10 Shocking TV Finales That Changed Everything

Bringing together an ensemble cast, Prison Break burst onto our screens as a fun, thrilling shot of escapism. Promising all the melodramatic twists and overheated acting avoided by more sombre prison-set series like Oz, the show refused to take itself too seriously, never allowing believability to get in the way of a good chase or shocking reveal.

However, this approach began to take its toll over the seasons, as did the inherently limited nature of the show’s premise. Once the cast has escaped prison there were few ways to top the tension provided by their break-out, and simply introducing another, more savage prison wasn’t going to cut it.

As such the series transitioned into a complex, larger-than-life thriller which hopped all over the globe in pursuit of a shadowy organisation and their conspiratorial antics. This approach worked for a while, but many viewers felt short-changed when the eventual finale ended with the death of the show’s protagonist, a necessary sacrifice to secure safety for his family.

At least, until the later instalments revealed that he’d faked it. Classic Michael Schofeld move, that.