Dr. Sara Tancredi was originally slated to die of a drug overdose in the Season 1 finale, but her popularity with the audience led writers to keep her alive. Historical Impact

The first season of Prison Break premiered on August 29, 2005, and consists of 22 episodes. The show was created by Paul T. Scheuring and produced by 20th Century Fox Television.

The most common praise in every positive review was the "ticking clock" mechanic. Critics lauded creator Paul Scheuring for turning a simple question— "How do you break out of a maximum-security prison?" —into a masterclass in procedural tension. The visual of Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller) standing in the prison yard, looking at the ground, seeing the ghost of the blueprint laid over the mud, was called "visually revolutionary" by the San Francisco Chronicle .

In digging through the data, we found something surprising: even in a "Certified Fresh" season, there are rotten eggs. Two episodes in Season 1 actually fall below the 60% threshold for the critic consensus.