Prison Break season 5 may have finally given Michael Scofield and his brother Lincoln a happy ending, but for many, the revival series was a mistake. Prison Break season 1 provided a fresh take on the prison subgenre. From the beginning though, the series had an inbuilt flaw – the concept itself. The show had to end with the Scofields escaping in Prison Break season 1, and season 2 found them on the run. Of course, they were back in another prison by the end of that season and this subsequent pattern would repeat in ways that soon became tedious.

The show first ended with Prison Break season 4, which revealed in a flashforward that Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller) died, presumably as a result of his terminal brain cancer diagnosis. A TV movie called Prison Break: The Final Break later showed he sacrificed himself to save his wife and brother. Even if he survived the electric surge from The Final Break, there was still the terminal brain cancer issue. This ensured Prison Break season 5 would eventually be forced to explain his survival via farfetched retcons, meaning Prison Break season 5 ended up being a massive mistake.

Why Prison Break Season 5 Was The Worst Season

Too Many Retcons Started The Revival On A Bad Note

Of the show's five seasons, Prison Break season 5 is considered the worst. Not only does it continue Prison Break's downward trend of adding unnecessary conspiracies to the story just to keep it going, but it also ruins Michael Scofield's death in Prison Break: The Final Break, which itself barely managed to achieve successful closure after continuing from Prison Break season 4. Set seven years after the previous season, Prison Break season 5 retcons Michael's death by revealing that he was actually alive in a Yemen prison all along.

The other Prison Break main characters, Burrows, Sara, T-Bag, and C-Note, then have to help him break out of prison again and unravel another far-fetched conspiracy that explains why he was put away the most recent time. All of these unnecessary and convoluted factors are why Prison Break season 5 is the worst one of the whole series and suggests that returning to the series was a big mistake.

Why Prison Break Was Canceled

The Show Ran Out Of Ideas

Despite declining ratings following its unrealistic fourth season, Prison Break's original ending after its cancelation in 2009 was for a different reason altogether. Former Fox media executive Kevin Reilly revealed that Prison Break was canceled due to a lack of creativity in the writer's room, prompting many to wonder why Prison Break season 5 was greenlit. As originally reported by E! Online, Reilly stated:

"The show has just played out. You get to a point creatively where you feel all the stories have been told, and you want to end strong."

This moment of prescience would prove relatively short-lived, as Prison Break season 5 was confirmed in 2015.

Why The Prison Break Revival Series Was A Mistake

There Was Nothing Left To Say

Prison Break had something of an issue with reversing major character deaths even prior to bringing Michael Scofield back from beyond the veil. Sarah Wayne Callies originally left Prison Break during a contract dispute in season 3, with Lincoln (Dominic Purcell) discovering her character’s severed head in a box. Callies later returned for Prison Break season 4, with her death handwaved away as an elaborate ruse by the villains. While Prison Break was never exactly realistic, the increasing reliance on silly twists gradually turned fans off of the continuing series.

The suspension of disbelief required of even the most loyal of audiences looking for hidden messages meant Prison Break season 5 divided critics and alienated fans...

Michael’s emotional death in season 4 at least offered some closure in this regard, but Prison Break season 5 even undid that modicum of finality. Prison Break season 5 didn’t offer much in the way of fresh ideas for the central concept either, contriving another convoluted conspiracy to reunite all the main characters again. The suspension of disbelief required of even the most loyal of audiences looking for hidden messages meant Prison Break season 5 divided critics and alienated fans, with the Prison Break revival series subsequently labeled a mistake.

Will There Be Prison Break Season 6?

Wentworth Miller Previously Pitched A New Idea

If nothing else, Prison Break season 5 was designed as a concrete ending for the series, reuniting the brothers once and for all. That said, season 5 sets up Prison Break season 6, with Michael being offered a government job to make use of his unique skills. Star Wentworth Miller also revealed that same year he pitched an endearingly silly season 6 idea where the brothers are locked up by their psychotic, previously unrevealed brother Tag, and they'd have to relive their past escapes in a new prison.

Series creator Paul Scheuring, on the other hand, appears content that Prison Break season 5 ending is definitive. Fox's most recent statement on the series' future in August 2019 confirms Scheuring's sentiments, with the network stating that there are no current plans to revive Prison Break to date. The final nail in the coffin for the show's future, however, arrived in February 2021 after the previously keen Wentworth Miller reversed his stance, advising that there would be no more plans for Prison Break featuring Michael and closing the book on the series' already tenuous future once and for all.

