24 was such an original and exciting show! It was a groundbreaking show that had it all...action, drama, suspense, mystery, twists, excitement, etc. The entire season takes place over the course of 24hrs with each episode making up one hour. It's about a Counter Terrorism Unit led by an agent named Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) as they race to save the country from terrorists. Not every season was great but most were and they're all worth watching! It was an action packed thriller that kept you on the edge of your seat throughout the series! Kiefer Sutherland was absolutely perfect as Jack Bauer! If you enjoy action packed shows where you can't wait to see what happened next then this is the show for you!
728 Reviews
Action Packed Thriller!
Supermanfan-138 May 2021
24 was one of my favorite shows growing up. It was absolutely ahead of its time when it came out and is still great today. No show at the time had you at the edge of your seat every episode quite like 24. The 24 hour clock was so original at the time. This was a a show where every season not only had the great Jack Bauer as the hero but every season had a great villain too. There were also so many twists and turns that it would have you guessing what what happen next. This is a show that will hook you right from the beginning and keep you entertained every episode of every season. This truly is a one of a kind show with non stop action.
Jack Bauer
dishjones4 September 2020
The first 4 seasons were so incredible. It was a tough premise to keep up though. Cracks started appearing in season 5 and season 6 just became down right ridiculous. But Jack Bauer is one of the best TV characters ever created and Kiefer Sutherland was born to play this part. This show was the definition of serial thrill ride. My friends and I used to have weekly viewing parties and if you broke the gag order on spoilers you were dead to us. Some of the funniest times I've ever had watching a show. It was more like an experience.
The best action show ever made
fatelovesthefearless9 July 2018
Warning: Spoilers
24 is the best action show ever made and one of the most entertaining shows I've ever watched. I actually can't believe all the negative reviews but it doesn't surprise me as most action movies get lots of negative reviews too. But I guess if your not into the genre why watch? Jack Bauer and John Maclean are very similar so I'd describe 24 as the tv version of Die Hard. Both men work in law enforcement and usually have a personal stake in the story, and both are about terrorists and how one man does his best to stop the terrorists, sometimes working with or against the law and both almost die multiple times. So yeah if your a fan of action and liked Die Hard then you'll love 24.
Pure adrenaline and fantastic cliffhangers
hernanbusso4 October 2020
I haven't watched every single TV show out there but I've watched more than a fair share (GoT, The Sopranos, The Wire, Six Feet Under, Deadwood, Breaking Bad, House, The Shield, Dexter, Lost, Justified, Prison Break, Mad Men, Walking Dead, House of Cards and a few others) and this reamins my favorite of them all. Great premise, top acting, superb action scenes, etc. The only flaw is they started recycling plots and storylines at one point but that was after years of incredible quality. Must-watch.
One of the best series ever made for television
martin-15985 June 2007
24 is a great TV series. It's design and story lines are really a thrill to experience. The day out of the life of agent Jack Bauer is one of a kind. The series plays in real time (including the commercial breaks).
I can certainly recommend to watch this series. It's even more fantastic, if you not watch it as it's aired, but record some episodes and then watch them in in a pattern of 2 per evening for some days after another. In this way you find yourself addicted to the adrenaline which 24 unleashes.
This is TV as it was designed. I must admit that I look forward to the movie which is planned. I hope not that it's a normal movie, but that they put elements of the real time (or something similar) into it. At least the thrill should be similar.
I just finished Day 6 (season 6) and now have to rehab from my 24 addiction again.
I can certainly recommend to watch this series. It's even more fantastic, if you not watch it as it's aired, but record some episodes and then watch them in in a pattern of 2 per evening for some days after another. In this way you find yourself addicted to the adrenaline which 24 unleashes.
This is TV as it was designed. I must admit that I look forward to the movie which is planned. I hope not that it's a normal movie, but that they put elements of the real time (or something similar) into it. At least the thrill should be similar.
I just finished Day 6 (season 6) and now have to rehab from my 24 addiction again.
10/10 always!
joseyankie17 February 2009
What i found amazing is how can anyone criticize 24 ... The actors are not boring, they all have their own role on the show. Each season speaks about a terrorist problem, and what's the problem? do they look so much alike? no! If you start to watch a episode with all the suspense and REALLY GREAT action, you'll keep sit on the couch till it's end! Watching 24 won't make you smarter or add anything new to your brains, but will definitely entertain you more than any other TV show for 43minutes and you'll pray till next Monday arrives! If you expect a drama, or worst, a similar show to any of those recent movies such as "body of lies", you can turn your head to the other side, 24 only offers what best the TV got, the pleasure of be inside the screen..
It's a perfect 10 in 10 for 24 and Jack Bauer!
It's a perfect 10 in 10 for 24 and Jack Bauer!
An entertaining, classy and action-packed drama that breaks new ground in the television world!
jameslamont21 February 2005
Warning: Spoilers
This show can best be described as the most innovative, ground-breaking television show of the past 50 years. The reason this show is so ground breaking is the fact that it has used split screen cameras, and a real time format to create the element of a quality made show.
The show follows the worst days of likable, down-to-earth hero Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) and each episode chronicles every hour of the day, and is shot in real-time. What makes this show so unique are the character relationships, the shows writing and the attention to detail. Whether the shows themes are about kidnappings, bomb threats, personal vendettas, assassinations, or terrorist attacks the themes are handled in such a compelling way that the viewer is hooked at every jump and turn.
