This Crime Series From 2005 Is Dominating Streaming Right Now

The 2000s have long been considered to be one of the last great eras of scripted television. From LOST and 24, to The Wire and Mad Men, the decade provided audiences with shows that were so well written they rivaled anything that was playing in theaters. Smack-dab in the middle of it all came the crime drama Prison Break, which was easily one of the most original series to hit the airwaves in 2005. With the first episode watched by more than 10 million people, it was an instant hit for Fox, and now, 15 years after its original run came to an end, it’s finding a whole new audience thanks to streaming.

According to Nielsen’s overall streaming list (via Deadline), Prison Break was the most watched show for the week of Aug. 5–11 with an astounding 1.6 billion viewing minutes. That’s a 111% increase from the week prior, and it can thank Netflix for the huge bump, as although the show has been available on Hulu for a while, its premiere on the streaming giant proved yet again that Netflix is undoubtedly the place to be. With more than 277 million subscribers – and that number growing every day – movies and TV shows that have long since passed their prime are finding success years after they’ve been forgotten, and Prison Break is just another example of that.

It’s also a testament to great writing that stands the test of time. Created by Paul Scheuring, who also served as head writer and executive producer, Prison Break tells the tale of Michael Schofield (Wentworth Miller), a structural engineer who deliberately gets himself sent to prison so he can help his brother (Dominic Purcell) escape and clear his name for a crime he didn’t commit. Since he can’t bring the blueprints for the prison with him, Schofield gets an elaborate body tattoo before being jailed that hides the plans in plain sight. It’s a genius idea that helped Prison Break stand out from other crime shows at the time, and earned it several well deserved nominations and awards over the course of its run, which ended in 2009 (though the series was brought back for a nine episode revival in 2017).

Old TV Favorites Dominate Streaming

Prison Break wasn’t the only classic show to dominate streaming for the week, as others such as Grey’s Anatomy, Dexter, Game of Thrones, and even Bluey made TheShockNews. The only series created specifically for streaming to appear in the Top 10 was The Umbrella Academy, of which Season 4 premiered on August 8, proving once more that thanks to the advent of services like Netflix, licensed titles from years past can still be put to good use to generate ratings and dollars for their creators at a time when many in the industry are struggling to pay their exorbitant electric bills.

With Prison Break dominating the streaming charts, it only fuels further interest in the long-awaited reboot that was announced in 2023, and received a positive update earlier this year from executive producer Marty Adelstein. Though it has yet to start production, the revamped series now has an even greater chance of being a hit thanks to a whole new generation of viewers who are just discovering the original, and will easily tune in to see what comes next.