If you happen to enjoy ridiculous television shows that can pointlessly tread water for three entire seasons, we have some bad news.
Prison Break is no more. Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly has decided that Prison Break‘s fourth season will be its last. This will no doubt come as a shock to the solitary homeless man who didn’t think that Prison Break got cancelled in 2006 anyway.
So Prison Break may be dying, but let’s focus on all the positive things it gave us – like Wentworth Miller and that hour a week where nothing good was on TV so we could read books instead.
The problem with most big American dramas these days is that they don’t know how to stretch out for multiple seasons. Lost got around this by becoming so impossibly dense that you can’t follow episodes without the aid of a flipchart and an encyclopedia. 24 just repeats itself exactly every year with only minor changes, like the introduction of a female president who’s got a face that looks like a cake. And Heroes is determined to deliberately lose all of its viewers by progressively getting worse and worse with every passing minute.
And then there’s Prison Break – a show about a man breaking out of prison with the aid of his magical tattoo. Which was all well and good, except that at the end of the first season he broke out of prison, leaving nowhere for the show to go.
That’s why the following three seasons of Prison Break – where tattoo man goes on the lam, gets caught, goes to another prison, breaks out of that prison too and goes on the lam again, all because the president is evil or something – were such hopeless failures. You want examples of how bad the latter seasons of Prison Break were? OK, here’s three:
1) In America, the audience halved between the first season and the fourth season.
2) The Prison Break cast got so bored by the ridiculous plotlines that they actually took to killing boys in drunken accidents to pass the time.
3) In the UK, not even Channel Five thought that seasons three and four of Prison Break were good enough to broadcast. And this is Channel Five – the channel that, in a few hours, is genuinely going to broadcast a documentary about a clever pig.
And these reasons are why Kevin Reilly from Fox has decided to put Prison Break out of its misery. The LA Times reports:
The action series starring Wentworth Miller will return on April 17 for its final run of four to six episodes. The show premiered in 2005 as a hit but has progressively run out of steam. “Creatively, the show’s just played out,” Reilly said. “Creatively, everyone feels enough stories were told. We want to finish strong.”
“Well, alright, maybe not strong,” we then imagine Kevin Reilly went on to say “But mediocre. No, no, mediocre’s not the word either. Alone and ignored. That’s the one! We want to finish alone and ignored!”
But now pilot season is coming up, so let’s just hope that Fox learns from the demise of Prison Break and stops commissioning shows that can’t possibly stretch beyond their quickly-completed premise. Apparently Fox is especially keen on the new high-concept drama Man Jumps Off Log, about a man who wants to jump off a log. He does actually jump off the log within the first six seconds of the first episode, but we’re sure they’ll find away to stretch it out for years after that.
Ironlung says
creativity is not an art you fools. it is definable. it is an equation. it is money in my pocket and young asian girls on my cock. how dare you have an idea that is not easily split in to 13 episodes for the first season, sorry, i mean first part of your idea, then 24 for each additional..er…idea.
stupid bloody writers.
Badger says
That is the biggest load of balls that I have read in a long time!!!!
Prison break happens to one of the most enthralling programmes that I watch in the UK. I rarely make time for TV but prison break is one I make time for. Granted season 2 and 4 weren’t as strong as season 1, but I think 3 was up there.
I bet your the kind of person who has just wrote it off before even giving the time to watch it!!!
‘2) The Prison Break cast got so bored by the ridiculous plotlines that they actually took to killing boys in drunken accidents to pass the time.’
…I think you’ll find that happened during the 1st series….back when it had it’s highest ratings
‘3) In the UK, not even Channel Five thought that seasons three and four of Prison Break were good enough to broadcast. And this is Channel Five – the channel that, in a few hours, is genuinely going to broadcast a documentary about a clever pig.’
…probably cause sky one broadcast it
get the facts straight before you post an article you fool
Lucy says
What you are saying is rubbish, not Prison break. Why have you watched that “rubbish” then instead of reading a book?
MR says
I love it how some people think that their personal subjective opinions are actually facts.
JBL says
Prison Break is as much rubbish as your spelling is pristine.
joeb says
Prison break was a great show. I hate most T.V.; but really lokked forward to it. Nuff said. I totally disagree. you’re just mad you can’t have Sarah Wayne Callies. you da woist
harsha says
well yeah prison break is rubbish if you are a retard.