The viewers really learn to care about Jack as we learn more about his life and his past. Kiefer Sutherland was perfect for the role as Jack Bauer, so much that many people describe him as "born for the role". Dennis Haysbert does a superb acting job as Sen David Palmer and the show has an excellent group of characters who make the support team of the show and these include Carols Bernard as Tony and Elisha Cuthbert as Kim Bauer. A big bonus of the show is that 24 is constantly surprising viewers in unexpected moments, and you never know what to expect on the show. Anything can and does happen.
The scripts on this show are top class and they deserve a mention in their own right. The attention to detail as I mentioned earlier is prominent with the real time aspect of the show. There are very rarely any mistakes with the time aspect of the show, and this is a strength of the show. The show always uses multiple split screen camera shots and this is innovative work because it helps to make the show seem realistic and also in real time. You will also see most of the camera focused on Jacks point of view and this is to make the show from a humans point of view and it helps to bring the viewer more involved in the show.
The story may change; new characters may arrive and leave but one thing always stays the same; the underlying story of the show is about one mans fight to do what is right. If there is a bad aspect to this show it may be that some of the action sequences are a bit too predictable, but this is rare and should not detach from the viewers viewing pleasure of the show. This show will make you feel every emotion under the sun but nevertheless it is gripping, thrilling storytelling of the highest calibre. Long may this show continue and the legacy of this show will be remembered for many years to come. Miss this at your peril 10/10.
The show follows the worst days of likable, down-to-earth hero Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) and each episode chronicles every hour of the day, and is shot in real-time. What makes this show so unique are the character relationships, the shows writing and the attention to detail. Whether the shows themes are about kidnappings, bomb threats, personal vendettas, assassinations, or terrorist attacks the themes are handled in such a compelling way that the viewer is hooked at every jump and turn.
The viewers really learn to care about Jack as we learn more about his life and his past. Kiefer Sutherland was perfect for the role as Jack Bauer, so much that many people describe him as "born for the role". Dennis Haysbert does a superb acting job as Sen David Palmer and the show has an excellent group of characters who make the support team of the show and these include Carols Bernard as Tony and Elisha Cuthbert as Kim Bauer. A big bonus of the show is that 24 is constantly surprising viewers in unexpected moments, and you never know what to expect on the show. Anything can and does happen.
The scripts on this show are top class and they deserve a mention in their own right. The attention to detail as I mentioned earlier is prominent with the real time aspect of the show. There are very rarely any mistakes with the time aspect of the show, and this is a strength of the show. The show always uses multiple split screen camera shots and this is innovative work because it helps to make the show seem realistic and also in real time. You will also see most of the camera focused on Jacks point of view and this is to make the show from a humans point of view and it helps to bring the viewer more involved in the show.
The story may change; new characters may arrive and leave but one thing always stays the same; the underlying story of the show is about one mans fight to do what is right. If there is a bad aspect to this show it may be that some of the action sequences are a bit too predictable, but this is rare and should not detach from the viewers viewing pleasure of the show. This show will make you feel every emotion under the sun but nevertheless it is gripping, thrilling storytelling of the highest calibre. Long may this show continue and the legacy of this show will be remembered for many years to come. Miss this at your peril 10/10.
My Favorite show of all times
drift-8329523 August 2022
This show is one of a kind, the directors were so smart and they created something never seen in tv history. The acting is sooo good the characters are awesome the story the villans are all phenomenal
Respect to the creators.
How can a show start so great then slide into muddled stupidity is beyond me?!?!
hawksburn18 November 2002
Warning: Spoilers
WARNING: There are spoilers contained within. If you don't want to know certain plot twists I suggest you skip my review.
Let's just say that at the beginning I loved this show. Addicted to it you might say. Great premise, brilliant execution, smart acting. The whole idea of it and the way it was done, just excellent. Anyway, that's the first 8 hours. The second 8, yeah ok I'm still watching every Monday @ 8:30. Twists and turns seem to be happening with more & more regularity, but I'm still clued up to the plot, haven't lost track. Last 8 hours I'm thinking "What the hells going on?!?!". No, I haven't become disoriented and confused, I'm just wondering when did this show go from being reasonably believable to becoming logically incomprehensible?!?!
I trace it back to the episode where the car rolls down the hill and explodes and Jacks wife, thinking her daughter has just died, collapses in shock then wakes up and spends the next few episodes in trauma-induced amnesia. From this point on the show is trying to constantly top itself from episode to episode with "most unbelievable twist". Up until then, perfect. Between the hours of 12am & 10am it's got a sharply executed plot that could frighteningly ring true, all the characters (good and bad) are believable. It also gives the viewers enough time to get their bearings, to take in the consequences of what's unfolding before them. The betrayals, the red herrings.
After 10am it lapses dramatically. The show seems to become too smart for it's own good. It piles one twist on top of another without giving any time to work out how it all fits together. [WARNING: MAJOR SPOILER] I wasn't at all surprised that it turned out to be the head female agent (I forget her name) who was the traitor. One could see it coming a mile away. Not because the clues were apparent, just because there was no other real character to logically pin it on. Then having done that, having made that decision, I was left thinking of all the previous episodes and wondering "How?!?!", it didn't make sense.
The reason I was gripped by this show was first and foremost because it was intelligent and believable. Secondly because of the (cutting edge for U.S tv) narrative structure and direction. This all fails once the 2nd half becomes nothing more than a popcorn flick. If it had started out that way or maintained the initial equilibrium it kicked itself off with, I would've enjoyed it more. The change from one to the other is what ruined it for me. It turns from serious thriller into James Bond.
Let's just say that at the beginning I loved this show. Addicted to it you might say. Great premise, brilliant execution, smart acting. The whole idea of it and the way it was done, just excellent. Anyway, that's the first 8 hours. The second 8, yeah ok I'm still watching every Monday @ 8:30. Twists and turns seem to be happening with more & more regularity, but I'm still clued up to the plot, haven't lost track. Last 8 hours I'm thinking "What the hells going on?!?!". No, I haven't become disoriented and confused, I'm just wondering when did this show go from being reasonably believable to becoming logically incomprehensible?!?!
