Since its debut in 2005, Prison Break has gathered a loyal fan following and done consistently well for FOX..  Now, more than two years later and well into its third seasons, the network is formulating a plan to keep the success of the show going with a new spin-off idea involving a female prison.  The lead character on the tentatively titled series, Prison Break: Cherry Hill, Molly, will be introduced on a Prison Break episode later this season.

FOX will tie the two series together using The Company, the secret organization that is blackmailing Lincoln and Michael, while he sits in Sona prison.  Molly is a wife whose family is well off and loses her family at the hands of The Company.  She heads to Panama to avenge their death and take on the organization herself.  Casting is currently in progress for the role of Molly.

After exacting her revenge, Molly ends up in a female prison but receives information from the government that she has family members still alive.  Today, Prison Break executive producer Matt Olmstead spoke about the shows and the two main characters.  "There is an ironic similarity between Molly and Michael -- they're both emotionally banged-up, both have lost loved ones, and both want the people responsible to pay -- so they empathize with each other," he said.

Olmstead and his team came up with the idea while working on Prison Break's season three storyline.  "We wanted to introduce a mystery character who brings some clues to the table and with whom Michael and Lincoln work to uncover the big conspiracy," Olmstead revealed. "The women's prison idea folded into the idea of introducing that character, and once we combined them, it immediately popped for us."

Prison Break: Cherry Hill will be executive produced by Olmstead and Zack Estrin.  If the show does not do well and is cancelled, Molly will become a regular character on Prison Break, which is a good position for the actress who will play her to be in.  FOX has not released the date that Molly will arrive on Prison Break to begin the setup for Cherry Hill.

- Gina Scarpa, BuddyTV Staff Writer
Source: Hollywood Reporter, AOL TV News
(Image courtesy of TV Squad)