Prison Break Boss Prepares for the Axe (Possible Cancellation Update)

Mr E

From Digital Spy:

Prison Break's executive producer Matt Olmstead has admitted that the show may be axed in the near future.

In the wake of poor ratings for recent episodes, Olmstead told Entertainment Weekly: "There’s a shelf life to serialized drama. If this is the last season, we’re not mourning that because it’s been a great ride and we have a great season (ahead)."

In the event of the series being cancelled midway through the current run, Olmstead stated that the writers will "definitely have enough time to prepare for an appropriate ending. The season finale we have in mind could play as a season or series finale."

However, he admitted that Prison Break's producers have "absolutely been encouraged by the response" to the fourth season. "It took a while to get the right idea... and to have the audience supporting it is very gratifying."

JaneyMc

:eek::eek: I did not know this was a possibility at all. I thought the third series was utter muck, but have really enjoyed the fourth season so far! Hopefully the ratings will pick up a bit more in the U.S.

I'll be very annoyed if it gets cancelled. Everything I like keeps getting cancelled.

Basq

But.... but.... what will become of the forum!?

Gonna write to Matt Olmstead now and tell him he needs to keep it going, regardless of how "ri-goddamn-diculous" the plotlines are getting and how poor the ratings are, for the good of the forum!

tw0nk

I disagree, I think they lost the whole great concept of the original season, ie that a complex plan fits piece by piece together until it is pulled off, this season its lots of tasks they complete in every episode, with too much ease imo.

cooker3

Not a surprise really. Good to hear they are preparing for it so it doesn't feature a Jericho type situation

Our man in Havana

It most likely will end abruptly with no clear conclusion ala Jericho.

K4t

tw0nk wrote: »

I disagree, I think they lost the whole great concept of the original season, ie that a complex plan fits piece by piece together until it is pulled off, this season its lots of tasks they complete in every episode, with too much ease imo.

Indeed, if I want that I'll watch the A-Team.

Prison Break could have been a classic.

I can't quite belief the gulf in difference of the dialogue and characters from season 1. Did they bring on new writers or something? Or maybe it's because I was 15 then. Anyway, this show needs to end and RTE need to find some good tv drama. CSI, Prison Break and the likes are all good and well, but RTE has gone downhill since the Sopranos ended.

Mossy Monk

K4t wrote: »

RTE has gone downhill since the Sopranos ended.

WTF are you on about?

K4t

Mossy Monk wrote: »

WTF are you on about?

There hasn't been a quality drama on RTE since the Sopranos.

TG4 have the Wire, one of the greatest tv shows of all time, and RTE have Prison Break and Raw. 'Nuff said.

Mossy Monk

In your opinion of course. 'Nuff said :rolleyes:

K4t

Mossy Monk wrote: »

In your opinion of course. 'Nuff said :rolleyes:

Yes, indeed.

Ugly Betty and Prison Break. Two shows that should not have been cancelled/finished well after their opening seasons :pac:

cooker3

Mr E wrote: »

From Digital Spy:

People still watch us drama on RTE?

xbox36016

yes its gone yes about time

Mossy Monk

It has been axed?

Link?

xbox36016

yes it was n 2fm today on the 5 to 7 show

Headshot

xbox36016 wrote: »

yes it was n 2fm today on the 5 to 7 show

its still on sky 1 right?

xbox36016

it comes from fox us to sky 1 and rte so it will be gone

lukin

Are they even going to finish the season out?Or just finish it without a conclusion?

Headshot

xbox36016 wrote: »

it comes from fox us to sky 1 and rte so it will be gone

****ing hell

gone completely

dammit

nothing good on tv these days

heroes and breaking bad is all i have left:(

Mossy Monk

I find it odd that there is nothing online about this.

Jello

Mossy Monk wrote: »

I find it odd that there is nothing online about this.

Agreed...

Alibear

OMG! :eek:

xbox36016

http://www.syfyportal.com/news425418.html

Headshot

xbox36016 wrote: »

http://www.syfyportal.com/news425418.html

lol

Fox Close To Terminating 'Sarah Connor'

kensutz

Seems he can't read and spell.

Basq

Yes.. 2FM were first with the story that it has been axed.

It seems Variety, Entertainment Weekly, TV.com, Aint It Cool News and The Futon Critic were all left out of the loop.

Me hairy arse.... since when has Rick O Shea or Ruth Scott been reliable!

Headshot

basquille wrote: »

Yes.. 2FM were first with the story that it has been axed.

It seems Variety, Entertainment Weekly, TV.com, Aint It Cool News and The Futon Critic were all left out of the loop.

