'Prison Break' set for March return in US

Prison Break will return for the second half of its first season in March, FOX has confirmed.

The network had previously indicated that the remaining nine episodes would not air until May, after the new season of American Idol wraps.

The continued success of the show - last night's "Fall finale" was seen by a series high of 12.1 million viewers - is a key factor in the rethink, although the wait of three months remains potentially damaging from an interest standpoint.

"The good thing is that we have the full faith of the network behind us," creator Paul Scheuring told the Chicago Tribune. "It is not [a case of], 'Go quietly into the night.' They are sticking with us."

The possibility remains that the network will bring back the show in January on the back of new seasons of Idol or 24, both of which have yet to be scheduled. Scheuring added that if the delay remains, FOX has promised "the mother of all promotional campaigns to relaunch the show".

The series airs in the UK from January on Five.