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. 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 season 5 coming out nine years after season 4. However, the reboot ended poorly, with season 5 coming nowhere near the success its earlier seasons enjoyed. 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 and a sixth season would never come to fruition. So, what happened to season 6 and should it have even come back after season 4?
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 "," and that all the stories had been told.
It seems 's writers initially felt that they had no logical place to take the series after season 4 finished the arc of .
But something clearly changed in the nine years after season 4, leading Fox to renew the series for a fifth-season reboot. 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 's season 5 reboot is far from alone in this respect.
Despite the struggles of seasons 4 and 5, there were plans for season 6, for a time. Those plans petered out, however, as Fox seemed to lose interest in the show. The final nail in season 6's coffin came when Wentworth Miller, who plays one of , Michael Scofield, ruled himself out of another season because of his desire to stop playing straight characters.
The fact that almost returned for a sixth season after being canceled twice is a testament to how popular the show was.
Fox must have felt, at least for a time, that there was still money to be made with the franchise. The audience had definitely thinned since its initial success though, and the show had very little chance of rebuilding its audience without Wentworth Miller starring as Michael Scofield.
With the benefit of hindsight, it seems never should have come back after its initial cancelation. Renewing a show that has been off the air for so many years is a perilous strategy, especially because the
season 4 was probably the best way the show could have ended. Michael's death felt like the natural conclusion of his arc, and it put a huge hurdle in the way of season 5. The show was forced to backtrack immediately and explain Michael's survival, which only served to hurt his character arc.
Moreover, became extremely repetitive as the show went on. It became a cycle of breaking out just to get thrown back into a new prison. Each time Scofield and company broke out of prison, it seemed to mean less because it was obvious they would end up getting tossed back into imprisonment shortly after. 's concept just does not fit a five-season run because it's bound to continue repeating itself.
, but eventually, it becomes too predictable to maintain its mystique. Considering season 5 was already struggling with these issues, it's especially good that the show never went through with a sixth season. Luckily, Fox learned from its mistakes with season 5 and ended up nixing the sixth season before it could lower the reputation of this smash-hit series.