Me hairy arse.... since when has Rick O Shea or Ruth Scott been reliable!

its probly all bull****

hopefully it will pick up in the rating front

it will never beat season 1 but is still a very good show

ongarite

{(-_-)}HeadShoT** wrote: »

its probly all bull****

Its more like xbox36016 is full of bull**** going by his post history.

Headshot

ongarite wrote: »

Its more like xbox36016 is full of bull**** going by his post history.

ya notice that

hows he still here

someone must be helping him

divine intervention

Sherifu

xbox36016 wrote: »

http://www.syfyportal.com/news425418.html

ROFL.

Must be a slow troll day.

itsjaybud

Enjoy watching prison break so hopefully the show will get the support it deserves and remain on air till at least a good ending is written!

Off the topic, whats with all the use of flip phones in Prison Break?, they really do slam that phone shut when they hang up! I cant remember any of the characters using a normal phone, then again i suspose that dramatic hang up would be lost!!!:D Really adds to the tension! NOT:D

Our man in Havana

Think of the sponsorship deal with Motorola.

cooker3

itsjaybud wrote: »

Enjoy watching prison break so hopefully the show will get the support it deserves and remain on air till at least a good ending is written!

They already wrote one but instead of sailing into the sunset after killing annoying Mr Kim for some inexplicable reason they decided to run and then came Sona to ruin everything

itsjaybud

Bond-007 wrote: »

Think of the sponsorship deal with Motorola.

Thats true and it looks like that sponsorship money was well spent in getting good ole T-Bag cleaned up with a few new suits and a shiny new left hand!!:D

cooker3 wrote: »

They already wrote one but instead of sailing into the sunset after killing annoying Mr Kim for some inexplicable reason they decided to run and then came Sona to ruin everything

That Mr Kim was one s.o.b.! It wouldn't be Prison Break in my eyes if they didn't run!!

Rick_

All flip phones in these US shows seem to click or make some sort of noise when closing, and it doesn't appear to just be the sound of plastic hitting plastic when slammed shut, gently closing also seems to make this noise too. A good few years ago I had the Panasonic silver flip phone (with its amazing for the time 1.3MP camera built-in) and it made that sort of noise, even when closed very slowly. Must be a feature of these things! I'd love to have a good flip phone again!

Our man in Havana

Mahone uses the trusty Motorola K1.

Xavi6

cooker3 wrote: »

They already wrote one but instead of sailing into the sunset after killing annoying Mr Kim for some inexplicable reason they decided to run and then came Sona to ruin everything

Agreed. Even a second series was pushing the whole concept. The show's been getting worse and worse since then. Hopefully someone has finally seen sense and cancelled it. Coulda be an all time classic but it got Lost syndrome.

jimmay

Xavi6 wrote: »

Agreed. Even a second series was pushing the whole concept. The show's been getting worse and worse since then. Hopefully someone has finally seen sense and cancelled it. Coulda be an all time classic but it got Lost syndrome.

I have enjoyed all 4 seasons. Granted season 1&2 were the best but it's still better than 99% of the shiet on tv out there. If it were finished after S2 the same people complaining would have said there were many unanswered questions and it finished abruptly. At the end of the day its sustainability, obviously like most things in this world - money talks and I'm glad it's continuing!
So what classic tv shows am I missing that only lasted a season or two? It's a testament to the show that it's lasted this long at all and I hope it has many more seasons and/or spin off shows! Also the fact that it's called Prison Break does not mean they have to break out from a prison every season! The name is relevant as it's part of the characters make-up and history.
Ok well I just thought I'd give a thumbs up for PB due to all the negative comments. Me and all my family still love it so I guess we're the only ones!:rolleyes:

Mossy Monk

jimmay wrote: »

Me and all my family still love it so I guess we're the only ones!:rolleyes:

You aren't the only ones A lot of people still watch it and even some of those who don't like it seem to be watching it too.

Xavi6

jimmay wrote: »

I have enjoyed all 4 seasons. Granted season 1&2 were the best but it's still better than 99% of the shiet on tv out there. If it were finished after S2 the same people complaining would have said there were many unanswered questions and it finished abruptly. At the end of the day its sustainability, obviously like most things in this world - money talks and I'm glad it's continuing!
So what classic tv shows am I missing that only lasted a season or two? It's a testament to the show that it's lasted this long at all and I hope it has many more seasons and/or spin off shows! Also the fact that it's called Prison Break does not mean they have to break out from a prison every season! The name is relevant as it's part of the characters make-up and history.
Ok well I just thought I'd give a thumbs up for PB due to all the negative comments. Me and all my family still love it so I guess we're the only ones!:rolleyes:

Fawlty Towers for one.

The problem is they haven't kept it going for the right reasons. It's been done purely to milk the cash cow dry.

You admit yourself that -

money talks

but then say -

It's a testament to the show that it's lasted this long at all

It has only lasted this long due to the money, not because of the new plots. A lot of the recent storylines have been very weak and there have been numerous unnecessary fillers.

