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Celebrating 1,000 NCIS-franchise episodes

Prison Break in the media

Meredith Quill

By Meredith Quill
in Prison Break (2017) [V]

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Trini

Trini

Interview with producer Paul Scheuring,

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Was it a big challenge to figure out how to bring all of the other characters back in?

SCHEURING: Yes. That had to be organic. One thing I really dislike in narratives is what I call the super friend complex, where you have six people run around together, but you really don’t need four of them. They just stand in the back of the scene, but they’re supposed to be there because they’re a character in the narrative. That’s creative bloat. So for me, I asked, why would Sucre be in the picture? Why would T-Bag be in the picture? Why would C-Note be in the picture? Those were ones that I could answer, in a very organic way that’s integral to the narrative. They fit in. But, there were some that didn’t fit in. I would loved to have had Bill Fichtner as Mahone. He’s incredible. But, what would he do and why would he be there? There were just certain people who didn’t make it back.

Oh please; Fichtner probably wasn't available.

And Wentworth and Purcell.:

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Like brothers, Miller pokes fun at how Purcell "spritzes" himself with water before an emotional scene, and Purcell knows that Miller spends much of his trailer time eating peanut M&M's and reading TheNew Yorker.  Says Miller: "We’re as opposite as opposite gets, but somehow that works. It feels like that’s why it works."

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Trini

Trini

Lots of reviews are out now, and more on the way; not going to link them all, but I wanted to respond to this :
NY Times:

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... Was “Prison Break” always this silly?

YES. A thousand times, 'yes'. Even the pilot (which was excellent and one of my top ten ever), the least ludicrous episode of the series, was kind of preposterous.

Y'all should have seen the Nitpick thread for this show when TWoP still existed. You stayed for the compelling characters and actors, and to see how this crazy adventure would turn out -- not really for any realistic plot. And actually the show did have a sense of humor in the first season.

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FnkyChkn34

FnkyChkn34

11 hours ago, Trini said:

...You stayed for the compelling characters and actors, and to see how this crazy adventure would turn out -- not really for any realistic plot. And actually the show did have a sense of humor in the first season.

Exactly.  Did people think this was going to be a documentary?  Of course it was silly.  The number of times they nearly got caught - per episode! - was ridiculous in itself, let alone the whole premise.  Silly, sure, but still good entertainment!

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Trini

Trini

Ratings reports:
TVLine:

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Fox’s nine-episode Prison Break revival premiered on Tuesday to 3.83 million total viewers and a 1.5 rating (per finals), improving on the drama’s “series finale” numbers from May 2009 (3.3 mil/1.2) and ranking behind CBS’ NCIS as the night’s No. 2 scripted program.

Prison Break also nearly doubled time slot predecessor Bones‘ final season demo average.

TV by the Numbers; which has commentary about the show's initial development at Fox:

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The return of “Prison Break” after eight years away put up decent numbers for FOX Tuesday. Its 1.5 rating among adults 18-49 tied “NCIS” for the top scripted show of the night and was second overall behind “The Voice” (1.9, down 0.2 vs. last week).

Deadline:

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First of all, let’s just say there was a lot of Dominic Purcell in primetime last night with the actor appearing in the Season 2 finale of the CW’s DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow (0.6/2) and the debut of Fox’s event series revival of Prison Break (1.5/5).

Back after nearly eight years for a new nine-episode run, the Purcell and Wentworth Miller-led action drama Prison Break got off to only a so-so start. Despite strong promotion and  previews SXSW and WonderCon, the debut episode was down 53% from what The X-Files revival drew in its regular slot premiere on January 25 last year, a Monday. Compared to its two-hour Season 4 premiere back on September 1, 2008, last night’s Season 5 debut of sorts was down 44% in the demo, but up three tenths from the Season 4 finale on May 15, 2009.

While no one expected the new iteration of Prison Break to reach the kind of ratings it saw for much of its 2005-2009 run, Fox has to be disappointed the show didn’t crack a 2.0. The good news though: Prison Break was up 50% among adults 18-49 from the Bones series finale in the same slot last week. It also won its 9 PM slot and matched NCIS (1.5/6) for the night’s top scripted show.

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Trini

Trini

Robert Knepper interview:

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I have to tell you, after three seasons of Prison Break I got really used to not using my left-hand. When I went onto Heroes I was like, “wow, I can use my left hand! That’s amazing!” What was typical of this experience because I’ve played the role before, for all of us, we had the confidence, because we created these characters along with the writers for so many years, and we left these characters for so many years – it allowed me in the moment to do some crazy-ass things I may not have had the confidence to do before. I do some really fun things with this hand and getting used to it again, going, “Oh, hello my friend,” and it sort of becomes a character on its own.

