The best episodes of Prison Break
Ranked by viewer rating, highs first. Lit marks on the season rail place this list across the run. Vote on a placement to back it or contest it.
- 01
Dr. Sara questions if she should leave a light on and the door open for Michael, who must betray the Pope in order to carry out his escape plan. Veronica finds evidence that points her to Montana, but realizes that her closest ally may actually be her greatest enemy. Michael, Lincoln and the other inmates make a break for it, but after the alarm is sounded, find out who will make it over the wall, who will be left behind and who will leave the prison in a body bag.
- 02
Westmoreland uses Bellick to plug a hole in the escape plan, which forces Michael to move up the breakout timetable. A fearful Tweener pledges his loyalty to Michael and in return may get out of jail for free; Michael feels that he has no choice but to involve Sara in the plan and must betray his father figure; and Veronica finds her life in jeopardy from her closest ally, who has a surprising connection to a Fox River inmate.
- 03
Riots, Drills and the Devil (2)
As the full-scale riot escalates, Michael faces a difficult decision regarding the life of Dr. Sara; Abruzzi and Sucre team up to break the devil's back; T-Bag tastes blood in his quest to be included in the escape plan; Lincoln has a potentially fatal confrontation; and Veronica and Nick track a lead to Washington, DC.
- 04
Picking up eight hours after their escape from Fox River, Michael, Lincoln, Sucre, Abruzzi and C-Note are on the run for their lives as a vengeful Bellick leads the prison guards seeking to capture their escaped quarry; Dr. Sara is in critical condition from her overdose; Veronica finds herself a prisoner with Terrance; T-Bag tries to get the upper hand while fleeing from the authorities; and a new take-charge FBI investigator proves to be Scofield's match.
- 05
Riots, Drills and the Devil (1)
Michael turns up the heat to break through to the other side (of his cell wall). Unbeknownst to Lincoln, outside forces plan to move up his execution day. Veronica and Nick track a lead to Washington, DC. A full scale riot in the prison threatens the lives of inmates and employees alike and gives T-Bag an opportunity to uncover a startling secret.
- 06
Michael's plan hits a snag when he discovers an old storage shed crucial to the escape has been turned into the guard's break room. Veronica and Nick get an explosive warning to back off their investigation to prove Lincoln's innocence; LJ goes on the run; the conspiracy claims three more lives; the identity of the mystery woman calling the shots is revealed.
- 07
With proof that his escape plan is working, Michael gets suited up to overcome the vertical limits of his last obstacle. Back in PI, as the escape attempt draws near, the group tries to reduce their number by one and targets T-Bag, who has some insurance in his pocket. Outside the prison walls, LJ slips away to attend his mother's funeral, which is also attended by her murderer. Veronica gets a call from an unlikely source who sheds light on the night of Terrence Steadman's assassination.
- 08
With the escape attempt a failure, the inmates must make their way back to their cells without being detected. Dr. Sara asks the Governor for fatherly forgiveness; Veronica and Nick make a final plea to the judge overseeing Lincoln's case; and with only hours until Lincoln's execution, Michael devises an electrifying plan to keep him alive.
- 09
The mystery man reveals himself to Lincoln as well as his connection to some bad company; when Michael realizes Sara holds the key to the escape plan, he takes their relationship to another level; Fox River turns into a mob scene when a familiar face returns; Tweener must choose sides; and Bellick may finally discover the "hole" truth.
- 10
With the escape in motion, Michael, Lincoln and the inmates take flight outside the prison walls, risking life and limb to evade capture. Warden Pope and Captain Bellick embark on a relentless pursuit to capture the escapees; the Vice President fears she will lose her command as well as her life; and Veronica tracks down the most significant piece of evidence to prove Lincoln's innocence.
- 11
T-Bag goes postal to track down a missing Mrs. Hollander. Sucre's escape plane faces deadly turbulence. Bellick has the tables turned on him upon his return to Fox River Penitentiary. Michael and Lincoln are taken into custody to be transported back to Fox River, forcing Mahone and Kellerman to take drastic measures to ensure that the brothers make it to the prison morgue instead of their cells. And a surprising ally changes the game for everyone.
- 12
Michael, Lincoln and Kellerman face several roadblocks as they attempt to capture a protected Terrance Steadman; tragedy strikes the Mahone family; Bellick turns sour when a fellow inmate turns sweet on him; C-Note faces life on the run as a single parent; and T-Bag forces the Hollander family to play house with him.
- 13
Seeing isn't believing when Haywire develops a fascination with Michael's elaborate torso tattoo, which further delays Michael's timetable for escape. Sucre has a change of heart when an unexpected visitor informs him of Maricruz's affairs. Lincoln's nightmares about his execution intensify. Veronica goes on the defense for Lincoln as she teams with an advocacy lawyer who may be more than interested in justice.
- 14
With Lincoln's execution scheduled for the following day, Veronica comes out of hiding to reach out to him and gains a newsworthy ally in the process. Kellerman makes the ultimate sacrifice to preserve the conspiracy. Michael must find a way to get Lincoln out of Solitary confinement in time for the escape that evening. The inmates risk everything as they attempt the escape.
