Unexpected series flattens House of the Dragon & Umbrella Academy after landing on Netflix

While returning shows like House of the Dragon and The Umbrella Academy have dominated the charts in recent weeks, an older series has blown all of the competition out of the water after landing on Netflix. 

Last summer, the Suits renaissance saw the 2011 legal drama smash all kinds of viewership records when it dropped on the streaming service. And it looks like the same might be happening with Prison Break. 

The entertaining drama-thriller series, starring Dominic Purcell and Wentworth Miller, ran for four seasons from 2005-2009, before returning for a fifth chapter in 2017. So, why the sudden surge in viewership?

Although the lead actors have been focusing on other projects of late, all five seasons of Prison Break became available on Netflix on July 29.

Fox

Once again, the quality of the show and ease of having it all in one binge-worthy format has seen the series shoot up in the charts. There’s also the fact that it’s on Hulu, too.

According to Nielsen’s streaming ratings for the week of August 5-11, Prison Break racked up 1.6 billion viewing minutes. This puts it in first place, above The Umbrella Academy, which earned 1.4 million minutes despite dropping its fourth and final season that week. 

Bluey came in third place with 1 billion minutes, while Grey’s Anatomy earned 940 million. 

You might be surprised to see House of the Dragon only came in fifth place with 935 million minutes viewed, although the drop-off makes sense when you consider that the Season 2 finale aired on August 4. 

HBO

Given it’s widely considered to be one of the best TV shows in existence (aside from the not-so-favorable Season 5), it’s no surprise Prison Break is performing well, especially when it’s a relatively quiet period for new streaming originals. 

Fans new and old have been tuning in since it arrived on Netflix, with one writing on X/Twitter, “Netflix I love you for bringing back Prison Break.”

“Prison break back on Netflix? Time to hibernate,” quipped another, while a third added, “Prison break is finally on Netflix. Time to watch for the 100th time.”

If you’re looking for something else to watch, take a look at the new TV shows coming to streaming this month. You can also check out everything we know about Squid Game Season 2, Virgin River Season 6, and Stranger Things Season 5.