Nov 19, 2018
Orange Is the New Black, The Night Of, Oz, Rectify… they’re the finest examples of what TV has offered viewers in depictions of prison life. Add in classic movies like The Shawshank Redemption, Cool Hand Luke, The Green Mile, and American History X, and there’s no lack of quality storytelling when it comes to Hollywood’s spin on the unique system of rules and roles that make up life inside the penitentiary.
We’re fascinated by these tales, because they give us access to a world most of us – hopefully – will never know firsthand. The very best of them are also great character studies, allowing us insights into the struggles and motivations and redemptions of people we otherwise wouldn’t know. But how realistic are these portrayals? Showtime’s new limited series Escape at Dannemora, which unfolds the story of the real-life 2015 escape by prisoners Richard Matt and David Sweat from the Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate New York, is the latest entry onto the list of terrific TV prison dramas. And Dannemora writers, producers, and director Ben Stiller made the effort to ensure their story would get all the details just right, with the help of former Clinton inmate Erik Jensen.
Erik, our guest on this week’s Pop Literacy, is a technical consultant, actor, and writer who worked hands-on with the Dannemora cast and crew to make an incredibly accurate and impactful series. Erik talks to us about how he helped make Escape at Dannemora one of the year’s best dramas, how his time in Clinton led to his thoughtful escape to a new life and career that also includes working with James Spader on The Blacklist, and what Hollywood does and doesn’t get right about life in prison.