`PRISON BREAK' IS WORTH DOING TIME.

Byline: David Kronke TV Critic

FOX, MASTER of luridly dark conspiratorial dramas (think ``X-Files,'' ``24''), has another gem. ``Prison Break,'' an expertly assembled (well, at least through three hours) action-thriller, will have you rooting for bad guys early on and wondering, every step of the way, what's next?

Wentworth Miller stars as Michael Scofield, an architect whose wry smile cannot possibly conceal how smart he is - or how fatally naive he may prove to be. His brother Lincoln (Dominic Purcell) is on Death Row in a prison outside Chicago for murdering the vice president's brother, a crime he swears he did not commit. (In one of the show's many ingenious contrivances, Lincoln is not as innocent as he swears, yet not as guilty as he's said to be.)

Only one thing for Michael to do - get himself incarcerated at the same prison and help his brother break out before he's executed. Though he enters Fox River Penitentiary with plenty of smarts and good intentions, of course, this will entail Michael befriending a lot of people he ordinarily would have wisely avoided, in or out of prison - crazed mob fixer Abruzzi (Peter Stormare), as just one example.

But there's an upside: Comely, idealistic medic Sara Tancredi (Sarah Wayne Callies), whose presence almost makes the specter of daily shankings seem worthwhile. Meanwhile, Lincoln's ex, Veronica (Robin Tunney), risks her well-being investigating what may be a sordid conspiracy indeed.

Creator Paul Scheuring has concocted an ingeniously taut structure - the rest of the season will encompass but one month - and has assembled a cast that can only be described as, well, breakout. If Miller and Callies aren't stars soon, then there's no justice, and the talented Purcell and Tunney both have been waiting patiently for roles this good.

But that's conjecture, something to ponder after ``Prison Break'' ends its run. Given the brilliantly breakneck quality of the series' first three hours, fans will no doubt wish that won't come anytime soon.

David Kronke, [phone]

david.kronke(at)dailynews.com

PRISON BREAK - Three and on half stars

What: An architect plots an elaborate escape plan for his brother, who's on Death Row for murdering the vice president's brother, which involves being incarcerated himself.

Where: Fox (Channel 11).

When: 8 tonight; thereafter, 9 p.m. Mondays.

In a nutshell: Intricately, addictively clever.

CAPTION(S):

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Photo:

Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller, left) tries to get himself incarcerated to help his inmate brother Lincoln (Dominic Purcell) escape from Death Row in ``Prison Break.''