Classic Fox Series Finds New Life Atop the Netflix Chart: 'Prison Break' Thrives

'Prison Break' dropped on Netflix in July and brought in almost 2 billion minutes in early August.

By Megan Behnke

Prison Break is getting a resurgence. The Fox serial drama initially ran for four seasons from 2005 to 2009 and had a nine-episode fifth season revival in 2017. It centered around two brothers, played by Dominic Purcelland Wentworth Miller; one who has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit and the other who devises a plan to help him escape and clear his name. While it's been quite some time since Prison Break was last on air, it's found new life on Netflix.

According to Deadline, for Aug. 5-11, Prison Break was up 111% from the previous week, shooting to No. 1. The series dropped on Netflix in late July, and despite it also still streaming on Hulu, that isn't stopping people from still streaming the heck out of it. The drama was streamed for 1.6 billion minutes and counting, which is pretty impressive for an older title. Prison Break even stopped The Umbrella Academy from coming in on top, as it came in second.

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With Prison Break doing so well on streaming, could there be a possibility more seasons may be in the works? Not much has been pointing towards a potential continuation, and in 2020, Miller revealed he has no interest in returning to play Michael Scofield. He vowed to never play a straight character again because "their stories have been told (and told)." Meanwhile, Purcell claimed that same year that Season 6 was indeed happening, but nothing ever came of it.

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Created by Paul Scheuring, Prison Break starred an ensemble cast throughout its run that also includes Amaury Nolasco, Robert Knepper, Robin Tunney, Peter Stormare, Marshall Allman, Wade Williams, Sarah Wayne Callies, Rockmond Dunbar, Augustus Prew, and more. In 2005, it received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Television Series – Drama, and Miller was nominated for Best Actor – Television Series Drama.

Even if more Prison Break doesn't come from this resurgence, it is still nice to see how well the show is doing after it's been off the air for so long. That's the best thing about streaming. Fans are able to watch some old favorites and new fans are introduced, even if it is streaming elsewhere. All six seasons of Prison Break are available to stream now on Netflix and Hulu.

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