10 Best TV Shows Set in Prison That'll Make You Respect the Law
No one wants to end up in jail, but sometimes, we all need a little reminder in the form of a ruthless prison TV series.
10. Bad Girls (1999–2006)
Most people don’t really think about life in prison and the conditions inmates live in unless it touches them or their loved ones. But Bad Girls fixes this oversight in an instant: this TV show follows the inmates and staff of a women’s prison in the UK, showing just how much it transforms people. Though mundane, it’s a real hard-hitter. Unfortunately, Bad Girls is not available for streaming.
9. Prisoner: Cell Block H (1979–1986)
Another iconic TV series set in a women’s prison, Prisoner: Cell Block H takes us to Australia (where this show is known as just Prisoner). Like Bad Girls much later, Cell Block H follows the lives of inmates and staff as they struggle with their reality and try to make the most out of the darkest times in their lives — and largely fail at that.
Watch Prisoner: Cell Block H on Apple TV.
8. Beyond Scared Straight (2011–2015)
Juvenile crime prevention programs are a unique approach to helping troubled teenagers avoid ruining their lives. These programs, apart from the mandatory lecture stuff, also include an intense one-day prison course to show the kids what hell on Earth they could get themselves into. Beyond Scared Straight shows it all.
Watch Beyond Scared Straight on Hulu, Apple TV, and Prime Video.
7. Girls Incarcerated: Young and Locked Up (2018–Now)
Think of Girls Incarcerated as the mix of Bad Girls and Beyond Scared Straight: this TV show focuses on the behind-the-bars lives of underage delinquent girls. Set in several American correctional facilities, this series explores the difficult relationships girls have with each other and the staff, and how incarceration affects them mentally.
Watch Girls Incarcerated: Young and Locked Up on Netflix.
6. Lockup (2005–Now)
If you’ve been itching to see something different but also documentary, look no further than Lockup. Consisting of several shows set in different facilities, Lockup follows inmates into the prison but also catches up with them some time after their release to see how their lives have changed and whether they’re feeling any better.
Watch Lockup on Prime Video.
5. 60 Days In (2016–Now)
Want to know what a good reality show set behind the bars looks like? Well, it looks exactly like 60 Days In. This series sends seven civilian volunteers into real prisons for two months without revealing their true identities to the staff or other inmates. The sheer stress of living in such harsh condition really shows in this one.
Watch 60 Days In on Hulu, Netflix, Apple TV, and Prime Video.
4. Oz (1997–2003)
There are two prisons for the price of one in this TV show. The first is the Oswald State Correctional Facility. It’s governed by law and discipline, it’s sterile, and it’s nearly perfect. The second is Oz. It’s ruled over by ruthless maniacs and the right of the strong. The thing is, it’s the same prison — depending on the time of day.
Watch Oz on Max and Hulu.
3. Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019)
What if you’ve liked all these shows so far but want them all mixed into one modern and suffering-free experience? Orange Is the New Black is the most famous semi-recent prison TV show, and unlike many others, it’s purely fictional, following a law-abiding woman as she’s imprisoned for her teenage-years decade-old crime.
Watch Orange Is the New Black on Netflix.
2. Prison Break (2005–2017)
While Orange Is the New Black is the most famous prison show of the 2010s, Prison Break might just be the greatest of all time. In this series, a structural engineer implants himself as an inmate into a prison he designed to make use of his knowledge and free his brother, an innocent man falsely sentenced to death.
Watch Prison Break on Disney Plus and Prime Video.
1. Wentworth (2013–2021)
Having been sentenced for the attempted murder of her husband, a woman is imprisoned until the court hearings begin. Thrown into the brutal behind-the-bars world, she starts from the very bottom of the hierarchy but soon learns the rules and decides to rise through the ranks and once again be the mistress of her own fate.
Watch Wentworth on Netflix.