Fernando says
Here is again the ignorance of American’s writers, listen stupid, ignorant, hopeless dumb JUST SO YOU KNOW PRISON BREAK, all 4 season have been such a succeed in Latin America that people don’t even wait to download the high definition copy, but they rather watch it all crappy and slow as long as they watch it.. number one show, in Argentina and 5 most seen in all Latino America from Mexico to Argentina so in ur stupid head try, at least with ur sad calculator, to even imagine how many people loves prison break OK ?? ignorant!!!
Wally says
1st season of prison break = very, very good!! An original, creative piece of work. Fantastic viewing.
2nd season = utter crap. painful to watch all the characters you’ve grown to love slowly deminish into nothing. stupid. really stupid. season 1 was clever, but this was like watching the teletubbies. i was bitterly dissappointed and lost all interest.
3rd season = ? I don’t know if I even want to bother. contemplated putting it on a few times but am yet to watch an episode. some people say that it’s good but after season 2 I feel sick to my stomach and don’t even know if it’s worth the time. anybody?
Luigi says
Prison break season 1 and 2 great.
season 3 thats when things go down hill. Sad music at the end of episode 13 what poop!
season 4 even worse. General krantz who was called the pad man in season 2, sarah alive again, was rubbish up to episode 16 then on its return even more poop mum of michael wants to kill linc then doesn’t then sets him up and then the general wants his precious scylla back but only uses linc t bag mahone grethan and self and doesn’t bother using any of his own corrupt company agents! Truly terrible.
kuns says
this article is totally bullshit. PB is the greatest how that FOX has produced. Iwant more seasons… i can even donat to fox so that they continue the running of this thrillng series. btw i dont why FOX coninued to focus o 24 when its THE WHOLE WORLD IS ASKING FOR PBREAK>.>>>>>>>
ANNOYED says
YOU KNOW WHAT I CAN’T STAND SEASON 3. THAT WHOLE SONA SHIT WAS DUMB. MY DUDE TBAG DIDNT GET TO SHINE WHATSOEVER AND I KNOW IM NOT THE ONLY TIRED OF MICHAEL SCOFIELDS’ DUMB ASS WANNA BE MANLY VOICE….WE KNOW YOU’RE GAY SO STOP WHISPERING AND BREATHING HARD AND SQUINTING YOUR EYES. THE GIG IS UP. WHO GIVES A SHIT ABOUT SARA! GLAD SHE’S GONE AND HONESTLY IM TIRED OF LINCOLN SCREAMING ABOUT HIS SON. LJ IS COOL AND ALL BUT I AM SO DAMN SICK OF HIM SCREAMING. HE IS AN IDIOT THOUGH, IM TELLING YOU. WITHOUT SCOFIELDS BRAINS, HIS DUMB ASS IS JUST A BIG GUY FOR NO REASON. THIS SEASON HAS OFFICIALLY PISSED ME OFFFFFFFFFF.
ANNOYED says
AND LINCOLN IS FULL OF EMPTY THREATS! HE’S ALWAYS THREATENING TO KILL SOMEONE YET HESITATES TO SHOOT AND THEY GET AWAY! IF I HEAR HIM THREATEN ONE MOE TIME I AM GOING TO FIND DOMINIC PURCELL MYSELF AND CUSS HIM OUT….PERSONALLY!!!!!!!!!
Ash says
Everything is not in the way as it seems dude..and you ANNOYED saying that Lincoln is always threatening to kill someone..huh?..Are you an DUMB ASS who really can’t even understand a character of a film?? If all characters in this series are like Michael, then there will be no drama..All will escape from the prison nah???
Of course I like that series.. Some would say that if there will be more seasons, it will be great. But remember the theme is PRISON BREAK.. Therefore if there will be some more seasons, they should get imprisoned, break out and live on the run..
If that is happening like that, this will be BULLSHIT…the can’t live their whole life on the run…….
Though it is little too long, it is a great TV series
Purna says
After I became a ” netflix ” member I started watching ” Prison Break” for the first time. I did not sleep until after I have finished all the episodes of “series 1″.
I lost interest in the 2 nd series. Everything seemed boring . There is no steam. I just like if some one can tell me whether the ” PRESIDENT” and other bad guys do get caught ( especially the lady President.)
Thanks
pcp