The Best Prison-Set TV Series Ranked

Television viewers have long had a fascination with prison, from Porridge to Prison Break. The effects are generally worse when bars reduce the options for action. A prisoner solid is better than a captive audience, which is one thing. We love to watch how characters behave when their freedom has been taken from them, how they ]… ]

The first article on Den of Geek was The Best Prison-Set Television Series Ranked.

From Porridge to Prison Break, Television people have long had a fascination with prison. The effects are generally worse when bars reduce the options for action. A prisoner solid is better than a captive audience, which is one thing. We adore to see how characters act when their freedom is being taken away from them, how they interact, how they plot avoid, and how they must find the strength to carry on. And we love to know how we’d live under those same circumstances, hoping never to have to turn that abstract notion or vicarious enjoyment into reality.

So, ten of the best prison style examples are presented in ascending order of merit, with our choice for best dog as the result. Feel free to say our options in the feedback, but before you react to clearly please consider this:” We’re never in here with you. You’re in below, along with us,”!

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10. Breaking the Captivity

If Prison Break had been a one-and-done restricted set it would have secured a higher positioning on this record. As it stands, each season of the show more tarnished its reputation until it was less popular than the last period of a particular show about dragons may one day get to its fans.

There are few initial conditions of any present that are as powerful, habitual and simply plain enjoyment as Prison Break‘s. The main conceit is a preposterous one: Michael Scofield ( Wentworth Miller ) tattoos the schematics of the prison he helped design and then gets himself incarcerated there to help his wrongly convicted brother Lincoln ( Dominic Purcell ) escape Death Row before being put to death, but it’s delivered with such adrenalin-spiking, fast-paced panache that you simply won’t care. Prison Break also gives us one of TV’s greatest villains, the vile, despicable, and slimy, yet utterly captivating, Theodore’ T-Bag ‘ Bagwell ( Robert Knepper ), a character you’ll both love to hate, and hate to love.

Although William Fichtner’s portrayal of pill-popping, morally questionable FBI agent Alexander Mahone in year two is a delightful addition, and period three’s Panama-based tomfoolery aren’t without their charm, things quickly start to unravel after that frantic second season. Season four, however, marks the time when the movie’s rear broke beneath the weight of its extremely convoluted and absurd story, and season five, the restoration period, represents the nadir of not only the show itself, but quite possibly the entire concept of entertainment itself.

Prison Break must stop any more awful prison from leaving.

9. Worthington

Wentworth is a reimagining of, and quasi-prequel to, the Australian soap-opera Prisoner ( renamed Prisoner Cell Block H in the UK to differentiate it from Patrick McGoohan’s The Prisoner, which can also be found this on list ) that ran from 1979 – 1986.

The main characters are all present and accurate, with the exception of the villainous prison guard Joan” the Freak” Ferguson ( Pamela Rabe ), her compatriots Lizzie Birdsworth ( Celia Ireland ), and newcomer and top-dog-to-be Bea Smith ( Danielle Cormack ), and her compatriots Lizzie Birdsworth ( Nicole de Silva ), but gone are the small budgets and low production values that caused security gates and cell walls to squat as though they The Wentworth jail of the late 2010s is soft and present, and the actions is dark and violent. Although Wondworth probably clings more to the voice of Oz than Orange is the New Black, it is most likely the closest thing of all to the UK’s Bad Women ( which just so sadly missed out on being on this list ).

Whether you prefer Wentworth or its father certainly comes down to personal preference, and quite possibly years.

8. Prisoner Cell Block H

We have to give the Old School on the (cell ) block a leg up in Prisoner Cell Block H because it is to Wentworth what Classic Doctor Who is to NuWho. Well, the pieces were so small and dirty that a battle between two individuals may appear to show up on the Richter scale. Yes, the early 1980s ‘ haircuts were crimes in and of themselves. Yes, the continuous, serialised nature of the genre prevented the show’s writers from exploring themes in any great depth.

The show has a raw, claustrophobic charm to it, and this is only possible thanks to its dark, threadbare appearance, which gives the lives of the women in Wentworth Prison an air of grit and hollow desperation that the show’s successor could never hope to imitate. The characters, particularly top dogs Bea Smith ( Val Lehman ), Myra Desmond ( Ann Phelan ) and Rita Connors ( Glenda Liscott ), had more time to cement themselves in viewer’s hearts, and thus more power to break those hearts once their stories came to an end.

Prisoner Cell Block H also has a stronger edge in bad guys. Pamela Rabe’s interpretation of the murderously corrupt prison guard Joan ‘ The Freak ‘ Ferguson in Wentworth was deliciously monstrous, but there will only ever be one ‘ Freak’, and that’s the original and best, Maggie Kilpatrick, who carried menace around with her as easily as some people carry mints.

Has there ever been a more achingly fitting or hauntingly beautiful closing theme than” On the Inside”? &nbsp,

7. The Prisoner

There are no bars or guards in the enigmatic village where Patrick McGoohan’s intelligence agent finds himself &#8211, and there are no turrets lining the island’s shores &#8211, but it’s clear that this place is a penal colony.