I trace it back to the episode where the car rolls down the hill and explodes and Jacks wife, thinking her daughter has just died, collapses in shock then wakes up and spends the next few episodes in trauma-induced amnesia. From this point on the show is trying to constantly top itself from episode to episode with "most unbelievable twist". Up until then, perfect. Between the hours of 12am & 10am it's got a sharply executed plot that could frighteningly ring true, all the characters (good and bad) are believable. It also gives the viewers enough time to get their bearings, to take in the consequences of what's unfolding before them. The betrayals, the red herrings.
After 10am it lapses dramatically. The show seems to become too smart for it's own good. It piles one twist on top of another without giving any time to work out how it all fits together. [WARNING: MAJOR SPOILER] I wasn't at all surprised that it turned out to be the head female agent (I forget her name) who was the traitor. One could see it coming a mile away. Not because the clues were apparent, just because there was no other real character to logically pin it on. Then having done that, having made that decision, I was left thinking of all the previous episodes and wondering "How?!?!", it didn't make sense.
The reason I was gripped by this show was first and foremost because it was intelligent and believable. Secondly because of the (cutting edge for U.S tv) narrative structure and direction. This all fails once the 2nd half becomes nothing more than a popcorn flick. If it had started out that way or maintained the initial equilibrium it kicked itself off with, I would've enjoyed it more. The change from one to the other is what ruined it for me. It turns from serious thriller into James Bond.
Rebel Wind!
Guanche4813 April 2023
The truth is that I'm not a big fan of American television series, they tend to be repetitive and each time they have to invent something more and more unrealistic to fo on. Having said that, I am a big fan of K. Sutherland, not only as an actor, but also as a musician of one of my favorite styles, country music.
This man has so many talents, and I never thought he had such an authentic and beautiful voice and great music. He is also fantastic in this series, Jack Bauer has morals and dignity. K. sutherland for president! Oh yeah! Yes, I also liked Designated Survivor until it became a soap opera.
In short, don't miss it if you like entertaining and exciting series with lots of good and spectacular action. Some of the episodes have very interesting topics as well.
This man has so many talents, and I never thought he had such an authentic and beautiful voice and great music. He is also fantastic in this series, Jack Bauer has morals and dignity. K. sutherland for president! Oh yeah! Yes, I also liked Designated Survivor until it became a soap opera.
In short, don't miss it if you like entertaining and exciting series with lots of good and spectacular action. Some of the episodes have very interesting topics as well.
By far my favorite show of all time!
kls-1470323 April 2021
I have to first be honest & say I'm not a huge TV show person. I've watched plenty, but nowadays I tend to prefer series on streaming services such a Netflix, prime etc, or movies. However, around 6 years ago my husband & I discovered 24 & started binging from the beginning, and this was after the show had been wrapped up for about 10 years.. and even then it still held up & never felt dated.. we were so into it, to the point we would stay up well past midnight to catch just 1 more episode, and another & another- and we both would comment that had we started to watch it back when it aired on Television, there's no way we would've been able to handle the suspense of waiting week to week for the next episode to air! Talk about cliffhangers! The main points I will touch on that many of the other reviewers mentioned is Kiefer Sutherland was truly born to play the role of Jack Bauer, and his character is like no other. There have been many jokes said about "Jack Bauer for president", and all sort of other memes about Jack being the hero that he is. Never mind the plots of each season, the execution of the storylines, the action scenes, I can go on & on. It's just so good. I will agree with another reviewer who said the first 4 seasons are probably the best, but I wouldn't just stop there. Infact, just recently I actually decided to binge the entire franchise all over again! Enough time had passed that it was sort of like watching it again for the first time. Even though I knew what most of the outcomes would be I still enjoyed it just as much as when I watched the first go round. We own the entire box set so I'm sure I will rewatch again down the line! And I PRAY they find a way to bring Jack Back.. I've heard chatters, I think it's something everyone including Kiefer & the writers want, I suppose it just has to be the right fit, to make it relevant to current times, and create a new plot that they haven't done before, as another reviewer mentioned the recycling of plots in the later seasons. Though I'd love nothing more than to see some older characters return, I think that's impossible (for obvious reasons I don't want to spoil) but a new set of fresh faces & new environment would be plenty for me!!
Also, if you have not seen the 2014 reboot 24:Live another day, check it out! It's worth the watch!
Also, if you have not seen the 2014 reboot 24:Live another day, check it out! It's worth the watch!
Would be better cut down to 12 episodes
two-cents10 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
First of all, by the 12th episode I was ready for wrap-up, and truly the writers had to contort things ridiculously in order to stretch out those last 6 episodes. However, I watched the video--2 or 4 episodes at a a time..I cannot imagine waiting a week for so little action in each episode. The other thing that is most prominent is that lots and lots of innocent bystanders, guards, secret agents, etc die in the process of protecting our main character's two family members. What about the families of these people? Spoiler: the basic premise of the plot is silly because the criminal Druzin is a hard boiled mass murderer, hence unlikely to be quite so sentimental and revengeful for losing his wife & daughter. And Jack takes ridiculous risks and puts others in danger to save his own wife & daughter--thereby disregarding the integrity of his dedication to the counter terrorism. Lots of plot surprises--which are fun and hold one still.
just watched first season on DVD - what is the cult appeal of this show??