Rockmund Dunbar interview:

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You know, I have to tell you, we started filming in Vancouver. We were filming with two different crews at the same time. When I first heard that we were going to go to Morocco to shoot on location for about a month, I have a family, my wife is back home with the kids, and I’m thinking, “Gosh, why can’t we just shoot in Vegas, just go to the desert.” And as soon as I landed in Morocco, I had to find Paul Scheuring and the rest of the producers and apologize for even thinking that Vegas could even bring the type of standard that they were trying to find, which they did find in Morocco. It’s such a beautiful place. The people are warm and welcoming. The food was amazing. The heat was the only issue that I found to be a little bit of a challenge. But the locations that we have for this storyline really uplift the storyline. It brings it to that standard of quality that we had for the first and second season. I think the fans are just gonna be overwhelmed with excitement with the action and the locations. It was just a beautiful situation. I’ll go back to Morocco in a heartbeat to shoot.

Wentworth Miller interview: (spoiler-ish, reveals some info that was not in the premiere)

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Let’s talk about this new prison. How crappy is it compared to Fox River?

 

It makes Fox River look like the Four Seasons. It’s got a lot more in common with the prison in Panama in the third season. It’s down and dirty and there’s danger around every corner, and that is palpable in the set design, in the way these scenes are shot. When I saw the trailer, which went online and racked up sizable number of views, I was amazed because all of that was shot in Vancouver. All of it, like we had yet to go to Morocco to shoot the exteriors that will pass for Yemen. To me, it looks like we’ve been shooting in Morocco all along so that’s fantastic.

Talk about some of the other characters in the prison.

That’s one of the interesting push-pulls about playing this character is that he’s constantly having to use people and caring for them at the same time. They’re two competing agendas. How do I manipulate this individual to get what I want, but also keep them safe? I think that Michael discovers repeatedly throughout the series the individuals that he was hoping to use simply as pawns he comes to care about and then feels protective toward. So much like in Fox River, he assembles a group of inmates, each of whom will serve a specific purpose either in the prison or once they’ve escaped, that he has to look out for like a ringleader. He’s using them, but he also cares about their survival.

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GHScorpiosRule

GHScorpiosRule

I found this while I was hunting for interviews with Purcell because I wanted to hear his natural accent!

What?

 

Crazy story about how some deranged woman actually thought he was a convict when the show first aired!

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kirinan

kirinan

I'll be curious to see Dominic's new nose! I think he's very charming, in his own gruff way--especially with the accent (so no judgement here, GHScorpiosRule). And those glasses on Wentworth, combined with that voice? <swoon>

Thanks for posting!

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GHScorpiosRule

GHScorpiosRule

There was the Comic Con panel, about 15 minutes or so, where Purcell talks about his first impression of Wentworth and says that he "was the most beautiful man he'd ever seen" or something like that. And followed it up with a "I thought I was supposed to be the stud on this show" which had everyone, including Wentworth, laughing. Those two are so cute together. And some fan said "This question is for Michael," and I though, Freudian slip! If I didn't exert self-control, I would have posted all the interviews I saw yesterday, one right after the other! Interestingly enough, or maybe a hint to those of us looking forward to this revival, that there was no Amaury Nolasco OR Rocky Dunbar on this panel. It was only one of the producers? Robert Knepper, Sarah Wayne Callies, Dominic Purcell and Wentworth Miller.

And like I said when I learned that he was gay (Raymond Burr) "What a waste [for me],", that was the same thought going through my mind when I learned Wentworth Miller didn't bat for my team.

What?

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GHScorpiosRule

GHScorpiosRule

31 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

Prison Break Revival Finale Explained.

Scheuring, you Fucking SONOFABITCH!!! ???You made a liar out of me!!?? Saying there would be no season six and now you're teasing that maaaybe?

And sorry, show would have been better with less ISIL, and more of our gang on the run! And Whip was supposed to be likeable? Yeeeaaaah, not buying it.

Hey about writing around LJ next season??

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FnkyChkn34

FnkyChkn34

11 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

And Whip was supposed to be likeable? Yeeeaaaah, not buying it.

I liked Whip.  I didn't exactly care about him, but I liked him enough.  He was loyal to Michael and did what he was told; Michael needed him.  It couldn't have been Sucre again, because there was no reason for Sucre to be in jail again.  Plus, their partnership would have been completely obvious to any warden.  So Whip was Sucre Lite; in a longer season, his character could have been flushed out more but we had to deal with what we were given.

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Trini

Trini

Another postmortem interview with one of the producers:

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If you did have the time to do 10 episodes, as was initially planned, what would you have fleshed out?

We would have given more time to Sucre, or spent more time with Sara and Michael. The bible was originally written for 10 episodes, so cutting down to nine caused certain sacrifices.

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Trini

Trini

(edited)
On 5/30/2017 at 10:41 PM, Empress1 said:

Prison Break Revival Finale Explained.

Eh, I don't agree with all his ideas about what "needs" to be in a Prison Break story, or what 'the audience' wants and doesn't want. I don't think we needed T-bag or new characters that are only there to get killed off. I do want a happy ending for Michael and co. (But I'm not expecting rainbows and everything wrapped in a bow, though.)

Edited by Trini
Like, why do I even attempt to type late at night??
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Trini

Trini

Prison Break is #4 on this list:

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To figure out what shows have captured the world's attention, INSIDER worked with Parrot Analytics, which analyzes ratings data (where available), social media chatter, blogging, and illegal pirating, among other factors, to figure out the viewer demand for shows. ...

