title: Why is there a string saved in my serialized array?
body: <p>Below is how I serialize my array.</p>
  <pre><code>$featured_image_id = $arg['thumbnail_id'];
  $data = serialize( array( $featured_image_id ) );
  
  update_post_meta( $arg['post_id'], 'images', $data );
  </code></pre>
  <p>What I get in my db table is <code>s:17:&quot;a:1:{i:0;i:1955;}&quot;;</code> with a string in front.</p>
  <p>How do I remove the string? I just need <code>&quot;a:1:{i:0;i:1955;}&quot;</code></p>