It was the summer of 2005, and the most buzz-worthy show of the year was Fox’s gritty new drama ‘Prison Break.’ Debuting in August, the show garnered fairly substantial audiences for the period and became a success for FOX on Monday nights. As someone who tends to watch the opening episodes to any show, I found Prison Break to be quite an intriguing premise. Tuning in, I found that there was something oddly compelling about the show.
It wasn’t star Wentworth Miller (Michael Scofield), who can’t act to save his life. It wasn’t Dominic Purcell (Lincoln Burroughs), whose character lacked any real motivation. No, it was rather two elements which intrigued me. First, the premise itself held a great deal of promise; while other shows have featured prison dynamics in a grittier sense (‘Oz’), Prison Break was its network equivalent. Plus, whether it was far-fetched or not, the entire escape plan was uniquely compelling.
Second, I enjoyed Robert Knoepper’s portrayal of T-Bag, one of the most delightful TV villains in quite some time. His interactions with Abruzzi and Michael and everyone else were a true highlights of the show, and it kept things interesting while they spent time in the clink.
And, through the first season, these two elements were enough to keep me watching. There were other redeeming elements (Michaels’ relationship with the Warden, with Tancredi), but on the whole those two pillars got me through the bad times. Said bad times included the entire conspiracy plot, the constant near escapes foiled by unexpected roadblock construct, and in general a lack of originality. And yet, I stuck through until the very end.
It was with great apprehension that I viewed the show’s first season finale, for it left things ever so open for the second season. They were literally running off into the woods, their plane plan ruined, with seemingly nowhere to go. They had broken out of prison, fulfilling my initial interest in the show, so the decisions made by producers at this point would make or break my future viewership.
Cultural Learnings 