Prison Break
Where to End It: Serialized nail-biters don't get much better than Prison Break's first season, which extended a movie-ready story line with nonstop plot twists and juicy atmospheric touches (like protagonist Michael Scofield's full-body tattoo). The first season finale followed through on the inherent promise of the title…
Badness Avoided: …and nothing was ever the same. Without the prison setting, season 2 was just a confusing cross-country tour. (The series creator referred to it as ''The Fugitive times eight,'' which turns out is exactly as bad as it sounds.) Season 3 tried to recapture the magic by sending practically the entire cast back to prison...this time, in Panama. (Oooo, how foreign!) So, just to recap: My Name Is Earl should have never gone to prison, and Prison Break should have never left.