
Miniseries · Showtime
Escape at Dannemora
Who's in it
Cast
The principal ensemble across the run of the series.
The Nutevio profile
TV DNA
How Escape at Dannemora actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.
Signature profile
Escape at Dannemora reads strongest on Character Depth, Serialized and Bingeability.
How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.
How much each hour depends on the one before it.
How hard it is to stop after one episode.
How much the series is designed to affect you.
The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.
How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.
Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.
The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.
How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.
The story
What it's about
The stranger-than-fiction account of a prison break in upstate New York in the summer of 2015, which spawned a massive manhunt for two convicted murderers who were aided in their escape by a married female prison employee with whom they both became sexually entangled.
Where the series peaks
Best Episodes
The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.

S01E07
Part 7
Matt and Sweat run for their lives as the tension between them is pushed to the extreme. Tilly gets out of the hospital and does her best to evade the authorities. But as the law closes in, all three are confronted with hard truths about who they really are. Series finale.
- Directed by Ben Stiller
- Written by Michael Tolkin, Brett Johnson

S01E05
Part 5
On the day of the escape, Matt and Sweat know the smallest mistake can derail their whole plan. But when a stern corrections officer takes over the post in the tailor shop and fellow inmate Murder gets out of the Special Housing Unit, Matt seems attracted to the danger. Tilly and Lyle have a fateful dinner at an all-you-can-eat Chinese restaurant.
- Directed by Ben Stiller
- Written by Michael Tolkin, Brett Johnson

S01E03
Part 3
Matt and Sweat run into walls and other obstacles as they search for a way out, but the power of positive thinking helps keep them on track. Tilly begins to feel guilty about her mounting indiscretions, but she has a funny way of showing it.
- Directed by Ben Stiller
- Written by Jerry Stahl

S01E04
Part 4
Excited by the possibility of a new life, Tilly tries her best to avoid Lyle, who is planning something special for their anniversary. Sweat makes progress on the escape route, but feels like he’s doing all the work. Matt likes the arrangement just fine.
- Directed by Ben Stiller
- Written by Michael Tolkin, Brett Johnson

S01E02
Part 2
Matt has an idea to get out of Dannemora, but Sweat is not interested in taking the risk. Matt begins to help Tilly with an inmate she doesn't get along with in the shop, while Sweat comes to miss the freedoms that come with Matt's protection.
- Directed by Ben Stiller
- Written by Michael Tolkin, Brett Johnson

S01E01
Part 1
After the June, 2015 prison break from Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, NY, Joyce “Tilly” Mitchell is questioned about her involvement with the two men. Months earlier, Tilly enjoys her job at the prison tailor shop, balancing the temptations of David Sweat, a younger inmate, and her obligations to her husband, Lyle. Richard Matt, an inmate with an artistic talent, supplies oil paintings to guards in exchange for special treatment. Ultimately his attentions turn to Tilly.
- Directed by Ben Stiller
- Written by Michael Tolkin, Brett Johnson
Recently aired
Latest Episodes

S01E07
Part 7
- Directed by Ben Stiller
- Written by Michael Tolkin, Brett Johnson

S01E06
Part 6
- Directed by Ben Stiller
- Written by Jerry Stahl, Michael Tolkin

S01E05
Part 5
- Directed by Ben Stiller
- Written by Michael Tolkin, Brett Johnson

S01E04
Part 4
- Directed by Ben Stiller
- Written by Michael Tolkin, Brett Johnson


S01E02
Part 2
- Directed by Ben Stiller
- Written by Michael Tolkin, Brett Johnson
Behind the series
Created by
Showrunners, creators, executive producers and the writers who set the voice of the series.
The craft
Key Crew
Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.
Executive production
- Nicholas WeinstockExecutive Producer
- Bill CarraroExecutive Producer
- Lisa M. RoweProducer
- Michael TolkinExecutive Producer
- Brett JohnsonExecutive Producer
- Ben StillerExecutive Producer
Writing
- Jerry StahlWriter
- Michael TolkinWriter
- Brett JohnsonWriter
Direction
- Ben StillerDirector
Cinematography
- Jessica Lee GagnéDirector of Photography
Music
- Edward ShearmurOriginal Music Composer
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
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- Paramount Plus Apple TV Channel Streaming
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- Fandango At HomeBuy
- YouTube TVStreaming
- Paramount+ Roku Premium ChannelStreaming
- Spectrum On DemandStreaming
If you liked this
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