As a 25-year-old American male, it should come as no surprise that I have racked up some favorite TV shows over a quarter century. More importantly however, are the solid gems of pure greatness that have either come and gone or have had their small screen life cut far too short. This post is dedicated to them...
Advertisement
1. Prison Break
The story was simple: One brother is framed for murder and put in jail on death row. The other brother is a genius technical engineer who just so happened to design the prison his brother is in. Due to his belief that his brother is innocent, the other brother clearly has no choice but to tattoo every single blueprint, code, and secret of the prison onto his body, and then rob a bank to get put into the same prison as the other brother so he can break him out. That is the "simple" tale of Michael Scofield and Lincoln Burrows. Every Monday night on Fox, these two brothers (played by Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell respectively) would literally get into the most ridiculous situations of all time. Then in the last 10 minutes it would be revealed that Scofield had it all planned out! I'm sure many people who watched this show gave up on it around season 3 and yes that is justified. Since the brothers (and a whole slew of supporting characters) broke out of prison in the first season, a show called Prison Break didn't really pack the same punch. So the creators of the show ended up putting the characters on the run. Then into another prison in Panama. Then on the run again. Then they became essentially a team doing secret missions a la Mission: Impossible. Then Michael's girlfriend and former prison doctor ends up in...wait for it... a prison for women! Aside from the whole prison for women thing that capped off the show, I miss Prison Break for one very important reason: IT WAS FUN! For several years, Prison Break gave us all a really fun romp with great action, humor, and suspense. Honorable mention is given to actor Robert Knepper for his portrayal of the evil "T-Bag." Each week it was horrifying to even consider what T-Bag was up to now. Thank you Prison Break! I miss you!