One-Shot Wednesday
On Wednesdays, guess the Chicago-based movie or television show from one screenshot.
Prison Break
This long shot, filmed at a low angle, comes from the second episode of the TV series Prison Break (2005-2009).
Two women, a lawyer (Veronica) and a witness to a murder (Leticia), meet covertly near Crown Fountain in Chicago’s Millennium Park. The meeting does not last long, however. The witness is convinced she was followed and runs away. Her hunch is correct: later in the episode, she is kidnapped and killed.
Prison Break follows Michael Scofield, a structural engineer, and his brother Lincoln Burrows, who has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit (hence the lawyer/witness meeting above). To save Lincoln, Michael deliberately gets himself incarcerated, using a plan hidden in his full-body tattoo.
Yes, a full-body tattoo. (The show is better than it sounds!)
Much of Prison Break’s first season is filmed in and around Chicago. Scenes depicting Fox River State Penitentiary, the fictional prison where Michael and Lincoln are sentenced, take place in Old Joliet Prison in Joliet, IL, where Chicago Movie Tours also gives walking tours.
Prison Break’s first two episodes aired August 29, 2005, and were watched by roughly 10.5 million viewers in the U.S. While on air, the series continued to draw viewers here and around the globe. And when it began streaming on Netflix in 2024, the show raced to the #1 spot, now discovered by a new audience.
Welcome to One-Shot Wednesday!
Think you’re a Chicago screen buff?
On Wednesdays, we post one still from a movie or TV show filmed or set in the Windy City. Your mission? Guess the title!
You've already seen this week’s image above. If you're feeling nostalgic, explore the full archive of past challenges to keep the fun rolling.