Prison Break

Entertainment WeeklyGillian Flynn

Prison Break has the dark social hierarchies of Oz and the clever inventions of Escape From Alcatraz.

Hollywood ReporterBarry Garron

Creator and writer Paul T. Scheuring offers this deal with viewers: Suspend credibility on a few key points and, in return, get a series that keeps you glued to the set for a full hour. My advice is to take the deal.

Boston GlobeMatthew Gilbert

If the show can stay as gripping as its premiere... it will be a welcome new prime-time puzzle.

Chicago TribuneMaureen Ryan

As with "24," the whole enterprise, however action-packed, would fall flat if viewers didn't care about the characters, and "Prison Break" doesn't disappoint.

Philadelphia InquirerJonathan Storm

One of the best new TV shows this season.

San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa TimesCharlie McCollum

Within the first 15 minutes, you realize you have jumped onto what could be one hell of a thrill ride.

The New York TimesAlessandra Stanley

"Prison Break"... is more intriguing than most of the new network series, and it certainly is one of the most original.

USA TodayRobert Bianco

Prison Break may not hold up as a weekly series; it's much too soon to tell. But by and large it works as a two-hour premiere special, one that grabs your attention from its first scene to its startling cliffhanger ending.

Slant MagazineEd Gonzalez

Like Lost, the show seems predicated on an unsustainable premise, but Prison Break is moving along more briskly.

Detroit Free PressMike Duffy

Like any over-the-top, conspiracy-laced concept, "Prison Break" will only work if viewers are giddily enticed to jump aboard the Willing Suspension of Disbelief Express.

New York PostLinda Stasi

The acting here is first rate -- not a bad apple in the whole rotten bunch.

Houston ChronicleMike McDaniel

It's outlandish and contrived with story holes wide enough for a jackknifed 18-wheeler. But the two-hour pilot of Prison Break... is irresistible.

Cleveland Plain DealerMark Dawidziak

A riveting, suspenseful, briskly paced drama packed with intriguing performances.

LA WeeklyRobert Abele

This could be a brisk and bruising weekly fix.

NewsdayDiane Werts

It's one tasty piece of lunacy.

New York MagazineJohn Leonard

A preposterous premise...only somewhat distracts from an agreeable escapism and first-rate performances by Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell.

SalonHeather Havrilesky

The best thing about "Prison Break" is that we've never seen anything like it before.

TimeJames Poniewozik

What Prison Break lacks in plausibility--basically, everything--it makes up for in plotting, pacing and panache.

Wall Street JournalDorothy Rabinowitz

Forget the preposterousness of the plot -- it's easy enough to do -- and enjoy the suspense, of which there's plenty.

The Onion A.V. Club

A lot about this series is frankly preposterous, but as pulp logic goes, Miller's bust-out plan is both ingenious and way cool.

People WeeklyTom Gliatto

An entertaining big-narrative concept. [5 Sep 2005, p.41]

VarietyBrian Lowry

Yet even with the premiere sprinkling enough tantalizing bread crumbs to warrant a return visit, there's insufficient evidence as to how the more muddled aspects will unfold over future installments.

Village VoiceJoy Press

Unfortunately, Prison Break's dialogue is nowhere near as sharp as its plotting.

Los Angeles TimesRobert Lloyd

It's a comic book, basically, a B-movie, a pulp fiction, and low enough in the cultural reckoning of things to set its own rules with impunity.... Part of the pleasure of the series is that particular pleasure of watching a super-heroic character who can't fail.

Kansas City StarAaron Barnhart

“Prison Break” could be the fall’s breakout hit, but only if other actors can bail out Miller.

New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley

Complexity is one thing; making the complexity compelling is another, and "Prison Break" fails there.

San Francisco ChronicleTim Goodman

Preposterous ideas know no bounds on "Prison Break."

PopMattersSamantha Bornemann

For every step forward (intricate plotting, Wentworth's engaging lead performance), the show also manages to stumble back (rote subplots, incessant lame dialogue as exposition).

Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob Owen

The premise, though bold, isn't as revolutionary as the "24" format, and the pilot is seriously lacking in thrills for an alleged thriller.

Orlando SentinelHal Boedeker

Viewers hoping for a rousing adventure instead will find a dark, grim and often repellent tale.

Seattle Post-IntelligencerMelanie McFarland

A fat snooze.

Washington PostTom Shales

Pitifully awful.