spectors631 October 2006
Warning: Spoilers
My wife and I never caught the the 24 hysteria when it originally aired on Fox so we just finished watching the first season last night. I'm sorry, but are we all watching the same show? How many times can his wife and daughter be rescued within an instant of being killed, recaptured, nearly killed, rescued and then recaptured before being rescued again in 24 hours??? The final twist with Nina being the German super mole is ridiculous--the writers clearly wrote these episodes with little concern for continuity. Why did Nina help Jack at the clinic when his wife and daughter were first brought in and she see's a hit man on the phone in an adjacent room--Nina clearly didn't have to build Jack's trust and all it would do is set her conspirators back so why look for him?? We almost looked forward more to the side story with the senator and his viper of a wife--essentially like the true politics of our time. I will agree--the unique nature of the show definitely hooks you, Kiefer, Haysbert, etc, are all superb, but then doing things over and over and over tries your patience. Then the ending, oh the ending, what a bunch of uninspiring crap! The final tragedy thrust upon us that was Nina's doing betrays any and all trust you had in the writers bringing you some feeling of closure. When the credits rolled we looked at each other and were quite simply p***ed off. 6 discs and weeks worth of watching for such a lousy ending--we feel used. Forget it.
A Bona-Fied TV Classic!
G-Man-2512 May 2002
This show definitely has re-written the book on intelligent and credible suspense on TV. Extremely well acted, written and directed. Truly gripping, heart-stopping suspense from one hour to the next. The show is so well done that you can easily forgive the very few plot devices that seem a little weak. When a show gets 99% of everything right, it's very hard to quibble. Keifer Sutherland has never been better as the flawed hero. "24" deserves to be a model on which all future TV suspense thrillers can be compared to. A+++
Fantastic TV
Rhysoedwards16 May 2007
24, What can i say? A breakthrough in TV history, one of the greatest show's to reach our screen in a long time. With amazing plot lines that changed constantly, you can never trust a character no matter what, and you can never grow to love a character as tradition within 24 has it, everyone dies in the end.
Season One was fantastic followed by another amazing season, then the show shook with a rockety season 3. However producers reinvented 24 with its forth season followed by another brilliant season, but the curse of the third season struck once more, season 6. It started well, but towards the end it made you feel, they've done this before, and you would find yourself thinking, what actually happened ? Producers promise Season 7 and 8 to be a new re-invention, with a totally new cast, lets hope it survives...
Season One was fantastic followed by another amazing season, then the show shook with a rockety season 3. However producers reinvented 24 with its forth season followed by another brilliant season, but the curse of the third season struck once more, season 6. It started well, but towards the end it made you feel, they've done this before, and you would find yourself thinking, what actually happened ? Producers promise Season 7 and 8 to be a new re-invention, with a totally new cast, lets hope it survives...
24 is the best drama television has ever seen
aparker6268716 April 2005
This is the most creative, intelligent, well-written, unpredictable, and suspenseful program that I have ever seen, and this is coming from a man who watches a lot of television.
Throughout its four seasons, 24 provides a cliff hanger at the end of most episodes to keep you attached and has provided some of the most unpredictable twists that I have ever seen, including the ultimate shocker at the end of the first season (which I won't go into because somebody may read this before watching the first season).
As far as acting goes, there isn't a weak-link on the show. Kiefer Sutherland leads a cast of exceptionally impressive and compelling actors/actresses that make the show great week after week.
I would strongly recommend that if you do not already watch 24, start now because you're really missing out.
Throughout its four seasons, 24 provides a cliff hanger at the end of most episodes to keep you attached and has provided some of the most unpredictable twists that I have ever seen, including the ultimate shocker at the end of the first season (which I won't go into because somebody may read this before watching the first season).
As far as acting goes, there isn't a weak-link on the show. Kiefer Sutherland leads a cast of exceptionally impressive and compelling actors/actresses that make the show great week after week.
I would strongly recommend that if you do not already watch 24, start now because you're really missing out.
Revolutionary
darrenhutchison17 November 2022
Whether you like this show or not, it changed tv forever. Never was there such a big budget, movie star cast and amazing production before 24. This started the trend of that. The money men saw that this was big business and started to flood shows with cash. Also got more movie actors that would never have thought of going into tv, which before was a poisoned chalice, classed as a major step down. TV shows were a stepping stone to movies and I guess they still are, but you can now move between both without being labelled. The only time you could do that before is if you guest starred on something like Colombo or something. But even then, it was usually a movie star that had a stalled career for some reason. Anyway, I loved 24 and still do. Still stands up today and very fun to watch. Ok it gets kinda formulaic after a few seasons, but it's like watching Star Trek, you know it's all gonna be fine by the end but you still watch it. Jack Bauer is a great character and Kiefer plays him so well. If you haven't watched it, you're simply missing out.
Rating for Season 5 only-
nihalbhat223 March 2022
Season 5 remains one of the best individual seasons in the history of tv. Sort of like breaking bad season 4 or so.
It is simply epic- with a lot of high stakes plot twists and thrills. Kiefer sutherland plays the best action hero in the history of TV - even to date he hasnt been surpassed- reviewing this in 2022.
If you liked the movie 'die hard' then this easily tops it, as it has political intrigue, conspiracies and a bit of romance to boot.
Season 5 rating - a perfect score 10/10.
I have watched all the other seasons, but nothing comes close to season 5.
It is simply epic- with a lot of high stakes plot twists and thrills. Kiefer sutherland plays the best action hero in the history of TV - even to date he hasnt been surpassed- reviewing this in 2022.
If you liked the movie 'die hard' then this easily tops it, as it has political intrigue, conspiracies and a bit of romance to boot.
Season 5 rating - a perfect score 10/10.
