Why Does the Public Love Television Show, Prison Break?

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Since the premiere of the television drama Prison Break, the show was instantly popular, and continues to be popular 9 years after the first episode aired. It gained a significant fan base from the opening episode all the way to the final one. Not until recently did I see the first episode of this show and I instantly became an avid fan. After watching a couple of episodes I started to wonder, what made this show so popular, and why has it continued to be popular almost a decade after the first episode aired? I realized that from just looking at why I enjoyed the show, I could figure out why others also did. After giving some thought, I came to the conclusion that society loves Prison Break for a couple of reasons: they end every episode with a cliff hanger, everyone loves to try to figure out a mystery, and lastly society connects with series that show how strong a family bond can be.
The first episode starts with Michael Scofield, the main character, “robbing” a bank and getting arrested and sent to jail. After a few episodes, you realize that Michael wanted to go to jail, and robbing the bank was all part of a genius plan. This is because Lincoln Burrows, Michael’s brother, is on death row at the prison he was going to get sent to. At first you think the Burrows did kill someone, which happened to be the vice president’s brother, but after many episodes you realize it was all a part of a political conspiracy and that the government was trying to get back at Burrows father. Michael’s plan involved multiple high risk steps to get him and his brother out of prison before the execution date. Each episode shows one of the step of how they are going to escape, but also shows that the guards are extremely close to foiling their plans...

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... strong families can be, and that people can love a sibling so much. It makes them think about what they would do for their own siblings, and makes them relate to a character, which makes them care for them. Since we relate to him, we get emotionally invested in the show and feel obligated to watch the next show to make sure they are alright.
Altogether, the directors realized what society wanted, and gave us a show that would resonate with us. Through having an intense ending to every episode, having a mystery that controls the plot, and by having brothers trying to overcome a great feat, you get a show that became popular within our society. They were able to implement these pieces into one coherent story line, that attracted many viewers. These reasons are why Prison Break has been popular for so many years, and will continue to be for many more years to come.

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