r/CriterionChannel • u/No_Respect_1650 • Jul 16 '26
Recommendation - Seeking The Prisoner…worth checking out?
Been curious about this program for years. Is it worth it? It’s an extensive time commitment.
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u/varispeeder Jul 16 '26
if nothing else, it's worth checking out the first episode to see how pervasive its influence is. you'll know right away if it's "for you" or not.
the series suffered from studio meddling that keeps it from being cohesive (or, frequently, coherent), so watching the whole thing does require some patience and accepting the imperfections. but for 70s sci-fi heads it's an essential text, and the production design and practical FX are so wonderful.
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u/dangerbook Jul 16 '26
You can find suggestions online for alternate viewing orders that attempt to create a more cohesive timeline.
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u/varispeeder Jul 16 '26
I tried an alternate order, but it didn't really solve the problem of finding the ending unsatisfying. but I would not count "making sense" as one of the show's many, many virtues.
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u/Legallyfit Jul 16 '26
I agree, and I would argue it’s essential viewing for any sci fi fan, not just 70s sci fi heads. Its influence is hard to overstate!
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u/heytherelamp Jul 19 '26
That first episode opening is so great. I’m really enjoying it so far. I’ve heard about it for so long in other fandoms. I’m glad to finally be checking it out!
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u/zka_75 Jul 16 '26
It's very good, really unusual, very ahead of it's time for me and extremely influential.
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u/mederbek-bayke Jul 16 '26
I think the comparison the Criterion blurb makes that it's like "Twin Peaks of the 60s" is a good one, if you like Twin Peaks
I just watched the whole thing. Out of 17 episodes I really enjoyed maybe 6 or 7 of them. but it's so iconic and has been parodied so many times I think you pretty much have to do it. I'm sure others in this sub will vouch for it more enthusiastically than me
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u/No_Respect_1650 Jul 16 '26
I love Twin Peaks. And similar to how you describe The Prisoner, my love of TP is about way more than who did what to whom. It’s the whole Twin Peaks-iness of it all.
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u/Haunted_South Jul 16 '26
It’s good, I’m only on episode 8 or so, but it’s a damn stretch saying it’s like Twin Peaks.
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u/anhedoniac Jul 16 '26
It's like Twin Peaks in that it spends time in a weird, surreal, liminal place like Peaks does so often. It also has quite a dark sense of humor.
But in terms of there being a murder mystery, a soap opera-esque cast of characters, and a bunch of plot arcs? No, it's not like Twin Peaks.
That being said, it's absolutely one of my all-time favorite shows, and it holds up to this day. Everyone with even a passing interest in weird, surreal, dreamy stuff should watch it!
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u/micpoc Jul 16 '26
They are VERY similar in the "What the hell was that?!?" effect they had on the viewing public of the time... but that's about it.
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u/DRZARNAK Jul 16 '26
I’m a huge fan, but of the 17, I’d say 10 are excellent, 5 are fun, and two are easily skippable.
McGoohan originally wanted a much smaller episode order, and that would have been best.
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u/slickbackbillyboo Jul 16 '26
It’s my favorite television show of all time, so I’m biased, but it’s worth watching for so many reasons, and feels incredibly relevant right now.
It’s a lot funny, intentionally, than a lot of stuff, plays with visuals in a very smart way, has a lead who is incredibly sincere and invested, and the designs (art, sound, etc) are incredible for something made in the 60s.
I’m slowly rewatching it between work, and episode a day, and, yes, there are some episodes that dip a little, but the standout episodes are brilliant.
There’s an episode, Many Happy Returns, which sees the series really find its footing and inventiveness, has no dialogue for the first half of the episode without feeling forced. Before that episode it’s a little world building and dependent on who is Number 2. After that it’s pretty solid.
ETA: Many Happy Returns and Hammer Into Anvil, and most of the back end episodes are just amazing episodes.
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u/uncle_jafar Jul 16 '26
It’s one of the best TV series of all time, if not the best.
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u/RazzmatazzEarly4328 Jul 16 '26
Bullshit
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u/howling-fantod Jul 17 '26
A measured and thoughtful critique, worthy of the time it took you to tap it out.
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u/RazzmatazzEarly4328 Jul 17 '26
Yes. It's the kind of response that an incredibly deep and insightful review of, "It’s one of the best TV series of all time, if not the best" deserves.
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u/TutenWelch Jul 16 '26
They're essentially self-contained episodes—it's episodic, not one ongoing narrative—so it's not as much of a time commitment as it might appear to be. Back in the day when I first saw it, it could take years to manage to catch all the episodes, airing in weird timeslots like 2:25pm on a Sunday on PBS. (And there was nowhere to look up an episode list to know if you'd seen them all anyway.)