I have watched all the other seasons, but nothing comes close to season 5.
One of the best TV shows ever
gary360-376-87583729 August 2020
My favourite American show of all time!
Marcusjt200411 November 2018
I don't know where to start with this show, it's just incredible! I've seen it twice and I was on the edge of my seat just as much second time round even though I knew what was coming! The 24 hour concept is done really well, the acting and scripts/stories are done so so well. My favourite season has to be season 5 with my least favourite being 6. All characters from Jack Bauer to George Mason are really well explained and any main character deaths are really emotional and hard hitting. I highly recommend watching this show.
Brilliant action thriller with non-stop watchtime
leon_white5 March 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Well, as the biggest fan of 24 how can I have the show 7/10. Let's start from the beginning... As the show started it was innovative, thrilling and by far the best action series on earth. The first 3 seasons were groundbreaking. Terrorist attacks, mass shootings, bombs, kidnapping and hero which is not all time good, but do what is necessary to save the country or his friends/family. Besides that technically the show was extremely well done. Split-Screens, fast transitions, recaps, good camera work and the settings were huge for TV standards.
But after 3 seasons you have seen everything over and over again. Some terrorists get tortured, some get a deal (in the cases Jack doesn't want to), some are directly killed (because jack knows he has no answers).... you have always a mole in the ctu, jack needs to work alone or only with Chloe and so on.
I watched the show over three times every season, because I love it. But the more often I watched it, I realised that is full of inconsistencies. One example: In season 3 jack gets Ramon Salazar out of the prison to use him to get some gas bombs. But actually Jack is the one who has the telephone number of that guy selling the stuff and Salazar is just giving him the money, while not knowing Salazar at all... So jacks risks his life, but could actually do it with Salazar at all.
There are many of these examples, but by far more bad about this show is that Jack has no character development. He is always is fallen hero. Every time he falls in love the women get killed or he has to leave. His country haven't supported him as he attacked the Chinese council and let him go into prison. His daughter left him because ... well there is no reason she's just stupid. Even his own country wanted him to go to jail because of torture... but he saved the life of the president 3 years ago? Ah nobody cares. And why is he so broke after all his victories? Before he accepts some dangerous job nobody would do, normal people would ask for the money. He doesn't care and would even work for free to save his country.
In this show there is no place for character development. I barely can remember all the villain because they were so many and everyone is killed in real-time. The only is president Logan which was really interesting villain.
I still enjoy the show if I'm not thinking much about the story or about the ridiculous tech-talks which doesn't make sense at all. The action is great, but the lacks of inconsistencies are to large to save it.
But after 3 seasons you have seen everything over and over again. Some terrorists get tortured, some get a deal (in the cases Jack doesn't want to), some are directly killed (because jack knows he has no answers).... you have always a mole in the ctu, jack needs to work alone or only with Chloe and so on.
I watched the show over three times every season, because I love it. But the more often I watched it, I realised that is full of inconsistencies. One example: In season 3 jack gets Ramon Salazar out of the prison to use him to get some gas bombs. But actually Jack is the one who has the telephone number of that guy selling the stuff and Salazar is just giving him the money, while not knowing Salazar at all... So jacks risks his life, but could actually do it with Salazar at all.
There are many of these examples, but by far more bad about this show is that Jack has no character development. He is always is fallen hero. Every time he falls in love the women get killed or he has to leave. His country haven't supported him as he attacked the Chinese council and let him go into prison. His daughter left him because ... well there is no reason she's just stupid. Even his own country wanted him to go to jail because of torture... but he saved the life of the president 3 years ago? Ah nobody cares. And why is he so broke after all his victories? Before he accepts some dangerous job nobody would do, normal people would ask for the money. He doesn't care and would even work for free to save his country.
In this show there is no place for character development. I barely can remember all the villain because they were so many and everyone is killed in real-time. The only is president Logan which was really interesting villain.
I still enjoy the show if I'm not thinking much about the story or about the ridiculous tech-talks which doesn't make sense at all. The action is great, but the lacks of inconsistencies are to large to save it.
Innovation is this show's saving grace and its damnation...
cchase15 December 2001
Warning: Spoilers
It's been said a couple of times already, but in this particular era where ADD seems to be more of a national condition than just the learning abberation that afflicts a certain group, "24" was allegedly doomed from Episode One. When part of the thrill is seeing how the creative team behind this concept can successfully juggle all the story "balls" they're keeping in the air each week, how can this show possibly survive, when it's competing against such Top Ten 'gems' as TEMPTATION ISLAND 2, SURVIVOR and FEAR FACTOR?
The split screen work has been compared to that of De Palma's in his heyday, but I think it actually hearkens back to what Richard Fleischer did with THE BOSTON STRANGLER. The splintered pictures are even more effective than the digital readout in conveying that everywhere, at any time, the clock is running out for somebody, and the suspense of seeing how things will turn out is the greatest pleasure of each episode. But because you have to THINK about the story lines and keep each one in mind along with its relation to the others, may be why I fear it will not last into the end of the next television season. Spoiler Alert The core story is this: Federal agent Jack Bauer (a very excellent Kiefer Sutherland, used well for a change) has 24 hours to thwart an assassination attempt that will be made on the life of Senator David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert, a refugee from the cancelled NOW AND AGAIN, another show too smart and creative for its own good). Palmer is the first Black man who stands a chance of getting THISCLOSE to the White House, and a lot of people don't want to see that happen. The Tom Clancy-ish kicker is that the terrorist group responsible for staging the hit, has a mole inside the agency that Jack works for. To prevent the assassination attempt from being successful, Bauer has to find out who it is.