In ranking the popularity of these shows, Parrot assigned them an expressions total that reflects average daily audience demand from all countries from January 1 to July 31, 2017, which is adjusted for each country's population.

I'm surprised it's so high! Although, original run was a huge international hit; I imagine pirating is what propelled it so close to the top.

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FnkyChkn34

FnkyChkn34

15 hours ago, Trini said:

Prison Break is #4 on this list:

I'm surprised it's so high! Although, original run was a huge international hit; I imagine pirating is what propelled it so close to the top.

I'm not sure I totally understand this list.  So many CW and Fox shows, and barely any from NBC, ABC, or CBS that claim to have higher ratings on a weekly basis.  The "expression" is an average daily number?  So kids home from school are watching (coughhorriblecough) CW shows on repeat all day every day...?    

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kassygreene

kassygreene

6 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

Bad news! Netflix will be pulling this show off their service next month! I think it's closer to the end of October, but I can't remember. Lucky for me, I got the dvds four years ago!

It's going to Hulu, as all the Fox shows are.

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FnkyChkn34

FnkyChkn34

15 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

I did not know that! I find that Netflix offers more of the shows that I watch than Hulu. And that Hulu also cuts out scenes instead of airing the entire episode of an old show.???

That's funny, actually, because I think Hulu has more shows that I watch - and since we crossover on many different forums here, we must watch many of the same shows!  :-)  

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secnarf

secnarf

22 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

I did not know that! I find that Netflix offers more of the shows that I watch than Hulu. And that Hulu also cuts out scenes instead of airing the entire episode of an old show.???

Netflix does this as well.

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Pallas

Pallas

13 hours ago, Trini said:

Comments from Fox executives, confirming that another season of PB is in early development.

"'We are developing a new iteration of Prison Break,' network president Michael Thorn confirmed to reporters Thursday at the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour. 'It’s in very early stages of development, but we’re really excited about it.'  Fox Chairman and CEO Gary Newman later revealed that the new season 'would not [feature] an entirely new cast'..."

So was the network pres just being pretentious with the press when he spoke of "a new iteration," or did he deliberately beg the question of which principals would be returning? Was his Chairman pleased to be asked to clear that up -- and to imply that the times have finally caught up with T-Bag/Robert Knepper?

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Pallas

Pallas

2 hours ago, garnetarden said:

As long as the principal three (Michael/Lincoln/Sarah) are back, I'm in. If they switch out T-bag for Mahone, I'm ALL IN.

Amen. If so, let's hope they don't decide to set up Mahone as another every-bit-as-smart-as-Michael-but-without-a-heart/without-a-conscience antagonist for the first half of the narrative. Unwilling ally, maybe ("I hung up my gun brains"), but not full-blown opponent.

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indeed

indeed

Wow, happy to hear.  I thought last season did not meet expectations so didn't think a continuation was going to happen.  Last season was poorly scheduled (IIRC) and poorly edited (although it was promoted well enough).  Here's hoping this one shapes up better...and Michael interacts with his family more.  (I wouldn't mind seeing Mahone in the mix - and more time for Sucre and C-Note, although I think C-Note fared much better out of the two.)  

Did LJ even get a mention last season?  Yes, acknowledge he exists...and maybe is annoyed that his dad can't stay out of trouble.

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CrazyDog

CrazyDog

On 1/5/2018 at 11:38 AM, Pallas said:

Amen. If so, let's hope they don't decide to set up Mahone as another every-bit-as-smart-as-Michael-but-without-a-heart/without-a-conscience antagonist for the first half of the narrative. Unwilling ally, maybe ("I hung up my gun brains"), but not full-blown opponent.

Oh, please bring Mahone back. But if the show brings him back for some shocking death, I will never forgive them. Is William Fichter still doing that sitcom? I think (hope) that the show could only bring him back if Mike & the crew needed his help, not to bring him back as an antagonist. Hopefully there's a decent time jump and Mike and Sarah had at least some happy times before the next round of craziness. And I can't recall, did they ever mention if Sofia was still around?

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Pallas

Pallas

Sounds like it's not Paul Scheuring's news to officially announce. A network interdiction that he skirted, anyway: "somewhere between 50 - 150%" is 100.  Welcome home, Mahone.

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GHScorpiosRule

GHScorpiosRule

3 minutes ago, Pallas said:

Sounds like it's not Paul Scheuring's news to officially announce. A network interdiction that he skirted, anyway: "somewhere between 50 - 150%" is 100.  Welcome home, Mahone.

Thanks @Pallas. I'm really ignorant as to how these things work. Crossing Fingers.

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Trini

Trini

Season 6... still in early development.

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Question: Anything on Prison Break Season 6? —AGX

Ausiello: “It continues to be in development,” Fox CEO Gary Newman told TVLine at TCA. “It’s still fairly on — we haven’t seen a script yet — but we know Paul [Scheuring] is working on something. It could [still happen], but it’s still early in the process.”

Yeah, don't hold your breath people.

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