Hulu‘s upcoming thriller remake already faces one massive challenge, but, from the looks of it, it is on the right path to overcome it. Remakes and reboots of popular TV franchises are usually not received too well, and understandably so. Instead of coming off as well-intended extensions of existing franchises, remakes are often forced, solely intended to milk more financial gains out of a show’s lasting legacy.
Every once in a while, though, a TV remake achieves the impossible by proving that it deserves to exist. Take, for instance, Netflix’s Cobra Kai, which cleverly reinvented its original movie franchise’s formula while capturing the nostalgia that made its predecessors memorable. The Day of the Jackal achieved the same by modernizing its source material’s story for new viewers.
The upcoming reboot of Prison Break on Hulu must tread the same path to be able to justify its existence. If it tries too hard to emulate the original show’s formula, it could seem redundant and feel like a rehash rather than a reimagining. Similarly, if it completely changes the original show’s storytelling ingredients, it could alienate the franchise’s fans. To be able to succeed in its early seasons, it must get one crucial thing right.
Hulu’s Prison Break Must Capture The Spirit Of Early Prison Break, But With A New Cast
Prison Break outstayed its welcome and eventually started losing steam in its latter seasons. Despite this, though, the show’s early installments were so thrilling and memorable that it is still remembered as one of the best additions to the genre. Since the early installments of the series cemented its legacy, Hulu’s upcoming remake of Prison Break could benefit a lot from treading their formula.
In its early chapters, Prison Break‘s hook alone was enough to keep viewers invested. It was hard not to be completely immersed in a structural engineer’s relentless pursuit to save his innocent brother from death row. The show even established clear stakes and hinted at a story roadmap by revealing how Wentworth Miller’s Michael tattooed the entire prison’s blueprint on his body.
Instead of portraying the tattoo as a mere gimmick or predictable plan for its story, the show ensured viewers stayed on their toes by constantly introducing unpredictable variables. These unforeseeable developments brilliantly capture the protagonist’s genius by showing how he adapted on the fly.
Almost every episode in Prison Break‘s early arcs was driven by a clear intent and every new antagonist and addition to the central escape crew felt purposefully woven into the larger narrative. In season 2, Prison Break managed to effectively raise the stakes by evolving into an intense cross-country game of cat-and-mouse.
Newer additions to its roster, like Alex Mahone (William Fichtner), ensured that the series never lost momentum after its initial prison-escape premise. Unfortunately, after two seasons, Prison Break seemingly started running out of stories to tell and became visibly redundant.
Since it is quite evident why Prison Break experienced a major decline in quality after two seasons, the upcoming remake can take notes and riff on the original show’s strengths from seasons 1 and 2. It will not be easy for the upcoming series to recapture the same sense of urgency and relentless momentum that drove the original, but it has already taken the right step towards succeeding.
Hulu Is Taking The Right Approach With Prison Break Canon
The original Prison Break series devoted a lot of time to world-building. To establish the stakes and scale of its storytelling, it gradually developed layers and layers of lore surrounding everything from “The Company” to the government conspiracies, secret operatives, and underground networks that shaped the protagonists’ journeys.
By unfolding in the same universe as the original, the remake inherits the established lore. This gives it a solid springboard where it can leverage everything that worked in the original show’s favor while also finding creative ways to instill nostalgia in the franchise’s fans. The show will obviously shift its focus to a new set of stories, but it will still fascinate viewers with subtle callbacks to the original series.
One of the biggest issues with remakes is that they try to retell the same stories with different actors. This often prompts viewers to compare the remake with the original’s legacy. By unfolding in the same universe as its predecessor, Prison Break‘s upcoming remake does not wipe the franchise’s history clean. It acknowledges that all previous stories and characters still exist while new ones unfold.
Even the stakes in the Hulu remake already seem higher because, after the original show’s events, the Department of Corrections and the FBI would have naturally advanced their surveillance systems and manhunt methods. The mere prospect of the Prison Break remake adopting more modern prison protocols and escape attempt strategies already makes it sound incredibly exciting.