Along with creator Paul Scheuring, the series is executive-produced by Matt Olmstead, Kevin Hooks, Marty Adelstein, Dawn Parouse, Neal H. Moritz, and Brett Ratner who directed the pilot episode.

[9] The first season follows the rescue of Lincoln Burrows, who is accused of murdering Terrence Steadman, the brother of the Vice President of the United States, Caroline Reynolds.

The brothers' fight to ward off the execution is aided by their lifelong friend Veronica Donovan, who begins to investigate the conspiracy that put Lincoln in jail.

Several of the escapees reunite in search of a large cache of money buried long ago by another Fox River inmate, Charles Westmoreland.

Federal agent Alexander Mahone is assigned to track down and capture the eight fugitives, but is revealed to be working for The Company, which wants all eight men dead.

When Sara discovers her father, Governor Frank Tancredi, has been killed, she meets with Michael, remaining with him as the brothers try to bring down now-President Reynolds, a Company member.

Eventually, the series' main storyline of the past 4 seasons ends in Miami, where Scylla is recovered by Michael and the team, the General and The Company are taken down, and Sara kills Christina to protect her lover.

[13] In March 2016, it was confirmed that Sarah Wayne Callies, Amaury Nolasco, Robert Knepper, Rockmond Dunbar and Paul Adelstein would reprise their roles.

The first season features a cast of ten actors who receive star billing, who were based in Chicago or at Fox River State Penitentiary.

Series creator Paul Scheuring explains that killing off major characters "makes the audience that much more fearful for our protagonists" and that "it actually does help us in terms of reducing story lines".

[23] 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.

[32] Renewed for a second season, Prison Break resumed filming on June 15, 2006, in Dallas, Texas, due to the close proximity of rural and urban settings.

The New York Times wrote, Prison Break was "more intriguing than most of the new network series, and it certainly is one of the most original", complimenting its ability to create a "suspenseful thriller" and its "authentic look".

[57] Robert Bianco of USA Today commented on the "harebrained absurdities that have swamped this show", and blamed the writers for being "incredibly lazy" for the continuous use of the tattoo as an "all-purpose plot fix".

[58] In contrast, Detroit Free Press commended the second-season premiere on matching the standard set by the first season, which delivered "rocking good entertainment" due to its "motley crew of cellblock characters" and the "taut, ingenious storytelling of series creator Paul T. Scheuring and his staff".

[61] The third and particularly fourth season received progressively negative reviews, as the show's plot diverged from its origin story of breaking out of prison, and focused more on conventional elements of a government conspiracy drama series.

The site's critical consensus reads, "Prison Break recaptures some of its old urgency in its return, but familiar faces and frenetic action aren't enough to make up for a plot that manages to bore while beggaring belief.

[71] Nielsen Media Research, which records streaming viewership on U.S. television screens, estimated that the series was watched for 758 million minutes from July 29 to August 4, 2024.

[78] Nielsen Media Research later reported that Prison Break garnered 1.188 billion minutes of viewing time, once again ranking as the most-streamed television series, from August 26 to September 1, 2024.

[79][80] Since its addition to Netflix in late July 2024, the series has continued to gain significant traction, dominating the overall streaming charts and holding the top spot for a fourth consecutive week.

[82][83] Concerns were raised by the Parents Television Council in the United States about the time slot in which Prison Break was broadcast (8:00 pm ET) because of graphic content.

[84] In France, the broadcasting watchdog, Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel [Fr] (CSA), also complained that the violence in some episodes exceeded the amount allowed for its rating, which is "not for under 10s".

[85] On October 24, 2006, the Associated Press reported that Donald and Robert Hughes filed a lawsuit against Fox Broadcasting Company and the show's executive producer and creator, Paul Scheuring, for copyright infringement, seeking unspecified damages and other costs.

At the 2006 International Consumer Electronics Show, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment announced that the complete first season of Prison Break was to be released on Blu-ray in early 2007.

After the premiere of the second season of Prison Break, Fox began allowing online streaming of the current episode for free via more than 50 websites including AOL, Google, and Yahoo!, as well as its own extensive network.

[130] A spin-off series, Prison Break: Proof of Innocence, was produced exclusively for mobile phones and was broadcast first to Sprint customers in April 2006 on SprintTV's Fox station.

Robert Knepper reprised his role as T-Bag in the 2011 A&E Network television series, Breakout Kings, which was created by Prison Break writers Matt Olmstead and Nick Santora.

[139] A video game based on Prison Break was in development for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 for release in February 2009, but was cancelled when Brash Entertainment shut down.

[143] The game's protagonist is Tom Paxton, a Company employee who is sent inside of Fox River to observe and report every move of Michael Scofield.

[145][146] This adaptation uses many of the features of the original series, with some scenes and dialogue copied completely, but also introduces new storylines and characters which reflect the Russian reality.