Prisoner (TV series)

:For the 1967 UK television series, starring Patrick McGoohan, see The Prisoner.

Analysis

Unlike many other contemporary soap operas (Dallas, Dynasty, etc.), the characters and settings were predominantly working-class. Additionally, a majority of the characters were female, over-40 and — because of the show's setting — were not played by typically glamorous TV actors. The series was praised many times for the opportunity it gave actresses who, under more conventional TV circumstances, may not have been cast in leading roles.

Related Topics:
Dallas - Dynasty

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The first four episodes of the series were produced as a standalone mini-series, with the working title Woman in Prison. That title was never used on air, but remains on the title plates of the original studio video tape copies of the episodes. It is visually distinct by the title cards used on the commercial breaks. (In the mini-series a prison door closed over the frozen image; in the weekly series a prison gate closed across an empty prison corridor.)

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The series made good use of cliffhangers, often involving dramatic escapes, crimes, and catastrophes befalling the prison and its inhabitants. For a significant period of the show's middle-run, the action was split between the prison, and a half-way house, Driscoll House. (It was named after the first inmate whom it housed, Susie Driscoll (Jacqui Gordon).)

Related Topics:
Cliffhanger - Jacqui Gordon

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