Years later, the show returned for a revival, shifting locations once more to the stark, modern deserts of Morocco (doubling for Yemen) and the industrial outskirts of Vancouver. The locations became sleeker, more international, reflecting the shift from a contained prison drama to a global spy thriller.

The iconic filming locations for Prison Break span multiple countries, ranging from real decommissioned prisons in Illinois to the vibrant streets of Morocco.

When Prison Break premiered on Fox in 2005, it became an instant cultural phenomenon. The thrilling story of structural engineer Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller) getting himself incarcerated to break his brother Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell) out of death row captivated audiences worldwide. A huge part of the show’s gritty, claustrophobic, and desperate atmosphere came from its authentic-looking locations.

If Joliet was the heavy, gray anchor of Season 1, the filming locations for the subsequent seasons felt like the plot itself: frantic and scattered. The production had moved to Texas to double for Panama. Standing in downtown Dallas, I looked at the John Bailey Federal Building. In the show, this was the court where the conspiracy trials took place. A few blocks away, a construction site stood in for the gritty streets of Sona, the Panamanian prison.