The Breakout Kings are a group of convicts tasked to help round up escaped fugitives. In exchange for their help, they’re moved to a minimum security prison and they get one month off their sentences for each criminal they catch. They’re handled by two U.S. Marshals who don’t much care for one another. They’re sort of like the Dirty Dozen or the Suicide Squad, only with much less shooting because “cons don’t get weapons”.
This setup lives or dies on the characters, and that’s where Breakout Kings really excels. Domenick Lombardozzi (who was excellent as the lunkheaded Herc on The Wire) plays Ray, a hardass cop with a quick trigger finger and a legitimately surprising secret. Lombardozzi’s been one of my favorites since his time on Oz, and I’m really excited to see him headlining a series. He’s partnered with Laz Alonso’s Duchamp, a straight arrow who’s mostly disgusted by having to work with a bunch of con men and thieves.
