Prison Break Season 4 - Dr. Sara Tancredi Returns

Dr. Sara Tancredi Returns With Her Head Intact
Recently it was announced that Prison Break, the weekly serial drama broadcast on Fox Television Network will be picked up for a fourth season with 22 episodes starting in Fall 2008. But wait, wasn't Michael Scofield's main love interest, Dr. Sara Tancredi decapitated early in season 3? Hold up, the catch is that Michael Scofield's brother, Lincoln merely looked at the head in the box and assumed it was Sara and did not go about conducting a more thorough investigation. So that left the door open for Dr. Sara Tancredi's possible return.

Why Was Actress Sarah Wayne Callies as Dr. Sara Tancredi Originally Axed?
On TV Guide Editors' Blogs, Michael Ausiello offers a detailed explanation on Prison Break Exclusive: The Real Story Behind Sara's Death. Basically, actress Sarah Wayne Callies was pregnant during the filming of season 3. The producers made plans to shoot around her pregnancy and to accommodate her maternity leave. Unfortunately for fans of Prison Break and Dr. Sara Tancredi, actress Sarah Wayne Callies and the producers were unable to come to an agreement on a workable shooting schedule. It was reported both parties were disappointed by the outcome.

Is This Just a Rumor or is Actress Sarah Wayne Callies Really Returning as Dr. Sara Tancredi?
Here is the official word from actress Sarah Wayne Callies' own website "Sarah Wayne Callies has recently confirmed that she will be returning for the fourth season of Prison Break as Dr. Sara Tancredi." Prison Break Executive Producer, Matt Olmstead confirms in a TV Guide interview by Michael Ausiello on March 27, 2008 in Prison Break Stunner: Sarah Wayne Callies Returns! The good news is that it isn't just a ratings stunt where they bring Sarah Wayne Callies in for only one episode, Dr. Sara Tancredi is going to be written back into the storyline with actress Sarah Wayne Callies committed to the entire season of Prison Break - Season 4.

What Do the Fans Think?
It is with great relief that one of Prison Break's favorite characters, Dr. Sara Tancredi gets to return to the series. The Prison Break fan message boards on the forums of Fox.com's official website are excited about the return of actress Sarah Wayne Callies with the possibility of real intimacy between Michael Scofield and Dr. Sara Tancredi. Fans also feel somewhat vindicated by the pressure and feedback they gave producers about losing Dr. Sara Tancredi, an integral character to the Prison Break series. The series seemed to lack depth and dimension with the departure of actress Sarah Wayne Callies and the loss of an important storyline and dramatic tension with the sudden end of the relationship between Michael Scofield and Dr. Sara Tancredi.

Will the Return of Dr. Sara Tancredi Spell the Return of Prison Break Ratings?
In 2005 the show debuted amidst heavy promotion by Fox broadcasting to 10.5 million viewers. The second season premiere netted 9.4 million viewers. The third season premiere was down to 7.51 million viewers according to ratings posted on Wikipedia. Now that the writer's strike has ended, perhaps the writers and producers of Prison Break have had time to come up with more innovative story lines to refresh Prison Break. Or is the series end inevitable because the tension is only real when they're in prison? When out of prison, can the series continue to be plausible when they're just trying to avoid prison? How much back and forth is really interesting? How many ways is there to break out of a prison and have it still be interesting? Is it too late for the return of Dr. Sara Tancredi or will the return of actress Sarah Wayne Callies provide the series the needed boost and story lines to bust the Prison Break series out of its doldrums?