10 TV Shows That Lost MILLIONS Of Viewers (And Why)

3. Prison Break

Terminator The Sarah Connor Chronicles
20th Century Fox

Prison Break's exceptional first season was so darn gripping that it premiered and concluded to 10 million viewers, with the 20 episodes in between maintaining those high viewing figures. As with most shows, a ratings decline was inevitable, but the real drop didn't begin until the third season before it plummeted in the fourth.

The interesting thing about Prison Break is that, while the quality began to dip in its second season, most viewers stuck by it until halfway through the third. However, it did find a relatively mediocre groove with 4 million eyeballs watching each week, a schedule change in Season 4 placed it in the infamous Friday night death slot - dooming it to its ultimate cancellation.

In spite of its presence as one of the all-time greats - a reputation it only received based on that first season - its revival premiered eight years later to only slightly improved figures. Yes, the concept that was beyond exhausted long ago had given its fanbase the ultimate fatigue - so who knows how this eventual sixth season will fare?

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Michael Patterson is an experienced writer with an affinity for all things film and TV. He may or may not have spent his childhood obsessing over WWE.