Watch this exclusive KPBS clip from the DVD.
Generally speaking I don't watch too much TV. The reason being that I need to see so many movies that I don't often have time. Plus if I get hooked on a show, I hate not being certain that I can watch each week. (I don't have TiVo or even a VHS recorder so I can't record shows to watch later.) So what this means is that if I do catch up a TV show, it is usually on DVD. My friend has been hooked on Fox's Prison Break since it's debut in 2005. Of course her main attraction to the show was lead actor Wentworth Miller whom she described as "hot, oh yeah, hot." When I heard the premise of the show -- involving a man breaking into prison in order to break his innocent brother out -- I thought how can they possibly sustain that for more than a couple shows? Well they have sustained it, and to considerable acclaim.
Season three comes out on DVD today and season four launches on September 1 on Fox. Season three promises "New Prison. New Break." This time, Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller of The Human Stain ) finds himself wrongly incarcerated in a Panamanian prison where the conditions are so bad that even the wardens have pulled out, leaving the prisoners in charge. I came into the show cold, not having seen a single earlier episode, and within a few minutes, it was pretty easy to pick up on the narrative. Nothing wildly innovative here but the show provides tensely cut episodes and solid acting, most notably from Miller, the ever fascinating William Fichtner, and Robert Knepper & (see the KPBS exclusive clip of him discussing his character of T-bag from the bonus features). I'm also highlighting the clip below featuring director Karen Gaviola because I like the fact she's a woman directing a male-centered action drama. It's always nice to point out that gender boundaries are far less of an issue now than they used to be... at least I hope that's the case. But we still could use more diversity behind the scenes.