What The Prison Break Cast Have Done Since

The Arrowverse Featured A Prison Break Reunion

As surprising as it is that Prison Break season 5 happened at all, what's even more surprising is that the cast agreed to return when their careers were doing just fine. Dominic Purcell (Lincoln Burrows) has taken on the role of Mick Rory/Heat Wave in the Arrowverse, appearing as the character in Arrow, Supergirl, Batwoman, The Flash, and DC's Legends of Tomorrow. He also appeared in the British-German horror movie Blood Red Sky as Berg. Wentworth Miller (Michael Scofield) has ed his co-star in the Arrowverse, playing Leonard Snart/Captain Cold in The Flash and DC's Legends of Tomorrow.

Other Prison Break cast have moved on since the series' first ending. Robin Tunney (Veronica Donovan) had a stint on The Mentalist and the 2020 psychological drama film Horse Girl. Peter Stormare (John Abruzzi) has mostly branched out into voiceover work, appearing in popular television series and videogames such as Castlevania, Elder Scrolls Online, and Destiny. Amaury Nolasco (Fernando Sucre) can be seen as Frankie Cuevas Sr. in Hightown, while Sarah Wayne Callies (Sara Tancredi) may be ed the most as Lori on The Walking Dead.

Revival Series Are Always A Mixed Bag

Revivals Risk Ruining A Show's Legacy

Notable TV Revivals:

Prison Break season 5 is far from the only revival series that has had a mixed to negative reception, and it has become a common trend among revival shows. Arrested Development famously had a troubled season 4 development, and when finally came to fruition, it was considered a disappointment as the beloved ensemble cast hardly had any scenes together.

Heroes Reborn, the follow-up to the cult classic sci-fi series Heroes, took away what made the original show great too. Additionally, even the Frasier revival series has gotten negative reviews, which is especially surprising given how many accolades the original series has to its name. Unfortunately, while fans want to see their favorite characters from wrapped-up shows back on the screen, the odds of a revival series being a genuinely satisfying continuation are extremely slim.

Along with other reboot series such as The X-Files, Fuller House, and Gilmore Girls, Prison Break s the list of disappointing TV revivals. However, there are examples of shows that return to the small screen not simply to attract viewers with an exciting piece of intellectual property, but because they have a new worthwhile story to tell after all those years.

Other Revivals That Got It Right & Why

Some Made The Return Worthwhile

There are a number of factors that go into making a worthy TV revival that Prison Break did not seem to consider. One is the fact that the show can comment on the world that has changed since it first went off the air. That is something that was achieved surprisingly well by the iCarly reboot. While the original show told the story of a girl who became a celebrity because of her online posts, it was made before that was a common thing. When the show returned in 2021, it had a new perspective on what such a life would be like.

With Twin Peaks: The Return coming out in 2017, it was able to step into the era of prestige television that it had a hand in shaping all those years ago.

There are also certain revivals that needed television to catch up to where they were when the show first aired. Twin Peaks was a riveting show when it started in 1990. It was also something totally new for television, with experimental storytelling, a serialized story, and an auteur filmmaker at the helm in the form of David Lynch. With Twin Peaks: The Return coming out in 2017, it was able to step into the era of prestige television that it had a hand in shaping all those years ago.

A recent revival like Justified: City Primeval also takes a bold step in presenting something that is quite different from the original show. While the adventures of Raylan Givens in the dusty crime world of Kentucky was a thrilling neo-Western with a comedic edge, the revival takes Givens to Detroit for a much darker noir crime story. In the end, it succeeds because it bets on its main character being the strength of the show, even if it is an entirely new show.

The Argument For The Revival Being A Great Idea

Prison Break Needed A New Ending

While Prison Break season 5 is far from perfect, there is a perspective that suggests the revival was not only a good idea but also a necessity for the legacy of the show. If there was one mistake made that did the most damage to Prison Break as a whole, it was killing off Michael. While there were a lot of deaths to add to the thrills of the series, Prison Break was never a show that should have ended with the death of its main character, especially with that character being Michael.

While the show had to throw countless obstacles at him in his journey, his dedication and faith in his brother had to be rewarded in the end.

The show begins with Michael being so convinced of his brother's innocence that he is willing to get himself imprisoned in order to break him out. While the series had to throw countless obstacles at him in his journey, his dedication and faith in his brother had to be rewarded in the end. With Michael dying, it was a loss for not only him but Lincoln too. It would've robbed Lincoln of his victory in finding freedom as he would likely have felt all the efforts to save him were not worth it if it resulted in Michael's death.

Prison Break season 5 then had a steep hill to climb in order to undo the death. It put the series at a bad place from the beginning, but all the silly retconning and ridiculous plot contrivances are ultimately worth it to ensure that the show can end properly with Michael's plan ultimately ending happily.