7 TV Shows That Went From Must-See To Completely Forgettable
6. Prison Break
Between Lost’s debut in the 2004-05 season and Heroes’ in 2006-07, Fox’s Prison Break became the most talked about new American show of 2005-06. Like Heroes, its overarching plot was geared around a mysterious entity known as ‘The Company’, whose manipulative conspiracies drew in the main characters. Dominic Purcell and Wentworth Miller excelled in the lead roles of brothers Lincoln Burrows and Michael Schofield, the latter getting himself intentionally incarcerated in an attempt to rescue the wrongfully convicted former from a maximum security penitentiary.
The depiction of Michael’s long-winded plan on a full-body tattoo, with different elements being conveniently revealed each week, was eye-rolling, but the inclusion of menacing villains impacting the brothers both inside and outside the prison made watching their escape an edge of the seat affair.
If season one could be compared to the likes of the Shawshank Redemption and Escape From Alcatraz, season two could be compared to The Fugitive. With the titular break now completed, the drama became focused on Lincoln and Michael’s flight from justice, pursued by the brilliant William Fichtner as Alexander Mahone.
Unfortunately, the show’s writers seemed to have run out of ideas by the time season 3 came around and yet another prison escape was made the main focus of a rehashed plot. Season 4 stretched the realms of believability even further, with the former convicts becoming secret agents to defeat the Company, whose influence and operations were randomly expanded to fit the theme of each episode.