Not easy when you realize this is "government intelligence" that Jack is dealing with. Even more difficult for him, since he blew the whistle on some corrupt fellow agents, and now at least half of the people he works with consider him lower than dog poop on the bottom of their shoes. From this main story, all the other plot threads are spun, and they range from gripping to bathetically soap-operatic:
*In the midst of all of this, Jack has been struggling to rebuild his relationship with his estranged family, wife Terri (Leslie Hope) and daughter Kim (Elisha Cuthbert). Just as it looks like they might be making some progress, Kim sneaks out and goes partying with a friend, not realizing that the "party dudes" they're with are actually part of the Palmer conspiracy, and the plans they have for the girls, (Terri in particular) are dark indeed. This story splits off into yet TWO other plot threads, as the girls, realizing their situation, try to escape their captors, while Terri Bauer scours the city looking for Kim, aided by the father of Kim's friend (Richard Burgi from UPN's THE SENTINEL.)
*Jack's search for the agency mole is further complicated by his strained relationship with co-worker and ex-lover Nina Myers (Sarah Clarke) and his OTHER co-worker and Nina's current lover, Tony Almeida (Carlos Bernard). Everybody has an agenda that may have nothing to do with the Palmer crisis, making it even more difficult for Jack to find out who the terrorist cell has on the inside. Add to the escalating and shifting evidence and alliances the possibility that one of Jack's high-ranking bosses, George Mason (Xander Berkeley) might be dirty as well.
*Meanwhile, David Palmer's got some considerable issues of his own to sort out, with staying alive both physically and politically at the top of the list. A late night call sends him and his crisis team into overdrive, as he attempts to ride herd on a rumor that may destroy his chance at the Presidency more effectively than a bullet to the heart. A reporter is threatening to print a story about Palmer's son, (Vicellous Shannon), who may have murdered the man responsible for raping his sister a few years ago. Mounting evidence may even prove that the story is true, and if it is, how can Palmer reconcile his ethics and the urge to protect his family with the need to win?
*Meanwhile, Ira Gaines (Michael Massee), the mastermind behind the terrorist cell is not finding all going as smoothly as planned. Skilled expert Mandy (Mia Kirshner) finds herself in more hot water than she's ever had to deal with, when her lesbian lover and partner decides to renege on a crucial piece of information needed by Gaines to advance their plans in exchange for more money. (This situation is swiftly resolved, and it's not pretty.) Then the two slackers hired by Gaines nearly botch Kim's kidnapping, and Gaines also has to resolve this issue in classically drastic fashion. The way things are going, the 'no-honor-among-thieves' rule could very possibly implode the cell before their hired gun ever gets Palmer in his sights...
And so it goes. Somehow writers/creators Robert Cochran and Joel Surnow have managed to take the best and the pulpiest conventions of tales of espionage and intrigue, and integrate them into a show that alternates between maddeningly slow and unbearably gripping. But whatever flaws it may have, it does have the advantage of making you THINK and PAY ATTENTION at all times, even when nothing seems to be happening.
And when you're comparing that to a show where the most pressing issue is whether Muffy will go to bed with Steve and betray her fiancée Josh, I fear that soon enough, 24 may become yet another classic case of great TV that becomes cult TV; a sad reflection of our times, and what now passes for entertainment.
The split screen work has been compared to that of De Palma's in his heyday, but I think it actually hearkens back to what Richard Fleischer did with THE BOSTON STRANGLER. The splintered pictures are even more effective than the digital readout in conveying that everywhere, at any time, the clock is running out for somebody, and the suspense of seeing how things will turn out is the greatest pleasure of each episode. But because you have to THINK about the story lines and keep each one in mind along with its relation to the others, may be why I fear it will not last into the end of the next television season. Spoiler Alert The core story is this: Federal agent Jack Bauer (a very excellent Kiefer Sutherland, used well for a change) has 24 hours to thwart an assassination attempt that will be made on the life of Senator David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert, a refugee from the cancelled NOW AND AGAIN, another show too smart and creative for its own good). Palmer is the first Black man who stands a chance of getting THISCLOSE to the White House, and a lot of people don't want to see that happen. The Tom Clancy-ish kicker is that the terrorist group responsible for staging the hit, has a mole inside the agency that Jack works for. To prevent the assassination attempt from being successful, Bauer has to find out who it is.
Not easy when you realize this is "government intelligence" that Jack is dealing with. Even more difficult for him, since he blew the whistle on some corrupt fellow agents, and now at least half of the people he works with consider him lower than dog poop on the bottom of their shoes. From this main story, all the other plot threads are spun, and they range from gripping to bathetically soap-operatic:
*In the midst of all of this, Jack has been struggling to rebuild his relationship with his estranged family, wife Terri (Leslie Hope) and daughter Kim (Elisha Cuthbert). Just as it looks like they might be making some progress, Kim sneaks out and goes partying with a friend, not realizing that the "party dudes" they're with are actually part of the Palmer conspiracy, and the plans they have for the girls, (Terri in particular) are dark indeed. This story splits off into yet TWO other plot threads, as the girls, realizing their situation, try to escape their captors, while Terri Bauer scours the city looking for Kim, aided by the father of Kim's friend (Richard Burgi from UPN's THE SENTINEL.)
*Jack's search for the agency mole is further complicated by his strained relationship with co-worker and ex-lover Nina Myers (Sarah Clarke) and his OTHER co-worker and Nina's current lover, Tony Almeida (Carlos Bernard). Everybody has an agenda that may have nothing to do with the Palmer crisis, making it even more difficult for Jack to find out who the terrorist cell has on the inside. Add to the escalating and shifting evidence and alliances the possibility that one of Jack's high-ranking bosses, George Mason (Xander Berkeley) might be dirty as well.
