Screw

Im enjoying it! People need to stop expecting to see a "prison break style" show when something is based in a prison!

I wouldn't say its like wentworth, bad girls or any of those UK prison movies.. its waterloo road set in a prison and its a cool take on the dilemmas and problems prisoners and the CO's face on a daily basis!

I spent 25 years as a correctional Officer in the US so I figured to check out a show about prison in England to see how they would portray the environment. I am amazed that half way across the world and a different culture would portray the same environment and problems facing correctional staff as in the US. I guess we are not as different as we would like to think. The show might not be for everyone, but those of us that work in this environment will find a kinship and familiarity with the officers in this show no matter what part of the world you find yourself.

It's got its moments. The cast are great. But the script teeters between out and out comedy and dark prison crime drama. It doesn't all hold together and the dramatic twists can be seen a mile off. Would've been better if it had stuck to being a comedy. The central idea and characters could have been the basis for a brilliant cult comedy. As it stands it's all so predictably done, it becomes hard to recommend. A bit forgettable and derivative. A missed opportunity.

Comparatively, I wouldn't describe this prison drama as "gritty" at all. But it is a drama set in one wing of men's prison, a wing where all types of inmates are housed, especially those not suitable elsewhere such as those needing psychological care. Some have stories that are compelling, while others they focus on suggesting they may become bigger players only for them to disappear into the crowd.

You have a team of wardens with a boss who has a secret she desperately trying to keep hidden, and a new recruit she immediately seems to dislike. A new recruit whose behavior suggests she just might be as dodgy as assumed. You have the inevitable stoic veteran, and the officers trying to do a good job, another overzealous and the type who sympathizes a bit too much with the prisoners.

They deal sensitively and fairly with some topics like transgender prisoners and survivors of child molestation. There are a few brilliant scenes that show the variance of "life inside" far different than that one knows about of the US incarceration system, whether its between prisoners, wardens or a combination of both. Some are even heart-warming in their moments of humanity.

It doesn't really stand out thus far from any of the prison dramas I've watched, and certainly not those like Wentworth or Oz, but it's not a waste of time either if you like the genre. I would definitely watch more episodes as they become available.

Having spent 27 years in the prison service, I can recognise people on both sides and the problems both sides have to put up with. Anyone who has spent time inside would easily recognise the characters shown in this series, the humour and the routines and the normal setbacks of everyday prison life. The truth is prison is a dumping ground, there are many inside who cannot cope mentally and should be helped but instead are placed in an environment that they cannot deal with and are exploited by career criminals. We are a forgotten service and unless there is a riot or escape no one thinks about prisons and those involved. Governors are trying to run their prisons with too few staff and too many prisoners and financial restrictions placed on them.