A breaking hit

What do you get when you combine TV’s freshest face with a nail-biting, heart-pumping storyline that will not allow you to blink? This season’s biggest breakthrough hit –  Prison Break.

On its maiden season, Prison Break has already developed an almost cult-like fan base. Guys can’t get enough of the action and suspense while the girls can’t get enough of Wentworth Miller. Prison Break combines the excitement of the series 24 with its top-notch plot, a cast as diverse and entertaining as the highly popular Lost and the pedagogical value of something like CSI or Law and Order. It’s the total package – and then some more.

Prison Break revolves around two brothers, Michael Scofield (Miller ) and Dominic Purcell (Lincoln Burrows). Burrows has been sentenced to death for a high-profile murder and is detained in Fox River penitentiary. Burrows swears to his innocence, claiming he was set-up. Michael becomes convinced and hatches a plan to get his brother out. He gets himself thrown in Fox River by committing armed robbery at a local bank. How could this guy possibly get his innocent brother out of there? It turns out, Michael, a structural engineer by trade, had a hand in designing Fox River, and he has carefully planned their escape based on its blueprints.

Michael Scofield is probably one of the most unique characters on TV. He’s like a cross between a young Clark Kent and Gil Grissom of CSI in the sense that he has this superhero complex and the brains to boot. Plus, all the ladies I’ve talked to about this series melt just thinking of him. It’s Scofield’s well-written character together with Wentworth Miller’s subtle, poker-faced acting that make this protagonist such a joy to watch.

Along the way, Michael meets a myriad of people who, one way or another will play a part in their escape. The cast of Prison Break includes Robin Tunney (The Craft, End of Days), who plays Lincoln’s ex-girlfriend and attorney, Peter Stormare (Armageddon, Constantine) as mob boss John Abruzzi and a bevy of other fresh faces that all contribute a special something to the series, which includes a love story between Scofield and the resident prison doctor Sara Tancretti (Sarah Wayne Callies).

Prison Break is 22 episodes long; the first 21 have already been aired on FOX in the US, with the finale coming next week. Locally, Prison Break is exclusively shown on Crime and Suspense on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. For those who missed the first half of the season, box sets which contain the first 14 episodes are already available at your local DVD pirate. If you have the entire set at your disposal, I don’t think you’ll be able to leave the TV screen.

This is one of those series that you’ll have trouble watching just once a week – similar to the feeling you get after seeing an episode of 24. You have to know what’s going to happen next. You can’t stand waiting seven whole days to find out their next move. It’s brilliantly paced and brilliantly written.

Prison Break was created, written and executive-produced by Paul Scheuring.

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For questions, comments or corrections, please e-mail me at emailcarlramirez@yahoo.com .