- 15
As Michael struggles to remember missing pieces of the prison schematics, Warden Pope places him in solitary when he refuses to name names.
- 16
Michael and Sara become more than 'strangers on a train' en route to confront the President; Mahone recruits an new ally in his attempts to capture the fugitives; T-Bag puts on a happy face when the welcome wagon arrives; and a fourth escapee takes a fall.
- 17
Lincoln Burrows is currently on death row and scheduled to die in a few months for an assassination his younger brother Michael is convinced he did not commit. With no other options and time winding down, Michael takes drastic measures to get himself incarcerated alongside his brother in Fox River State Penitentiary. Once he's inside, Michael - a structural engineer with the blueprints for the prison - begins to execute an elaborate plan to break Lincoln out and prove him innocent. When Michael arrives at Fox River State Penitentiary, he meets the prison denizens who will, unknowingly, help in his escape plans - his cellmate, the lovelorn Sucre; beautiful prison doctor Dr. Sara Tancredi, who happens to be the governor's daughter; former mob boss John Abruzzi; and Warden Henry Pope. Meanwhile, outside the prison walls, the brothers' childhood friend and Lincoln's lost love, attorney Veronica Donovan, works within the law to free them; Lincoln's teenage son LJ may be going down a path similar to his convicted father's; and Secret Service Agent Paul Kellerman's investigation into Lincoln's case proves that there may be a national conspiracy.
- 18
Michael seeks help of his fellow prison inhabitants to execute his escape plans.
- 19
Lincoln must say goodbye to yet another loved one as he attempts to reunite with Michael; Michael's attempt to secure a getaway plane is grounded; Mahone deciphers a crucial puzzle piece; T-Bag gets his revenge on his tormentors; and Sara and Kellerman have a tense face-off that leaves one of them gasping for their last breath.
- 20
Michael, Lincoln and Kellerman takes the airwaves hostage as they attempt to evade the authorities and get a message to a missing Sara; Bellick gets a surprise visit in Fox River's infirmary; Haywire resurfaces and lands in more trouble; Sucre takes his good Samaritan for a ride.
- 21
Michael and Sara realize that Warden Pope (guest star Stacy Keach) is the key to recovering information that will bring down 'The Company'; Mahone corners another escapee; C-Note fears for his daughter's life; Sucre learns the dangers of hitchhiking en route to reuniting with Maricruz; and T-Bag walks down memory lane when he takes the Hollander family to his childhood home.
- 22
Lincoln, Michael and Sara find the evidence they need to expose the conspiracy; Mahone forces one of the escapees to draw Michael and Lincoln out into the open; T-Bag's visit to a psychiatrist's office is more than therapeutic; Bellick is dispatched south of the border; and Kellerman sets his sights on the President.
- 23
Kellerman and Hale pay a visit to Warden Pope, whose past may not be as angelic as it appears; Michael learns he may be getting out of Fox River much sooner than he expected - without Lincoln; Veronica and Nick's investigation to prove Lincoln's innocence makes Veronica doubt whom she can really trust; Michael must raise the roof as another piece of his escape plan.
- 24
Abruzzi finds himself demoted in the prison hierarchy, placing the entire escape plan at risk; when T-Bag's latest relationship sours and he targets a new 'fish,' Michael is torn between wanting to protect the new kid and T-Bag's threats that he will reveal the escape plan to the guards if Michael interferes; in the aftermath of the double murder, LJ runs for his life; the inmates digs themselves into a hole with the latest part of the plan.
- 25
In order to get Abruzzi back in command of the prison's work detail (and the escape plan back on track), Michael must finally give up Fibonnaci's location (and life) to Philly Falzone; Kellerman and Hale get a little unwanted 'help' to track down a missing LJ; Veronica and Nick uncover evidence against the man Lincoln was convicted of murdering; Michael and Dr. Sara grow closer; And the escape gang grows by one.
Shows like Prison Break
The closest matches on shared genres, ranked by match strength and popularity.
- 01Drama·Crime·ThrillerThe best episodes of True Detective2014–present
Touch darkness and darkness touches you back. - 02Drama·Crime·ThrillerThe best episodes of The Blacklist2013–2023·NBC
The Blacklist is a crime drama involving a former government agent who turned into a high-profile criminal turning himself in to the FBI offering to help catch criminals. - 03Drama·Crime·ThrillerThe best episodes of Criminal Minds2005–present·Paramount+
Criminal Minds revolves around an elite team of FBI profilers who analyze the country's most twisted criminal minds, anticipating their next moves before they strike again. - 04Drama·Crime·ThrillerThe best episodes of Breaking Bad2008–2019·AMCBreaking Bad follows protagonist Walter White, a chemistry teacher who lives in New Mexico with his wife and teenage son who has cerebral palsy.
- 05Drama·Crime·ThrillerThe best episodes of Euphoria2019–2026Euphoria follows a group of high school students as they navigate love and friendships in a world of drugs, sex, trauma, and social media.
- 06Drama·Crime·ThrillerThe best episodes of The Killing2011–2014·AMC
The Killing follows Seattle homicide detectives Stephen Holder and Sarah Linden and their work as detectives investigating murders.
