One of the best television stations to premiere reality crime TV is A&E with shows like Dog the Bounty Hunter and Court Cam. On March 10, 2016, they premiered a fresh new reality series called 60 Days In. 60 Days In joins the list of great TV shows set in prisons as the series sends volunteers into prisons as undercover inmates. The show sends in the seven volunteers to uncover issues within the jail that is being missed by the officers.
The program is kept a secret from inmates and most prison staff with the cover that the series is about the jail and its inmates. The volunteers are given pseudonyms, cover stories, and are trained on how to interact with the inmates. With a concept like this, you can guarantee that there have been some wild moments as 60 Days In explores the faults in the prison-industrial complex throughout its seven season run, and these are those seasons, ranked.
7 Season One
Season one set a precedent for being the first season. It gave audiences an honest insight into what life in jail is like. This season was filmed in Clark County Jail in Indiana. Clark County was a rough jail for both the men and the women and the men heavily saw overcrowding in their pods. This season had a mix of people including law enforcement, a recent high school graduate, and Maryum "May May" Ali (Muhammad Ali's daughter).
6 Season Six
Season six premiered on January 2, 2022, and was filmed in Etowah County Detention Center in Alabama. This was a rough jail and the season featured law enforcement professionals including Ashley, Tony, and Donovan.
This season was one of the worst jails to ever be featured on the show and made the COs look horrible. One participant had even found multiple shanks throughout his stay. There were numerous fights during the season including one with a broom, and some participants had to be immediately pulled due to the fear of violence with covers being blown.
5 Season Five
Season five premiered on January 3, 2019, and was filmed in Pinal County Detention Center in Arizona. The male section of this jail saw a massive racial divide and a lot of fights. One of the main reasons to watch this season was for ex-convict and ex-Latin King, Abner, who became the enforcer of his pod. The COs were very aggressive in this season and at times you felt for the inmates. This season was also interesting because most of the action happened within the inmates' rooms where there were no cameras.
4 Season Seven
Season seven is the most recent season of 60 Days In, premiering on August 18, 2022. This season was filmed in Henry County Jail in Georgia and featured all ex-convicts. Although other seasons had ex-convicts, this was the first to have every participant serve some amount of time.
What also made this season different was the fact that it was filmed during the coronavirus pandemic. This meant that upon entering the jail the inmates were immediately quarantined in their cells for what practically was solitary confinement and forced a lot of contestants to drop out. It was also very interesting to watch how quickly some participants reverted to their old ways.
3 Season Three
Season three premiered on March 2, 2017, and was filmed in Atlanta’s Fulton County Jail. The Fulton County Jail has been known for not being an easy jail and season three showcased a lot of their issues. Season three showed how quickly that gang mentality can happen even with the volunteers. This season had a lot of troublemakers and even showed what a mass evacuation drill looks like.
2 Season Two
Season two premiered on August 18, 2016, and was again filmed in Clark County Jail under sheriff Jamey Noel. This season was similar to the first but featured Ashleigh Barker, the wife of first-season contestant Zac Baker which gave an interesting look inside the family dynamic when one parent is in prison. This season was filled with a lot of drama in the girls' dorm including a returning “snitch.”
1 Season Four
Season four was one of the best seasons for both the men and the women and premiered on January 1, 2018. This season was again filmed in Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, Georgia under Colonel Mark Adger. This season featured prison alcohol, different ways to get high, and a prison romance. This season was also the first season to have one volunteer in two seasons with U.S. Marine Nate Burrell. Nate did so well during season three that producers asked if he would stay another 60 days. Unfortunately, Nate committed suicide in 2020, and it is unsure if this was another case of a reality show that destroyed someone’s life.
With no word yet on if 60 Days In will be returning for season eight, it will be exciting to see what A&E does next with one of its most entertaining reality TV shows. 60 Days In is now available on A&E and Hulu.