While the preparations happen over the course of 22 episodes, the actual moment the remaining members of the Fox River Eight climb the wire fence and touch free ground occurs in the final moments of the Season 1 finale.

Realizing the original route is compromised, Michael pivots to a backup plan that requires them to go through the asylum (the psychiatric ward) to access the infirmary, which offers the easiest route over the wall.

However, to be more specific, Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller) and Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell) along with four other inmates, escape from Fox River State Penitentiary in the night of the episode "Escape" (Season 1, Episode 13 & 14).

The escape is the climax of a 22-hour heist movie, and the timing of the breakout serves as the perfect cliffhanger to launch the manhunt that defines Season 2.

In terms of the show’s internal timeline, it is generally accepted that the escape takes place on , though some fans calculate the dates between May 18th and May 21st based on dialogue regarding Lincoln’s execution date. Who Escaped?

In the first season of the high-stakes thriller Prison Break , the long-awaited escape from Fox River State Penitentiary occurs across the final two episodes of the season: The Timeline of the Escape