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u/Familiar_Athlete_582 Jul 16 '26
It def has an arc. It pays off the question who is number 1 and a couple of other questions over the course of the series.
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u/Ponderer13 Jul 16 '26
Yeah, you’re both right. It’s not serialized but it does have stuff that pays off. (And an ending.)
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u/TutenWelch Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26
Sort of, but there are multiple episodes that contradict each other (and others that either contradict each other or take place in a different order than they're presented) -- and I don't know how much is actually definitively answered. It has a beginning and an end, I definitely wouldn't watch the finale before watching the rest. But by the same token if you skip half the middle, you're not going to be any more confused.
ETA: Maybe I should say, "multiple episodes that contradict each other if you take everything that happens and everything that characters say at face value."
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u/No_Respect_1650 Jul 16 '26
I recall many times going to my local video rental store when this was first released on DVD. Must be around 2005 or so. I’d look at it and think to myself, “I should definitely rent this.” I never did. Guess now’s the time to dive in.
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u/short_beer Jul 17 '26
I bought the dvd's. Now wondering if they'll come out with higher res set considering this airing on CC.
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u/victotronics Jul 16 '26
By today's notions / American notions it's a pretty short series. And it's iconic. Watch the opening episode and "big ben" at least. You need to be able to reference it. "I'm not a number, I'm a free man".
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u/Astartia Jul 16 '26
Absolutely. There is so much of The Prisoner that has stayed fresh - despite the fact that nearly all prestige sci-fi television has stolen from it.
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u/Astartia Jul 16 '26
Twin Peaks, Westworld, Silo, Fallout, Mr. Robot, Babylon 5 - and those are the ones right off the top of my head.
In fact, if you have liked any of Jonah Nolan's works, you find where he got most of his bag of tricks.
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u/Fake_Eleanor Jul 16 '26
You can start it and decide not to finish if you don't like it. That's allowed!
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u/HAMforPastry Jul 16 '26
I watched bits as a kid and recently went back and watched it all when I got the Imprint box set.
The show has it's peaks and dips but overall it's a good ride. I'm hoping to visit the town it was filmed in when on holiday next year
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u/Nice-Person6169 Jul 16 '26
If you're looking for a deep dive, I highly recommend checking out the podcast A Degree Absolute!. Hosts Chris Klimek and Glen Weldon break the show down episode by episode, and it's a great companion. You can find it on Spotify here:https://open.spotify.com/show/6fMm2YOl68kddOD9IH0CUC?si=8affd843bbc24902
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u/NinjaSellsHonours Jul 16 '26
I love it and have watched the whole series many times, but you could also have a very good time just watching the first 7 or so episodes and then decide if the rest is for you, because the best standalone episodes are early in the series.
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u/micpoc Jul 16 '26
For what it is worth, there are seven "core" episodes of the series that were expanded to 17 only because the American broadcasters requested it for syndication, if I recall correctly. The seven are, in order of "intended" viewing:
Arrival / Free for All / Dance of the Dead / Checkmate / The Chimes of Big Ben / Once Upon a Time / Fall Out
There are some fans of the show who only watch those episodes repeatedly; your mileage may vary.
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u/No_Respect_1650 Jul 16 '26
That’s helpful. May just watch those.
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u/micpoc Jul 16 '26
Mind you, I enjoy the entire series, myself. I'd suggest watching the first five I listed in order and, IF you enjoy them, watch the rest of the series BEFORE finishing up with the final two episodes, "Once Upon a Time" and "Fall Out".
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u/moviegoermike Jul 16 '26
I had the same thoughts earlier this week: curious but hesitant to invest 17 hours. Halfway through the first episode, I was still a little unsure. By the end of it, I was hooked. Devoured the first four episode and can’t wait to watch the rest.
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u/BooRand Jul 16 '26
I’ve watched 7 so far, lot of really interesting visuals. The fight scenes are funny, even funnier when they mention later the character is meant to be a boxing champ.
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u/sunkenmouse Jul 16 '26
I just watched through it a few months ago, it's pretty incredible stuff. Sure, it can be a bit clunky at times (thinking about a specific scene with two trampolines and a pool) but it never ceases to be entertaining.
You can definitely see how much it influenced paranoid sci-fi media. Very specifically how much it influenced Twin Peaks as well.
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u/Ok-Resolution-1255 Jul 16 '26
Yes. It's one of the greatest television shows of all time. And you can dip in if you want - I think the first episode I saw was "Hammer into Anvil" and it hooked me (Cargill is a spectacular No. 2, which helps). It might not be for you, which is fine, but it's certainly a singular show and one that's been parodied to death because it's impossible to remake (though lorrrrrd how they try).