Just my opinion though.

Mossy Monk wrote: »

You aren't the only ones A lot of people still watch it and even some of those who don't like it seem to be watching it too.

If it's on while I'm at home I'll watch but I wouldn't go out of my way to clear the schedule for it. Compare that to season 1 where I watched it religiously and it sums up my feelings unfortunately.

Rick_

Strange, I plan my evening around watching PB. I make sure I'm in the house and have everything done so I can sit down and enjoy it with no interruptions. Yes, season 3 was a *slight* dip in quality, (I don't think it's anywhere near as bad as people are making it out to be) but I have enjoyed watching every single episode of this programme since it started. To me, I don't care if the story-lines are too far fetched or there are lots of plot holes, it's still 50 minutes of pure escapism that I enjoy constantly. Some people complain too much or are never satisfied.

K4t

Xavi6 wrote: »

Fawlty Towers for one.

The problem is they haven't kept it going for the right reasons. It's been done purely to milk the cash cow dry.

You admit yourself that -



but then say -



It has only lasted this long due to the money, not because of the new plots. A lot of the recent storylines have been very weak and there have been numerous unnecessary fillers.

Just my opinion though.



If it's on while I'm at home I'll watch but I wouldn't go out of my way to clear the schedule for it. Compare that to season 1 where I watched it religiously and it sums up my feelings unfortunately.

I agree with everything in that post ^ because it's all completely true.

JP Liz

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles has reportedly been blamed by Fox for adversely affecting Prison Break's dwindling US ratings.

"Audiences just aren't responding to the show," a Fox source told website SyFy Portal about Sarah Connor, which is screened at 8pm on Monday nights as a lead-in to the jailbreak drama. "Our biggest surprise is the 18-to-49s [demographic] - those numbers are in the toilet."

The insider added that Fox is likely to axe the Terminator spinoff during its current second season and attempt to salvage Prison Break in another timeslot.

"All I can say is that production will likely stop, and I would think that Fox might try to air some of the episodes already in the can," the source stated. "But I don't know. They don't want to lose Prison Break, so there could be some schedule shuffling in the future."

In television, everything has a shelf life. Prison Break appeared to be dangerously nearing its expiry date during the insipid third season. It was spared the axe in the hope that its quality could be restored to its early glory days, but despite a cast reshuffle and new mission, interest is still on the wane. Cult Spy looks at the increasing ineffectiveness of the characters on the show.

There's little doubt that the first two seasons of the jailbreak drama were consistently gripping and great, as we marvelled at Michael Scofield's cunning plans and the fractious relationships between the dastardly convicts. The constraints of the show's title and format compelled Prison Break's creative forces to place several characters behind bars in Sona Prison last year, but this paled in comparison to the thrilling Fox River days. A procession of dire episodes ensued, with only the fluctuating state of Scofield's sweat patch providing any entertainment.

A massive problem for the show is the comparative redundancy of Michael Scofield as a character these days. He relied on his body art to provide an intricately-plotted escape route from Fox River prison, and was buoyed by the injustice of his brother's imprisonment. Nowadays, that spark and ingenuity appears to have been lost and he says or does very little of interest. Like the mighty Samson losing his strength once his hair was shorn, it appears that the removal of his upper body tattoo has drained Scofield of his powers too.

Of course, the team dynamic of 'Scofield's Dirty Half Dozen' means that the workload is shared and individual characters are suffering due to some poor writing. Lincoln Burrows can barely do more than grunt or glare, Sucre is a mere shell dreaming of Marie Cruz and Bellick's interesting domestic background with his mother has been totally forgotten about in favour of, well, nothingness. As for new recruit Roland, he just sits there waiting for cards to download. He's probably so bored with the repetitive nature of the Scylla card-retrieval plots that he's on MSN Messenger or Skype all day. It's hard to blame him.

Even the more interesting and reliable supporting characters appear to have been placed in some kind of stasis for the opening episodes of the current season. Alexander Mahone, played brilliantly by William Fichtner, is eminently watchable but has spent far too long brooding in isolation over the murder of his son, just like he was wasted in the third season in cold turkey mode. He needs to return to his skilful, sleuthing old self and dispose of Wyatt - the laughably bumbling Company hitman who is a very poor replacement for the wonderful Agent Kellerman.

How long has T-Bag spent trying to decipher Whistler's bird book? It appears he'll feature in a couple of scenes every episode doing just that, as if reminding viewers that he's still knocking around. T-Bag is a fascinating character for mainstream television - a murderous, raping paedophile who often provides comic relief and a certain sinister appeal. He just needs to be more involved, as does the callous Gretchen. Why keep such a great figure locked up in a cell for so long when the series is crying out for such a sexy, ruthlessly ball-busting figure?