*Meanwhile, David Palmer's got some considerable issues of his own to sort out, with staying alive both physically and politically at the top of the list. A late night call sends him and his crisis team into overdrive, as he attempts to ride herd on a rumor that may destroy his chance at the Presidency more effectively than a bullet to the heart. A reporter is threatening to print a story about Palmer's son, (Vicellous Shannon), who may have murdered the man responsible for raping his sister a few years ago. Mounting evidence may even prove that the story is true, and if it is, how can Palmer reconcile his ethics and the urge to protect his family with the need to win?
*Meanwhile, Ira Gaines (Michael Massee), the mastermind behind the terrorist cell is not finding all going as smoothly as planned. Skilled expert Mandy (Mia Kirshner) finds herself in more hot water than she's ever had to deal with, when her lesbian lover and partner decides to renege on a crucial piece of information needed by Gaines to advance their plans in exchange for more money. (This situation is swiftly resolved, and it's not pretty.) Then the two slackers hired by Gaines nearly botch Kim's kidnapping, and Gaines also has to resolve this issue in classically drastic fashion. The way things are going, the 'no-honor-among-thieves' rule could very possibly implode the cell before their hired gun ever gets Palmer in his sights...
And so it goes. Somehow writers/creators Robert Cochran and Joel Surnow have managed to take the best and the pulpiest conventions of tales of espionage and intrigue, and integrate them into a show that alternates between maddeningly slow and unbearably gripping. But whatever flaws it may have, it does have the advantage of making you THINK and PAY ATTENTION at all times, even when nothing seems to be happening.
And when you're comparing that to a show where the most pressing issue is whether Muffy will go to bed with Steve and betray her fiancée Josh, I fear that soon enough, 24 may become yet another classic case of great TV that becomes cult TV; a sad reflection of our times, and what now passes for entertainment.
Seems To Be Going Down The Drain
DigitalPhreaker5 December 2003
Much like the rest of the viewers who watched the amazing first season, the only reason I was drawn in was because of the whole real-time aspect of the show. I was thinking before I began watching it that even if the show did suck itself, at least there'd be some sort of twist. But it was far from being terrible. By the end of the first season in the spring of last year, I was hooked. The finale blew me away and I realized just how great of a show it was. Keifer Sutherland is Jack Bauer, without a doubt. He brought that character off of the pages and made it one we could sympathize with, yet chastise when he did something wrong. And the brilliance behind the show is the fact that it can take any unpredictable turn it wants to, and they can make it work. Even with this third season only a month into it, it's hard to figure out where things are going. They get you going on one problem the presidency and CTU has to face, then they throw a completly shocking new one at you.
However, the show seems to be heading down the predictable path now. I'm not going to be solidifying my feelings on this yet, because it can go anywhere, but with the popularity of it growing, and the producers recieving more money, they seem to be dropping creativity for more action and explosions, which is a sin in my eyes. The first season to me seemed like an excellent movie that was original and well done, but this third season seems to be aiming more at promoting Ford (honestly, there's a Ford in every shot. I know they're providing a lot of money, but it bugs me how the producers try to get one in every shot) and getting more money than making it as gritty and original as the first season.
First Season: A+ (10/10) Second Season: B (8/10) Third Season (So Far): C+ (7/10) They're keeping me interested, but not glued to my television set every Tuesday night.
I only watch two shows every week religiously, and "24" is one of them. If they can't keep it up, I just may only watch one a week.
However, the show seems to be heading down the predictable path now. I'm not going to be solidifying my feelings on this yet, because it can go anywhere, but with the popularity of it growing, and the producers recieving more money, they seem to be dropping creativity for more action and explosions, which is a sin in my eyes. The first season to me seemed like an excellent movie that was original and well done, but this third season seems to be aiming more at promoting Ford (honestly, there's a Ford in every shot. I know they're providing a lot of money, but it bugs me how the producers try to get one in every shot) and getting more money than making it as gritty and original as the first season.
First Season: A+ (10/10) Second Season: B (8/10) Third Season (So Far): C+ (7/10) They're keeping me interested, but not glued to my television set every Tuesday night.
I only watch two shows every week religiously, and "24" is one of them. If they can't keep it up, I just may only watch one a week.
Misses more than it hits.
garydiamond14 January 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Now I've watched all of the first two seasons, half of the third and the first four of the sixth, I figure I should write a short comment.
24 can be a very good show but many of the problems that have been there from the start haven't been resolved. Here are seven of the most irritating.
1) When minor characters are introduced, you wonder when they'll be killed or written out. One notable example is the anthrax scare in either Season Two or Three. The kid who is supposedly carrying the virus and his family take up a lot of screen time while it advances the main plot, but then they are written out and never mentioned again. In the end you don't really care about any minor role, and when minor characters are filling up a significant proportion of the screen time you have a problem.
2) It becomes tiresome to see the incompetence of the CTU team. If they're not having endless trouble with double agents of one kind or another, they're bickering and being insubordinate like children. Even in Season Six they have this problem. Milo and the bald man with the British accent, being broken up from fighting by Chloe. Completely unprofessional especially for a supposed national agency. It's surprising they can get anything done.
3) It seems that too often when Jack Bauer breaks with procedure people go on as normal. Rarely is it mentioned that his unorthodox methods of working could jeopardise everything; the team just goes with it. And it's also very convenient that Jack always knows the president and/or some of the cabinet on informal terms, so they'll give him some leeway.
