Why Prison Break Was Canceled (& Why Season 6 Won't Happen)

 Prison Break, one of Fox's most successful network television shows, was canceled twice. Here's why the show ended and a season 6 won't happen.

Prison Break ended in 2017 after five seasons on Fox Network, and a sixth season will unfortunately never happen. The series was a huge success for Fox, especially in the early seasons, and was one of the earliest shows to be widely binged on Netflix. Prison Break was one of the most thrilling shows on television, prompting some speculation as to the possibility of a sixth-season reboot.

The series did have a reboot, of sorts, with Prison Break season 5 coming out nine years after season 4. However, the reboot ended poorly, with Prison Break season 5 coming nowhere near the success its earlier seasons enjoyed. Prison Break attracted a massive fan base during its original four-season run, and despite season 5's failings, many were excited about the prospect of the series continuing. But a few things came into play that would mean that Prison Break would be canceled after season 5 and a sixth season would never come to fruition. So, what happened to Prison Break season 6 and should it have even come back after season 4?

Prison Break was initially canceled after season 4 because of creative problems, despite speculation that it was canceled due to its dip in ratings. Kevin Reilly, then president of Fox Network, told reporters at the time that the show had "played out," and that all the stories had been told. It seems Prison Break's writers initially felt that they had no logical place to take the series after Prison Break season 4 finished the arc of Prison Break's Fox River Eight.

But something clearly changed in the nine years after Prison Break season 4, leading Fox to renew the series for a fifth-season reboot. Prison Break season 5 turned out to be somewhat of a flop, however, so it seems creator Paul Scheuring and Fox president Kevin Reilly were right in their initial assessment of the show being played out. It is a common enough occurrence for a popular television series to run past its optimal length, so Prison Break's season 5 reboot is far from alone in this respect.