This looks to be by far the most interesting of the new tv dramas this fall. Fox even seems to be giving it a decent push, and all of the buzz thus far is saying something to the effect of 24 meets Shawshank Redemption. It starts Monday (YES THIS COMING MONDAY, AUGUST 29) at 8.
Serial format, crazy plot twists, and a story plan for at least a few seasons? This is one I’ll be checking it out, and in my expert opinion, you folks should too.
Apologies if there is already another thread on this..if so, I couldn’t find it.
Even with Ratner’s involvement I’m looking forward to this show. I think it’s a bad idea for FOX to put this on against “MNF” since there is bound to be some splitting of the target audience. They should have put it on during the winter and run it as a companion piece to “24” or have it follow the awful yet popular “American Idol.” Hopefully the show is as good as the previews suggest.
By far the most promising new show of the season. For what it’s worth, the critic at Entertainment Weekly went apeshit in love for the two-hour premiere. Really excited about this.
Now am I the only one to think this show sounds IMMENSELY stupid? A guy committs a crime and goes to prison so he can break his brother out, who was sent there through some massive conspiracy? And they let a guy that worked on designing the prison into that very same establishment? I can’t get past what a stupid, illogical premise that is. Unless it is somewhat logical, I’ve never actually been to prison before. Does this happen often?
Originally Posted by fabfunk Now am I the only one to think this show sounds IMMENSELY stupid? A guy committs a crime and goes to prison so he can break his brother out, who was sent there through some massive conspiracy? And they let a guy that worked on designing the prison into that very same establishment? I can’t get past what a stupid, illogical premise that is. Unless it is somewhat logical, I’ve never actually been to prison before. Does this happen often?
It looks very cool. I just can’t get past how screwed they might be in season 2. I’ve seen promos say the break out is only the beginning, but when your show is called Prison Break and they are no longer in prison in S2 what do they do?
Hopefully something different. That seems to be the case with another new show on FOX, Reunion.
At least with Prison Break the leads could get thrown into a different prison or simply focus on a completely different prison with a completely different cast.
Reunion. Doesn’t even have much of a choice. If each episode is a year leading up to the “reunion” and that solves the mystery, then the second season would have to be a new cast with a new mystery.
In Entertainment Weekly one of the producers said that they were planning on following the characters from the first season around for the second season. So it sounds like most of them would be doing things out of prison, following up on why they were escaping. Basically it sounds like there really won’t be a prison in the second season.
I wouldn’t mind if the prision break plan and execution was more than 1 season (most times these things are planed for years). I want to see it was because John Doe is in it (don’t do to this show what you did to other show FOX, please!)
I’m looking forward to the 2 hour premiere. Will probably DVR it and watch tomorrow. I get the feeling they’ll bust out of prison before mid-season? Could be wrong… I agree, it sounds like a silly, illogical premise - but I’m sure they’ll find some way to make it logical (or at least skew it to make it acceptable).
Also, everytime I see the previews, I think of Face/Off.
Originally Posted by fabfunk And they let a guy that worked on designing the prison into that very same establishment? I can’t get past what a stupid, illogical premise that is.
This is explained in the pilot. They make it very clear that there was no way to know he worked on the prison design. The show does require some suspension of reality, much like 24, but the plot works well enough and is quite entertaining as long as you don’t break it down too analytically.
The pilot is pretty excellent, the only new show I’ve seen that I really liked. Reviews have been very poor so far, but many reviewers tend to worry more about what they “should” think, instead of just enjoying shows.
The landscape of new shows looks pretty bleak, so here’s hoping this one works.
Watching it now. It certainly hit the ground running, which is the first live action Fox show to pull that off since the first season of 24.
Also, correct me if I’m wrong, but did they film this in the same defunct prison that Shawshank Redemption was? 'Cause the first fly by of the prison sure did make it look like it.
There’s a cool calculation to Michael Scofield, the look of a man who knows exactly what he’s going to do and that rings a bit hollow so hopefully they’ll show him start to deteriorate or lose his cool. Again, done in short order as the prison life sinks in deep as he sees a guy get shanked.
I like that it gets where it needs to be and wastes absolutely no time.
The show needs less smooth camera movement and should be cinema-verte
Stormare can be a really irritating scene-chewer at times.
I hope I didn’t miss anything important as there were weather updates between commericals and the show.
Despite his gut-wrenchingly terrible performance as Dracula in Blade: Trinity, Dominic Purcell is good so far.
Keach’s need for Michael seem pretty weak. It also made no sense that Michael wouldn’t try to bargain his way to spending time with his brother.
The little “prison rushes” leading into commercial breaks are kind of cheesy.
While Amaury Nolasco gives a good performance as Sucre, I think his storyline is just slowing things down at this point. Obviously it’s going to come into play later but it’s so disconnected at this point that it completely slows down the show’s momentum.
I understand that it’s not like this show can be Oz it’s in depiction of prison life, but the language or the personality of the surrounding prisoners doesn’t feel remotely authentic.
The under-the-table contracting was a good explanation of how he would get admitted into a prison he built.
I also really liked that his tattoos weren’t just to make him look tough but an actual blueprint of the prison.
It’s a solid pilot, definitely good enough to warrant sticking with this show for at least half the season.
1x02: Allen -
I dig the opening credits. They’re nothing special but they’re solid. I tend to be a fan of credits that put the actor’s name with the face so that the credits will actually give credit rather than leaving your favorite characters as “that guy”.
It would be better if Michael was a little less confident.
Some much-needed shading added to Abruzzi.
That would be pretty badass if Lincoln was actually guilty.
I think Michael punching the bars after losing the pills pretty much sums up Miller’s performance at this point: flat and uninteresting. At this point, he’s like one of Squaresoft’s mute male lead heroes of olde, set upon doing a set of tasks but a barely-existant character surrounded by NPCs with more personality. Michael should be running through a slew of emotions and Miller’s not showing us any of it. It’s not subtlety. It’s underplaying it to the point of lethargy.
I haven’t seen a race-riot this well-organized since West Side Story.
Now the violence depicted in the race riot is the kind of brutality that this show requires. It’s not that I think it’s “cool”, but the horrors of prison need to come alive as much as possible so that we see the lengths Michael is willing to go.
Even Miller’s “emotional” moments seem cold.
So they let the butch inmates mourn their bitches? That’s sweet.
I’m becoming the biggest architecture geek and this show ain’t helpin’.
Definitely a much stronger show than Reunion and if Kitchen Confidential is good, then Fox will definitely own my Monday nights.