up with the story of the wrongfully accused brother, and began working on the plot outline and devising the characters. In 2003, he pitched the idea to the
Fox Broadcasting Company but was turned down as Fox felt nervous about the long-term possibilities of such a series. He subsequently showed the concept to other channels but was also turned down as it was thought to be more suited for a film project than a television series.
[Goldman, E., "Paley Fest: Prison Break", IGN. March 13, 2007. Retrieved on March 23, 2007.] Prison Break was later considered as a possible 14-part
miniseries, which drew the interest of
Steven Spielberg before his departure due to his involvement with
War of the Worlds. Thus, the miniseries never materialized. Following the huge popularity of
serialized prime time television series such as
Lost and
24, the Fox Network had a change of heart and backed the production in 2004.
["Breaking Out Is Hard To Do" Entertainment Weekly. August 26, 2005. Retrieved on December 5, 2005.] The pilot episode was filmed a year after Scheuring wrote the script.
[Daswani, M., Paul Scheuring, WorldScreen.com, April 2006. Retrieved on May 19, 2007.]
Filming locations
The majority of the first season of 'Prison Break' was filmed on location in and around
Chicago.
[Ryan, M, "Joliet prison is a 'Break'-out star", The Chicago Tribune. August 24, 2005. Retrieved on December 5, 2005.]["Inside Prison Break: Chain male" Sydney Morning Herald. February 1, 2006. Retrieved on October 10, 2006.] After it was closed down in 2002, Joliet Prison became the set of
Prison Break in 2005, standing in as
Fox River State Penitentiary on screen. Scenes set in Lincoln's cell, the infirmary and the prison yard were all shot on location at the prison.
[Set Visit: Prison Break IGN. March 17, 2006. Retrieved on September 14, 2006.] Lincoln's cell is the same one in which
John Wayne Gacy was incarcerated. Most of the production crew refused to enter the cell, thinking that it was haunted.
Other sets were built at the prison, including the cell blocks that housed the general prison population; these blocks had three
tiers of cells (as opposed to the real cell block's two) and had cells much larger than real cells to allow more space for the actors and cameras.
[ Exterior scenes were filmed in areas around Chicago, Woodstock, and Joliet in Illinois. Other locations included O'Hare International Airport in Chicago and Toronto, Ontario in Canada. Prison Break spent $2 million per episode in the state of Illinois, which cost them a total of $24 million in 2005.]