4) Occasionally I get the feeling that the series is some form of propaganda. The villains always seem to be Serbian, or Iraqi, or from other Middle Eastern territories. Even in Season Six where Bauer starts working with someone of this origin, it is not before we are filled in that he was once a terrorist himself. Also in that season, the character Ahmed is saved by an American man only to betray him later, by taking him and his family hostage. To me this seems to promote the idea that your Middle Eastern neighbours can't be trusted and always feel they are victims of inequality, which is completely unacceptable.
5) The implausibility of everything I can often stomach. But sometimes they just take it too far and the suspension of disbelief is stretched and snapped. I'll use Season Six as an example as it's fresh in my mind. Episode Two is awful. The part where the lawyer deletes personnel files from a computer within a large organisation. Are we to assume that the place has no backup server, or no hard copies kept safe somewhere else in the building? Also from that episode there is a man who attempts to suicide bomb a subway train. And how does he decide to do this? By sitting on the last seat of the final carriage of that train. For maximum collateral damage it would make sense to sit in the middle carriage! Then it turns out he was only sitting there so Jack Bauer could save the day by kicking him through the door, out of the train.
6) The use of set pieces can be annoying. It can appear that when the plot gets too mundane or slow-moving the problem can be solved by throwing in an explosion, collision or death of some kind: that seems to be a de rigueur standard for the show. It helps the audience forget that the plot was snail's pace beforehand.
7) What's going on with the villains? They get captured and then they escape. They often seem incredibly stupid, and without contingency plans of any kind. There are times they could be captured before they commit some atrocity, or destroy some seemingly vital piece of evidence, but this doesn't happen. This leads me to think, from time to time, that the villains are stupid and the CTU team progressively more so.
Those are the negatives that annoy me the most, and probably annoy quite a few other casual viewers. What the show does have in it's favour is an iconic, modern Jame Bond-style hero. A slick and always suspense laden veneer with a heavy overtone of drama (sometimes melodrama, of course). Occasionally the show clicks and the implausibility seems natural like the implausibility of life etc, and the audience is kept guessing and also given a satisfying conclusion, with not too many silly subplots.
I've given the show a low rating because it too often misses the target, like a lot of the bad guys. But when it hits it can hit hard, being thought-provoking and stimulating like all the best art. I just wish it would hit home more often, which it could do if they broke from the concept more and had fewer episodes.
24 can be a very good show but many of the problems that have been there from the start haven't been resolved. Here are seven of the most irritating.
1) When minor characters are introduced, you wonder when they'll be killed or written out. One notable example is the anthrax scare in either Season Two or Three. The kid who is supposedly carrying the virus and his family take up a lot of screen time while it advances the main plot, but then they are written out and never mentioned again. In the end you don't really care about any minor role, and when minor characters are filling up a significant proportion of the screen time you have a problem.
2) It becomes tiresome to see the incompetence of the CTU team. If they're not having endless trouble with double agents of one kind or another, they're bickering and being insubordinate like children. Even in Season Six they have this problem. Milo and the bald man with the British accent, being broken up from fighting by Chloe. Completely unprofessional especially for a supposed national agency. It's surprising they can get anything done.
3) It seems that too often when Jack Bauer breaks with procedure people go on as normal. Rarely is it mentioned that his unorthodox methods of working could jeopardise everything; the team just goes with it. And it's also very convenient that Jack always knows the president and/or some of the cabinet on informal terms, so they'll give him some leeway.
4) Occasionally I get the feeling that the series is some form of propaganda. The villains always seem to be Serbian, or Iraqi, or from other Middle Eastern territories. Even in Season Six where Bauer starts working with someone of this origin, it is not before we are filled in that he was once a terrorist himself. Also in that season, the character Ahmed is saved by an American man only to betray him later, by taking him and his family hostage. To me this seems to promote the idea that your Middle Eastern neighbours can't be trusted and always feel they are victims of inequality, which is completely unacceptable.
5) The implausibility of everything I can often stomach. But sometimes they just take it too far and the suspension of disbelief is stretched and snapped. I'll use Season Six as an example as it's fresh in my mind. Episode Two is awful. The part where the lawyer deletes personnel files from a computer within a large organisation. Are we to assume that the place has no backup server, or no hard copies kept safe somewhere else in the building? Also from that episode there is a man who attempts to suicide bomb a subway train. And how does he decide to do this? By sitting on the last seat of the final carriage of that train. For maximum collateral damage it would make sense to sit in the middle carriage! Then it turns out he was only sitting there so Jack Bauer could save the day by kicking him through the door, out of the train.
6) The use of set pieces can be annoying. It can appear that when the plot gets too mundane or slow-moving the problem can be solved by throwing in an explosion, collision or death of some kind: that seems to be a de rigueur standard for the show. It helps the audience forget that the plot was snail's pace beforehand.
7) What's going on with the villains? They get captured and then they escape. They often seem incredibly stupid, and without contingency plans of any kind. There are times they could be captured before they commit some atrocity, or destroy some seemingly vital piece of evidence, but this doesn't happen. This leads me to think, from time to time, that the villains are stupid and the CTU team progressively more so.
Those are the negatives that annoy me the most, and probably annoy quite a few other casual viewers. What the show does have in it's favour is an iconic, modern Jame Bond-style hero. A slick and always suspense laden veneer with a heavy overtone of drama (sometimes melodrama, of course). Occasionally the show clicks and the implausibility seems natural like the implausibility of life etc, and the audience is kept guessing and also given a satisfying conclusion, with not too many silly subplots.
I've given the show a low rating because it too often misses the target, like a lot of the bad guys. But when it hits it can hit hard, being thought-provoking and stimulating like all the best art. I just wish it would hit home more often, which it could do if they broke from the concept more and had fewer episodes.
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