The Great Escape Meets Money Heist In A TV Series So Good They Rebooted It Three Times

The most perfect TV crime thrillers of all time either have characters to root for, or make us support the antihero despite knowing that the character in question has a few villainous tendencies. They also must have a storyline so packed with tension and the occasional twist that we are hooked even if the action gets a little farfetched. With trickery, action, and the potential for both violence and witty one-liners, it is hardly surprising that heists and breakouts make the ideal subject for TV shows that can even outperform top thriller movies.

The Great Escape is arguably the first prison break story that comes to mind, with the movie being a timeless classic that many other movies and TV shows have emulated. Still, the movie has become somewhat dated, and more technologically complex heists have taken center stage, but with mixed levels of success. This is where the character writing becomes so important, with shows like Money Heist introducing some of the most compelling criminal characters in TV history. Combining the two is the genre-bending Prison Break, which has kept writers, directors, and viewers returning since 2005.

Prison Break Puts Money Heist’s Characters Into The Great Escape

Some of Prison Break's Fox River Eight hiding from the manhunt — Some of Prison Break’s Fox River Eight hiding from the manhunt

Money Heist takes the simple concept of a bank robbery, but changes the setting, typical characters, and outcome. Prison Break also changes the rules, with characters sometimes breaking into prison as well as out of it. Some of the main characters in Prison Break have Money Heist counterparts, like Michael Scofield, whose skill for masterminding the heist is equal to that of The Professor. Both shows also have a sympathetic character who begins on the outside, with Prison Break‘s Dr. Sara Tancredi having a similar role to Money Heist‘s Lisbon, despite the two characters being very different.

From the wildcards to the dangerous liabilities, both Prison Break and Money Heist‘s characters are all fascinating. However, Money Heist‘s tension centers on a hostage situation and the team’s attempts to keep the police out of the building, while Prison Break‘s main storyline is Michael and Lincoln’s elaborate breakout plan, which resembles the one featured in The Great Escape. The iconic movie involves an escape from a prisoner of war camp via tunnels and fleeing on various vehicles, just as the men in Prison Break do.

Why Prison Break Keeps Getting Brought Back

Michael working with electronics and looking tense in the Prison Break episode, Selfless

The concept for Prison Break has so much potential that the show keeps returning with a different genre, from gritty crime to slick sci-fi. That said, while the series is a masterclass in suspense, one thing it took a long time to get right is the fate of its main character. Michael Scofield’s popularity has resulted in him returning from the dead, giving Prison Break its three different endings. The main series ended with a bittersweet moment at Michael’s grave, and the movie The Final Break explains his death as self-sacrifice, but the fifth season brought him back.

The Prison Break installments so far
Season	Year	Rotten Tomatoes critics’ rating	Rotten Tomatoes audience rating
1	2005	79%	95%
2	2006	71%	90%
3	2007	50%	67%
4	2008	50%	62%
The Final Break	2009	–	83%
5	2017	56%	70%
Reboot	TBC	TBC	TBC

This reluctance to say goodbye to the fan favorite characters is understandable, as Prison Break has given viewers some very memorable lines and character-driven moments. However, while the show is being rebooted again, it is about to change direction, expanding on the potential of the “escape” storyline but without the characters from previous seasons. Some fans of the show may be apprehensive, as the bond between Michael and Lincoln was the core of the original series, but this could free the writers from expectation and allow them to create something entirely new.

What Is Going On With The Prison Break Reboot?

The main cast of Prison Break surrounding a laptop and looking worried

The news that Prison Break is being rebooted once more might surprise fans who lost interest when the series went too far in the sci-fi direction, but it is easy to see why the premise could last forever in the right hands. This time, a soldier-turned corrections officer enters a prison to help somebody she loves. The Prison Break reboot will be set in the same universe as the original series, but it will not return to old storylines. Instead, it has a new stacked cast that includes Emily Browning (American Gods,) Robin Weigert (Deadwood,) and Sam Trammell (True Blood.)

The Prison Break reboot will be written and executive produced by Elgin James (Mayans M.C.)

No date has been announced yet, but there have been regular updates throughout 2026, including Prison Break recasting a major role for the reboot. No matter how people felt about the polarizing final seasons of the original show, things appear to be moving in the right direction now. Any project involving a breakout will inevitably be compared to The Great Escape, and with Money Heist being lauded as one of the greatest character-driven crime shows of all time, Prison Break will hopefully draw continued parallels to both masterpieces, while also maintaining the identity that made the series such a success.