Patrick McGoohan is the eponymous prisoner, or Number 6 as he’s more commonly – and indeed exclusively – known. We never learn his real name, nor do we ever learn who or why has taken him. We don’t even know who on the island is a prisoner, and who is a part of the conspiracy. We are only aware that the island’s inhabitants, led by those who are designated Number 2, will use every trick in the book to obtain information from Number 6.

Those brave or foolhardy enough to tr escape from the island are pursued by a giant, bouncing, see-through ball known as Rover, that swiftly engulfs and retrieves them. If all of this starts to sound a little mind-numbing, that’s largely because it is. The Prisoner is a head-scratching mind-bender. The audience is never one-hundred percent certain what the hell is going on, which only serves to amplify the paranoia and unease that follow Number 6 around like a giant, bouncing, see-through ball, which is occasionally clever, imaginative, inventive, and absurd.

It doesn’t get more 1960s than this.

6. Escape at Dannemora

The true story of the 2015 break-out by lifers Richard Matt and David Sweat, who were both portrayed by Benicio del Toro and Paul Dano, is revealed in Escape at Dannemora. To achieve their audacious aims, they co-opt the assistance of Tilly Mitchell ( played by Severance stalwart Patricia Arquette – a series that’s also directed by Ben Stiller ) &#8211, the prison worker in charge of the tailor shop &#8211, through means of sex, seduction and flattery. Sweat handles the majority of the labor: the tunneling and the cutting. Matt is the Machiavellian plan-maker, a man who can control other people with ease, but, tragically, not himself.

Tilly appears to be a vulnerable, downtrodden, and unhappy housewife whose only crime was to seek affection and attention from the wrong people at first, especially if you have no knowledge of the real-life escape. But as the narrative unfolds it becomes clear that Tilly is possibly a dastardlier human being than either of her two incarcerated co-conspirators combined.

We are unconcerned about the character of the two men we have been supporting in their fight for freedom because of a flashback sequence in the series ‘ final scene. Their index crimes are brutal and violent, unspeakably so, but whereas their criminality is born of an opportunistic impulsivity, Tilly’s crimes – most of which, beyond the obvious, aren’t crimes in the legal sense – demonstrate a sustained commitment to cruel and callous manipulation, in furtherance of her own selfish and destructive appetites. She earns money from her husband and son. It’s only panic– or perhaps the faint vestiges of a conscience – that saves her from going on the run with Matt and Sweat, an outcome that doubtless would’ve seen her dead instead of in a prison cell.

A tragedy that will haunt audiences for the long run after the end credits have finished, Escape at Dannemora is a well-paced story with skillful acting from Stiller and flawless acting from the cast, especially Arquette.

5. Orange is the New Black.

Orange is the New Black is based on the best-selling autobiographical book by former drug mule Piper Kerman, in which she recounts her time in prison, and the questionable life choices that led her there – especially her exciting yet destructive relationship with charismatic cartel worker Alex Vause ( Laura Prepon ), the woman largely responsible for Piper getting caught. And of course, passions and sparks fly when Alex and Alex end up sharing the same cell block.

Taylor Schilling plays Piper ( surname changed to Chapman for the show ) with a wide-eyed, wet-behind-the-ears intensity, channelling an awkward innocence that occasionally borders on arrogance. Piper doesn’t believe she should be in jail. Not with these’ others’, these criminals, who clearly deserve their fate. However, as she gradually adjusts to life in prison, makes connections, and accepts her fellow prisoners, her fear of her fish-out-of-water scenario gradually diminishes as she gradually adjusts and grows in understanding. She discovers, as we do, that most of the women in Litchfield Prison are as much victims as perpetrators: women who have been failed by familial and societal support systems in ways that most of us would struggle to fathom. &nbsp, &nbsp,

For the first season this is Piper’s story, but as the series expands, so too does its focus and scope. It gradually deviates from its ostensibly comedic premise and allows for deeper themes and darker subtext to enter the narrative without losing its heart or humor. Each of the large and compelling ensemble gets a proper chance to shine (especially Suzanne ‘ Crazy Eyes ‘ Warren, arguably Uzo Aduba’s breakout role ), as the writers drill ever deeper into their fates, hopes, dreams, pasts, and miseries. By the end of the series, we have experienced at least one tragic character death that is as heartbreaking, mind-numbing, and game-changing as Lem’s departure from The Shield, and we have experienced the agonies and triumphs of the majority of them.

4. Black Bird

Welsh actor Taran Egerton is being touted as the next Bruce Willis, largely due to his turn in last year’s airport-based action thriller Carry On. Egerton is not a one-trick pony, though. A strong and versatile set of acting chops sit behind the muscles and bravura, which is plain to see in his acclaimed performances in biopics such as Eddie the Eagle and Rocketman. And in Apple TV’s limited series Black Bird, which is based on a true story, those talents are undoubtedly on display in a breathtaking manner.

