Breakout Kings

Did You Know?

• Though Prison Break character Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell appears in the episode "The Bag Man", confirming a shared continuity, Breakout Kings is not a direct spin-off.
• Frank Grillo, who recurred in Prison Break's first season as Nick Savrinn, appears in the episode "Queen of Hearts" as a different character named Agent Stoltz.
• The second-season finale aired on April 29, 2012, at 9 p.m. ET/PT and featured two back-to-back episodes, "Freakshow" and "Served Cold", instead of the usual one-hour installment at 10 p.m.
• A&E cancelled Breakout Kings on May 17, 2012, after two seasons.

Cast

Laz Alonso plays Charlie Duchamp, a Deputy U.S. Marshal who leads the task force. He spent six years stuck at a desk due to a heart condition, and he needs to deliver results or risk being permanently reassigned to desk duty. In the season two opener, he turns down a promotion to stay with his team, but is killed by fugitive Damian Fontleroy later in that episode. Domenick Lombardozzi is Ray Zancanelli, a former Deputy U.S. Marshal fired after he was convicted of stealing money from a crime scene to buy his daughter a car. The other convicts do not know about his crime until Shea overhears Charlie discussing it. Ray connects better with the convicts because he has been in their shoes. He is on parole in season one, lives in a halfway house, and works as a Special Deputy U.S. Marshal, which lets him carry a gun. He is divorced but stays close to his daughter. Ray originally came up with the idea for the task force. After Charlie dies, Chief Inspector Renner gives Ray his old job back. Malcolm Goodwin plays Shea Daniels, a former gang leader whose drug and weapons operations stretched across the country. His street smarts help the team understand how fugitives think and move. He comes up with the name "Breakout Kings" and creates a graffiti-style logo. In one episode, he tells his girlfriend Vanessa he does not want to wait six more years to be free and suggests another plan, but she responds that they cannot become fugitives again.

Development and production

Breakout Kings was originally in development for Fox. Matt Olmstead and Nick Santora wrote the pilot after receiving a script commitment in August 2009. Fox greenlit a pilot in January 2010 but did not pick up the series for the 2010–11 season. Fox then sold the show to A&E, which ordered 13 episodes. Production was expected to begin in fall 2010 in Toronto. Robert Knepper appeared as his Prison Break character T-Bag in episode 3 of season one, and the other Prison Break characters are mentioned as "the Fox River 8."

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, season one holds a 41% approval rating based on 27 reviews, with an average rating of 4.70/10. The site's critical consensus states that the show takes risks but the execution is flat and it does not stand out from other procedurals. David Hinckley of the Daily News described it as a simple, stripped-down, focused drama with likable characters. Jonathan Storm of the Philadelphia Inquirer called it an exciting crime drama with character types not often seen. Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times said it starts with a promising blend of character and plot, action and dialog, sweet and savory. Maureen Ryan of the Huffington Post found it not particularly creative but sustained by workmanlike momentum, with a terrific performance from Jimmi Simpson as Lloyd Lowery. Rob Owen of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote that there are no television breakthroughs in the show, calling it a pat procedural that tries a little harder. Tim Goodman of the Hollywood Reporter opined that the show is mostly closed-ended with snippets of each con's past revealed, falling comfortably within basic-cable safe zone.