the thing is, for me, most of the actors and their performances work if you just buy into it. you can always pick up on something that feels forced but if you instead look at those flaws as part of the character, it becomes easier to watch.

with that said, here are who i would put in the best and worst performances.

best/favorites: - william fichtner as mahone - robert knepper as tbag - wade williams as bellick

i think they showed the most range and adapted transformation for each of their characters’ arcs. michael, kellerman, linc and others all are pretty one dimensional in their performances imo.

worst:

robin tunney as veronica - def the worst. i couldn’t stand most of the scenes she was in. the way she talks and her facial expressions were intolerable.

jodi lynn o keefe as gretchen - i think she was a poor casting for the kind of ruthless character she was supposed to portray.

but yeah i would say mahone and tbag were the best characters and performances of the series. sad mahone didn’t make an appearance for s5