Flashback Friday – 24
Are your fave shows on hiatus? Do you have nothing to watch? Well we are here to help!! Every Friday we will give you a recommendation of a show that finished that you should watch! This week we are covering 24!
What is 24?
24 was an American television series produced by Fox. Each season, comprises of 24 episodes, which cover 24 hours of Counter-terrorist agent Jack Bauer’s life using a real time. It premiered on November 6th 2001, in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. 24 had viewers gripped, as Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) bought a sense of urgency never seen before on television.
The series, while controversial at times, found great success during its eight-season run. The series began to run out of steam though by Season 6 in 2007, and even skipped production for a year (there was a 2-hour TV movie in 2008), before returning for two final seasons in 2009 and 2010. And while Sutherland and company attempted a comeback in 2014 with 24: Live Another Day – which sported a different format where the 24-hour frame was squeezed into 12 episodes – it appeared time had finally run out on the series. FOX made one more attempt at the format in 2016 with 24: Legacy, which featured Corey Hawkins taking over the CTU agent role, but the series was cancelled after one season. FOX have also just announced they are going to have another go at resurrecting the series, possibly with a female lead.
What’s it about?
24 begins with Jack Bauer working for the Los Angeles Counter Terrorist Unit, where he is a proficient agent with an “ends justify the means” approach. Throughout the series most of the main plot elements unfold like a political thriller. A typical plot has Bauer racing against the clock as he attempts to thwart multiple terrorist plots, including presidential assassination attempts, weapons of mass destruction detonations, bioterrorism, cyber-attacks, as well as conspiracies that deal with government and corporate corruption.
Each episode typically follows Bauer, officials in the U.S. government, and the conspirators behind the events of the day, often simultaneously. 24 is known for employing plot twists which may arise as antagonists adapt, objectives evolve or larger-scale operations unfold. Stories also involve interpersonal drama, delving into the private lives of the characters. As part of a recurring theme, characters were frequently confronted with ethical dilemmas. Examples of this were a bombing in Season 2, which could only be prevented by blowing Bauer’s cover. Then an ultimatum in Season 3, where a terrorist agrees not to carry out an attack if a high-ranking CTU official is killed. Season 4 is also notable for a scene in which two men — one of whom possesses crucial information — are dying in a room with only one surgeon.
Its Full of Famous Faces
The series was also chocked full of faces you will recognize from TV, including:
D.B. Woodside – Buffy, Lucifer
Kim Raver – Greys Anatomy, Designated Survivor
Lana Parrilla – Once Upon a Time
Annie Wersching – Timeless, Runaways
Katee Sackoff – Battlestar Galactica
Freddie Prinze Jr. – She’s All That, Robot Chicken
Paul Wesley – The Vampire Diaries
To name but a few!!
Watch 24 and let us know what you think!!!
