Filming
was the first season of prison break in hollywood?
Prison Break
The first three seasons of "Prison Break" were primarily filmed outside of Hollywood. The majority of the first season of the series was filmed on location in and around Chicago. After it was closed down in 2002, Joliet Prison became the set of "Prison Break" in 2005, standing in as Fox River State Penitentiary on screen. Scenes set in Lincoln's cell, the infirmary, and the prison yard were all shot on location at the prison. Lincoln's cell was alleged to be the same one in which serial killer John Wayne Gacy was incarcerated, which at least one member of the production crew refused to enter, because it was alleged to be haunted. Other sets were built at the prison, including the cell blocks that housed the general prison population; these blocks had three tiers of cells (as opposed to the real cell block's two) and had cells much larger than real cells to allow more space for the actors and cameras. Exterior scenes were filmed in areas around Chicago, Woodstock, and Joliet in Illinois. Other locations included O'Hare International Airport in Chicago and Toronto, Ontario in Canada. "Prison Break" spent $2 million per episode in the state of Illinois, which cost them a total of $24 million in 2005. Renewed for a second season, "Prison Break" resumed filming on June 15, 2006, in Dallas, Texas due to the close proximity of rural and urban settings. Locations within a 30-minute radius of Dallas were chosen which included Little Elm, Decatur, and Mineral Wells. Many of these locations were used to represent various American towns. The show was expected to spend in excess of $50 million in Texas over the course of the second season. For the final three episodes of the second season, filming took place in Pensacola, Florida to represent Panama. Each episode took eight days to film and approximately $1.4 million went to the local economy per episode. The third season was shot in Dallas and had a budget of $3 million per episode. Several of the exterior scenes with Lincoln and Gretchen negotiating the escape from the Panama jail were shot in the Casco Viejo quarter of Panama City. The principal photography for the fourth season was relocated to Los Angeles, California.