'Prison Break' spinoff plans changed

The upcoming Prison Break spinoff will be completely separate from its parent show, the executive producers have confirmed.

The series, Prison Break: Cherry Hill, was originally supposed to begin life in Prison Break following the introduction of a new female character that would then transfer to the spinoff show.

"We had trouble casting for it ... then the strike happened," said exec producer Matt Olmstead at a TCA session yesterday. "By the time we resumed the season, we decided to scrap the idea of doing it that way."

The show will be set in a women's prison called Cherry Hill and is likely to follow inmates' attempts to break out.

"The new show will be more like CSI: Miami is to CSI and less a spinoff, because it will be a new character altogether," said co-executive producer Zack Estrin.

Olmstead added: "We're in the homestretch of writing it. Then we'll cast it, and then we'll hopefully shoot it and get it on the air."