Prison Break: The Second Season

It is just one week until the second season of Prison Break premieres, and I am looking forward to seeing what happens next. The first season was good popcorn television, and while there were some plotholes in retrospect, at the time, things seemed plausible and it was good exciting fun. It is little wonder that it was paired up with 24, as the creators of both shows understood how to really work with the medium to both maintain a nice sense of tension and keep people watching.

I just hope that the quality of the show doesn't suddenly plummet to the earth like other series have when they've reached their second season (I'm looking at you, The O.C. and Twin Peaks), and given the fact that the premise of the show has now radically changed, a lot of that boxed-in tension is probably gone, but there are other conflicts that can be explored now, and there are still so many questions left unanswered regarding the various conspiracies that were established in the first season of the show. And with the change of setting and mood, this may be one of those ideal times to start watching Prison Break if you missed it the first season, as I am sure there will be a good recap at the beginning of next week's premiere.

And speaking of the change in setting, the idea that Michael Scofield is going to be pursued by someone that may be his intellectual equal is intriguing (and we all know that the Tommy Lee Jones/Harrison Ford dynamic worked well in the film The Fugitive, and that kind of thing drove the original series of that same name), and William Fichtner is a good choice to play the role of that pursuer. Of course, I have a feeling that his character isn't going to be motivated purely by duty, and that could make for some interesting episodes.

But the fact that both Patricia Wettig and John Billingsley have signed on to new shows makes me wonder how the plotlines are going to change now, because they were sort of integral to the flow of the story. Series regulars Stacy Keach and Sarah Wayne Callies are probably not likely to return either, which may take a lot of the energy out of the show, as they all played interesting characters.

All in all, I want to see how well this new format holds up. It isn't like the show has any real competition in its timeslot to me (Deal or No Deal, Wife Swap and 7th Heaven are not my favorites), so I will probably continue to watch it even if it isn't as good this season.

Tags: prison break, 24, fox, wentworth miller, william fichtner, stacy keach, sarah wayne callie, patricia wettig, the fugitive, twin peaks, second season, the oc, serial television