Prison Break - Season 1

Michael Scofield poorly robs a bank in order to get caught and sent to Fox River Prison. There it is revealed that Lincoln Burrows, a man on death row for killing the Vice President's brother, is Michael's brother. Michael plans to break Lincoln out with the help of his cell-mate Sucre (in prison for robbing a liquor store and want out to stop his girlfriend from marrying another man), mob-boss Abruzzi, "old head" Westmoreland (better known to the world as D.B. Cooper), and Michael's tattoos that just happen to contain a hidden map of the prison (Michael was part of the prison renovation design team long before the show begins).

Unfortunately, things never go according to plan. Michael is forced to accept Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell, a convicted killer, after T-Bag finds out about the plan. Same goes for C-Note, who is able to put together Michael's plan from accidental clues. When Michael looses part of his tattoo, he's forced to add Haywire to the team (Haywire has a near-photographic memory and was Michael's cell-mate for an episode when Sucre backed out of the plan). Tweener is forced into the group by prison guard Bellick, who plans to use him as a rat to figure out what Michael is up to. Oh, and there's a fat guy, but he lasts about two episodes.

All the while things go from bad to worse. Abruzzi chops off two of Michael's toes. A key escape pipe is replaced at the last moment. Lincoln is put on the electric chair and gets a stay of execution at literally the last moment. Abruzzi is nearly killed by T-Bag. Michael and Co. escape at the last possible moment with help from the prison doctor (who just happens to be the governor's daughter). During the escape, Westmoreland is killed (but not before he reveals the location of the money he stole).