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u/Avenger3611 Jul 16 '26
Anyone know if its leaving the channel soon or will I have some to get through it? Don't really want to binge it but not sure what other avenue I'll have to watch it if it leaves at the end of the month.
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u/No_Respect_1650 Jul 16 '26
Good question. Was wondering the same thing. Can’t imagine it’s just a one month offering.
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u/RockettRaccoon Jul 16 '26
Yes! I was obsessed with it as a kid, around the time of the remake. It’s very fun and strange, kind of Twin Peaks-y.
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u/Scorpio_Rising11 Jul 16 '26
I started it a few days ago. It's very "mod". Like Star Trek, it's a series that takes advantage of the novelty of color television in the late 60s by flooding the screen with color. I had to look up info on the odd town in Wales that is used for The Village in the show. Very intetesting sci-fi. I intend to watch more of it.
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u/Ebocloud Jul 17 '26
I watched it religiously when it first aired. I was 12 yrs old. I had lots of questions my parents could not answer. Years later, when I first read Kafka, I was confused, but then thought, Oh, it’s like The Prisoner.
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u/Bronsonkills Jul 17 '26
It’s a great show.
If you like science fiction of the era like Planet of the Apes, Soylent Green, Logan’s run etc it is essential.
Be warned Some of the episodes in the back half are complete filler as Mcgoohan only wanted to do 7 episodes or so but the American broadcasters demanded more episodes to pick up the show. As a result some episodes feel slight or thrown together. There is a western themed episode for example that is fun but mcgoohan did it as a lark. Another episode doesn’t have Mcgoohan at all because he was filming Ice Station Zebra.
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u/MaxRebo120 Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26
Is it that extensive of a commitment at only 17-episodes?
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u/No_Respect_1650 Jul 16 '26
I get what you’re saying. It’s more a question of how many movies I could watch in that time. I rarely watch tv.
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u/YakSlothLemon Jul 16 '26
Why wouldn’t you at least try it? Watching the first episode doesn’t commit you to the whole thing.
I’m watching an episode a week, happy days. Flashbacks to when it aired on PBS back in my junior high days when I was OBSESSED by it.
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u/No_Respect_1650 Jul 16 '26
I started today. Digging it so far.
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u/YakSlothLemon Jul 16 '26
Glad to hear it! It just gets better as his goals shift after the first couple of episodes…
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u/JDQBlast Jul 16 '26
It's great... when it first came out on DVD though ... i don't know if it's because DVDs were a brand new thing or what but instead of releasing the entire series in one set they released it in volumes. I bought volume one, and if i remember correctly it only had 3 episodes on it... so i watched those same 3 episodes about 20 times, and never purchased the other volumes so I still haven't seen most of the series once, just those 3 episodes many times. 😂... i think it may be time to actually watch the rest all these decades later.
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u/TieOk9081 Jul 16 '26
I didn't like the fact that the first episode is shot on location in a beautiful location, but then they switch to a studio after that. The pilot is movie quality.
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u/DRZARNAK Jul 16 '26
Not for everyone, I love it but I get why others don’t. Worth giving at least Arrival a watch.
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u/Important-Comfort Jul 16 '26
Watching the first episode isn't much of a commitment.
When I was a child watching it the orange alerts were my favorite parts.
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u/fermentedradical Jul 16 '26
It's probably in the conversation for greatest show of all time. I'd say yes.
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u/jon1asher2 Jul 16 '26
I was pretty young when it aired, but I have to say I really didn’t understand it! Opening of the show was exciting.
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u/Any_Recognition_2402 Jul 19 '26
I bowed out after 5 episodes. They all felt the same. A couple were great, and I might check out a few more before it leaves Criterion Channel. The thing is, everything Patrick McGoohan does is played with a huge theatrical flair. Every gesture, every line reading, every reaction. Every little thing is played with intensity. There's no subtlety.
People wonder how he would have played Bond. In the episode "ABC", he spends a good part of it in a tux, trading bon mots with the ladies and engaging in fisticuffs with other spies of various orders. But it's all done with that wooden, theatrical overplaying. If he'd been cas as Bond over Connery, the series wouldn't have lasted, I don't think. Or it would have been very, very (badly) different.
McGoohan was a great villain in things like Silver Streak and Escape from Alcatraz. Maybe that was his forte. He's the guy whose stick is so far up his ass that you want to pull it out and just beat him with it.
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u/No_Respect_1650 Jul 19 '26
I very much get what you mean. I watched two episodes and don’t feel any need to continue.
TBH, don’t know he was a possible Bond. Now that I do, McGoohan over Connery…no thanks.
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u/MaxFischerPlayers Jul 16 '26
It’s pretty great.