The highly-anticipatedPrison Breakreboot is expected to be different from the original series if happens, which means that it has the chance to fix a major problem. While the issue was fairly typical for shows in the early 2000s, the reboot will fail with a modern audience if it does not fix it. The crime thrillerPrison Breakhad five seasons and a movie, including a revived series that brought many of the original characters back. This included the surviving"Fox River Eight" prison escapeesand Sara Tancredi, one of the few recurring female characters inPrison Break.
While a show that is largely set in a male prison, understandably, has few female characters,Prison Breakfeatures a handful of recurring ones. Season 1 had the lawyer turned investigator, Veronica Donovan, and season 2 introduced the ambitious antagonist, President Caroline Reynolds. That said,the only main female character to appear in almost every season ofPrison Breakis the former Fox River Penitentiary doctor, Sara Tancredi.Themain characters inPrison Breakhave varied backgrounds and histories, and the show has given viewers some outstanding villains and fan favorites. However, the problem concerns the female characters.
Prison Break’s Female Characters All Have One Thing In Common
In a couple of decades, since the first season ofPrison Breakaired, there have been some truly excellent true crime documentaries andmind-bending thrillers with a female lead. This means thatrewatchingPrison Breakin the 2020s is an uncomfortable experience at times. Despite coming from different cultural, family, and educational backgrounds, virtually all the female characters share one character flaw, and that is a lack of common sense. Many ignore several red flags in a row, and even Veronica walks alone into the home of an antagonist, with no escape plan, which costs her her life.
Veronica is played by Robin Tunney, who, beforePrison Break,was known for playing characters with more of a troubled past.
Veronica beginsPrison Breakas a lawyer, with the skills and means to challenge the corrupt authoritiesin a way that the socially awkward Michael and less-articulate Lincoln cannot. As she works alongside Nick, she begins to develop new investigation skills, which could have made her a formidable enemy to The Company. However, just as Veronica was on the edge of uncovering the truth, she was killed in one ofthe most tragic moments inPrison Break. This shocking scene wasted her potential, as Veronica had unique strengths and connections that none of the otherPrison Breakcharacters had.
Prison Break’s Portrayal Of Women Ranges From Ridiculous To Offensive
Nika’s Character Arc Grew More Bizarre With Every Episode
Tweener’s behavior would raise alarm bells with most women. When he travels with Debra, he is twitchy, clearly lying about his backstory, leaves their shared bathroom wearing just a towel, and then heavily encourages her to drink. Still, rather than calling for help, Debra sleeps with him and gives him her car.Prison Break’s portrayal of women continues to be ridiculous, as most women who share a scene with T-Bag suffer from similar unrealistic writing, which may insult the intelligence of many women. At the worst end ofPrison Break’s female character spectrum, Nika is an offensive Eastern European stereotype.
If Nika had been written realistically, she could have become a mainPrison Breakcharacter.
Michael paid off Nika’s traffickers and married her, giving her a green card and him conjugal visits. While Nika is kind, she is also a sexualized blend of stereotypes. Nika works in a strip club and uses her sexuality to manipulate Bellick before her desperation for money makes her betray Michael, andNika’s final admission that she is in love with him rounds off her bizarrePrison Breakarc.Every decision she made perpetuated the “sexy golddigger” stereotype, but if Nika had been written realistically, she could have become a mainPrison Breakcharacter, as she was so likable.
Despite Its Flaws, Prison Break Was One Of The Most Compelling Thriller Shows Of All Time
The Prison Break Spin-Off Could Bring Back The Best Parts Of The Original Series
WhilePrison Breakmay not have written its female characters well, its plot was incredibly detailed and every episode featured very high stakes, making the show extremely bingeable. The fact that it centered on Michael’s intricate tattoo gavePrison Breaka unique concept, and viewers were hooked by the cliffhangers that ended most episodes.Though the show was occasionally criticized for its far-fetched plots,Prison Breakwas never predictableand some ofthe most unexpected things to happen inPrison Breakgenuinely shocked viewers.Prison Breakmay have lost its way by season 3, but it was never boring.
Why Every Member Of Prison Break’s Fox River Eight Was Originally In Jail
The Fox River Eight are Prison Break’s core cast that manage to escape Fox River Penitentiary. Each of them are in prison for different reasons
WithaPrison Breakreboot confirmedto be in the works, there are many ways that the new show could incorporate the best parts of the original series. The earlier seasons featured likable characters like Sucre alongside terrifying villains like T-Bag, and the new show will almost certainly include a mix of extremely different characters.Prison Breakshould have given more screen time to characters like John Abruzzi, whose mafia connections could have been explored further. That said, the reboot could work with the current trend for mafia and crime boss shows by featuring another connected character.
To Succeed In A New Decade, Prison Break Must Fix Its Problems With Female Characters
SincePrison Breakaired, there have been several critically acclaimed crime dramas that are either female-led or have well-written female characters, includingOrange is the New Black,Killing Eve, andLuther. This improvement in the writing of female characters throws theharsh realities about rewatchingPrison Breakinto even more of a spotlight. If the reboot ofPrison Breakis to succeed, the writers must fix its problem with female characters, ensuring that they are not one-dimensional stereotypes and behave more realistically. Some of the mainPrison Breakcharacters had potential, which the reboot could build on.
The fates of Prison Break’s main female characters
1, 2
Killed in season 2
Finally reunites with Michael
Left standing on the road
Leaves the presidency and is presumably arrested
3, 4,The Final Break
Arrested inThe Final Break
US President Caroline Reynolds was formidable and went to murderous lengths to hide her incestuous relationship with her brother. This backstory could have made her a unique and fascinating villain, andas Caroline’s lastPrison Breakappearance shows her resigning from office, she could be brought back for the reboot. Unfortunately, there would be little point in doing so as most viewers would find her story all too familiar.
A Rebooted Prison Break Has The Potential To Be Enormously Successful With A Female Audience
The Prison Break Reboot Should Not Take Place In A Women’s Prison (But It Could Be Interesting)
To make aPrison Breakreboot successful without its original characters, the show must offer something new. This should include compelling new characters, as this was one of the best things about the original series, but it could also involve a genre change.Prison Break’s most tragic character is based on a true story, and the show could lean into true crime, which has a large female fanbase.ThePrison Breakreboot could include elements of a real-life heistand powerful female characters, bringing some modern and much-needed features to the show.
Prison Break’s Reboot Is Avoiding The Mistake That Killed The Original Show After Season 1
Prison Break might be getting a reboot at Fox, but it looks like it won’t be making the mistake that the original show did after season 1.
ModernizingPrison Breakdoes not necessarily mean setting it in a women’s prison. Attempting to undo past mistakes by remaking a show with a majority female cast is a strategy that is often used but rarely effective. It would be better to ensure that female characters in thePrison Breakreboot are all well-written, no matter how many there are. That said, setting thePrison Breakreboot in a women’s prison might not be as obvious a move as it has been in other shows, as season 4’s core story involved breaking Sara out of prison.
Prison Break
Cast
Prison Break tells the story of two brothers who must unravel a political conspiracy while escaping from one of the most secure places on Earth. When petty criminal Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell) is falsely convicted of murdering the Vice President’s brother, his own brother, Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller), has himself incarcerated in order to stage a daring prison break using the blueprints of the facility he has tattooed on his body.