One character who perhaps should have been kept hidden away is Dr. Sara Tancredi. After her Se7en-style beheading last season - a desperate move to revive flagging viewer interest through shock tactics - many cited her absence as the reason for the show's sudden failings. Scofield needs a love interest, a motivation they claimed. In reality, he needed some interesting plots, dialogue and an anti-perspirant.

Sara's return has done neither the characters nor show any favours. Remember the jaw-dropping slaying of the original female lead Veronica Donovan at the beginning of the second season? That was very effective and not signposted at all. Sara's contrived revival - apparently Lincoln didn't look at the disembodied head properly - simply means that any future shock twists will have their impact lessened because we won't trust what we're being shown. How do we know that the bullet that went into Whistler's head didn't go round inside his cranium like a pinball machine and still not kill him? He might have merely 'played dead'.

Prison Break has always been a show that's stretched credulity, and often in fun and engrossing ways, but Tancredi's comeback took the proverbial biscuit. In the grand scheme of things, what purpose has she served since her return apart from allowing Wentworth Miller the chance to emote and pucker up? Well, it allowed the writers to kill off the inconsequential character of Bruce Bennett , the man who tried to keep Sara's existence a secret from Wyatt. Even then, how drawn out was his torture and death for such an inconsequential and peripheral character?

Crucially, the pacing of these story arcs highlights just how poorly Prison Break is using the structure of the episodic season format. A major lack of incident and increasingly repetitive card-cloning plots governed several episodes following the fourth season premiere. The writers appear to be building up to certain event episodes, like the mid-season and season finales, and padding out the episodes in between. This was the case last year, when the explosive end to the third season, featuring the Sona breakout, wasn't sufficient enough to forgive the earlier meandering.

The characters, to a large extent, are reliant on their predicaments to generate interest and have suffered as a result. The most recent instalment of Prison Break, featuring a racetrack heist and Mahone's arrest and escape, did function as a reminder of how good the show can be when the characters have a clear and defined purpose within an episode. It also brought together T-Bag and Gretchen, so let's hope the pair prove a dynamite combination and are given more screen time. Mahone also appears to be closing in on Wyatt, so fingers crossed that the revenge narrative will have a pay-off very soon. Otherwise, given tumbling ratings, the show might not be on air long enough to see a resolution.

Source Digital Spy

jor el

jimmay wrote: »

If it were finished after S2 the same people complaining would have said there were many unanswered questions and it finished abruptly.

That would be true if it had finished where season 2 ended, but the end of season 2 was written with season 3 in mind. If there had been no possibility of a season 3, they could have ended it nicely, and this was the right time to end it. Season 3 wasn't too bad at the start, but it quickly turned to crap.

It could also have ended nicely in season 3, if only they had been able to give it a couple of more episodes from where it actually ended. This whole fourth season is now filler for what should have been just a few hours of TV.

Running shows like this on and on, just takes all the good out of them. It's hard to remember just how good it was, when all your recent memories of it, are of how rubbish it has become.

redout

How can they cancel this show. I love it to bits. What is on tv thats better ? Seriously. I dl quite alot of tv shows and this one tops them all hands down. Fringe is the only one coming close to it for me especially if you are into the whole paranormal thing.

Xavi6

redout wrote: »

How can they cancel this show. I love it to bits. What is on tv thats better ? Seriously. I dl quite alot of tv shows and this one tops them all hands down. Fringe is the only one coming close to it for me especially if you are into the whole paranormal thing.

House, Heroes, Entourage, Californication, NCIS, Burn Notice....... I could go on.

redout

Everyone entitled to there own opinion. I personally dont rate Heroes, Californication, Burn Notice. Have heard good things about NCIS and yes I do enjoy House.

itsjaybud

To go back to a few previous points made, i would have to agree by saying that in every episode shown so far of the new season there has been at least one scene where something happens which is totally exaggerated and sometimes laughable!

For me i find myself not dwelling on these scences too much and still strongly look foward to the next episode!:)


Off the topic and maybe some what more important, that secretary at the GATE office building is fair hot!!:D Hopefully she joins the team and is taken away from the likes of T-Bag and Gretchen!!

shortys94

Haven't watched in a good few weeks now, has it got better?

itsjaybud

shortys94 wrote: »

Haven't watched in a good few weeks now, has it got better?

Pretty decent so far and i thought last nights episode was very exciting stuff imo!!:D

cooker3

JP Liz wrote: »

Source Digital Spy

Good article. That pretty much sums up my thoughts on Prison break perfectly. My only point of disagreement is I like this seasons hitman, not sure how they see him as bumbling? Pretty cool and collected but minor point, rest of it is on the ball