Egerton plays Jimmy Keene, a drug-runner with a surfeit of charm, a winsome grin, and a semi-functional moral compass. FBI agent Lauren McCauley ( Sepideh Moafi, who most recently graced our screens as Mia in the excellent sci-fi series Scavengers Reign ) approaches him with a deal: go “undercover” in a maximum security prison to get close to and successfully elicit a confession from suspected serial killer Larry Hall, and we’ll commute your sentence. It’s Jimmy’s love for his ailing father, ( retired cop” Big Jim” Keene, played by Ray Liotta, in his final TV role ), who may not last another year much less ten, that propels him into action.

What comes next is a thrilling, edge-of-the-seat thriller that incorporates elements of Mindhunter. For every prison riot or potentially fatal dilemma Jimmy has to face there’s hours of talking between Jimmy and Larry, each moment of it imbued with tension and horror. You’ll be blown away by Paul Walter Hauser’s unsettlingly creepy and nuanced performance as Larry Hall if you’ve only ever seen him as Stingray in Cobra Kai on Netflix. If you’ve only ever seen Taran Egerton in Carry On, you’ll quickly realise why this talented actor is so much more than an action star.

3. The Night Of

Nasir” Naz” Khan, a Pakistani American student who is forced to make bad decisions, bad luck, and prejudice from the post-9/11 era, is played by Riz Ahmed in The Night of.

After stealing his father’s cab to attend a college party, he meets the troubled and beautiful Andrea ( Sofia Black-D’Elia ), who climbs in his cab as it’s idling. After hitting it off, the two end up hosting a two-person party at her place, complete with rock n’ roll, drugs, and sex. The next morning Naz wakes to find that Andrea has been stabbed to death. Even he isn’t sure if he‘s innocent, and all the evidence points to his guilt.

A more fortuitous instance of happenstance connects Naz with John Stone ( John Turturro ), a scruffy yet dogged attorney – think Columbo meets Monk meets My Cousin Vinny– who represents the best shot Naz has of escaping the humanity-eroding violence of prison and the corrosive clutches of jailhouse top-dog Freddy Knight ( a powerful and sinister turn by the late Kenneth Michael Williams ). &nbsp,

The role of John Stone was originally written for James Gandolfini, then offered to Robert de Niro in the wake of Gandolfini’s tragic death. However, Turturro ( currently on our screens in Apple’s peerless workplace mindbender, Severance ) absolutely does the role his own, to the point where it’s difficult to imagine anyone else – aforementioned Hollywood heavyweights included – doing a better job. However, It’s Riz Ahmed who steals the show with a performance that’s infused with earnestness and humanity and deservedly won him the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series.

2. Time

Few writers can navigate the murky waters of the human soul with as much wit, aplomb, and verisimilitude as Jimmy McGovern, who in Time pits his considerable writing power against the complex and inhumanities of the British penal system.

Series one focuses on the intersecting fates of a newly arrived inmate and a long-serving prison guard at a particularly bleak men’s prison. Former teacher Mark Cobden was imprisoned for killing a man while intoxicated. He tries to keep his head down and do his ‘ time’ quietly, but the other inmates sense his vulnerability and target him. Soon after being entangled in the drug-smuggling ring, he is forced to choose between his own survival and his moral ideals. Prison guard Eric McNally ( Stephen Graham ) faces a near-identical dilemma to Mark’s, though it’s not Eric’s survival, but his freshly incarcerated son’s, that hangs in the balance. Like the best of McGovern’s work, the first season’s conclusion is both unexpected and inevitable, depressing and optimistic, and full of both tears and sighs of hope.

Season two &#8211, co-written with Helen Black &#8211, follows the fortunes of three new inmates as they adjust to life in a women’s prison. It’s no less powerful and moving, more heartbreaking in the social obscurity it chronicles, but ended with a more upbeat denouement. Jodie Whittaker, Tamara Lawrance and Bella Ramsey give arguably the performances of their careers across these three episodes as their characters learn hard lessons about motherhood, poverty, addiction, acceptance, retribution, and redemption. &nbsp, &nbsp, &nbsp,

1. Oz

Oz isn’t just the best prison series of all time. It’s been made that it’s one of the best dramatic series of all time. It’s certainly one of the most important and seminal, helping to kickstart the second golden age of television, after which TV would start to supplant cinema as the preferred prestige medium of the masses. HBO was at the forefront of this revolution, offering a funding model that freed creatives from the pressures of network interference and advertising, allowing them to put the story first and take more risks.

Oz tells the story of life in” Emerald City”, ad experimental wing in the Oswald State Penitentiary, a place where there’s a perpetual battle between the forces of rehabilitation and restorative justice on one hand, and vote-winning retribution and punishment on the other. It’s a conflict between two ideologies, but ultimately it’s a conflict for the souls of the prisoners. The show is bleak, brutal, and gripping. He’s almost like a cellmate, and death isn’t just a reality on the wing.

Before Oz arrived in 1997 there had never been a show quite like it. It’s a sprawling, Shakesperian tragedy painted in blood and despair over the gloomy underbelly of the waning American dream. Even today, in a televisual landscape that’s packed with death, darkness and destruction, it still packs a powerful and uncompromising punch. the head. To the gut. To the heart.

Oz is a gem of the genre, albeit one that shines very darkly indeed.

The first article on Den of Geek was The Best Prison-Set Television Series Ranked.