Fox’s cult series 24 was one of the most ridiculous television shows ever made. It was also one of the most exciting.
The adventures of counter-terrorism agent Jack Bauer (Keifer Sutherland) – surely the world’s unluckiest man – unfolded in real time, with each episode filling in a full hour of his day.
Jack Bauer tortured his own brother, used household appliances to electrocute a terror suspect, staged the execution of a child and even shot a man’s wife to get information.
On any given day, he would disarm suitcase nukes and presidential assassins.
The orders of superior officers at the Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) didn’t deter him. The rule of law and even the threat of death did not diminish Bauer’s iron will to defend America.
In one story arc, Bauer, retired from counterterrorism and still grieving the loss of his wife, was brought back into the CTU by a personal phone call from the president.
Based on information obtained through torture under the rules of rendition in South Korea, the commander-in-chief begged the old soldier to save Los Angeles from an imminent threat.
Within an hour, Bauer had suited up, shot a witness, demeaned his boss’s unwillingness to “get his hands dirty”, and just before a commercial break, grabbed a dead man’s fleshy neck and announced, “I’m gonna need a hacksaw.”
Using the severed head to infiltrate a domestic right-wing terror group, he participated in the deaths of 30 coworkers and shot a half-dozen bad guys (and their pitbull) to obtain information about an impending nuclear attack. All this before lunch.
Tough, unflinching and sometimes heartbreaking, it was relentless viewing.
24 initially ran for eight seasons, returning with a ninth outing – Live Another Day – in 2014.
Despite the later seasons not receiving as much critical acclaim as the earlier ones, the series was always notable for introducing memorable supporting characters ranging from their presidents (including Palmer, Logan and Taylor) to CTU directors (including George Mason, Bill Buchanan and Brian Hastings).
Sutherland’s career was revitalised, and who didn’t love Mary Lynn Rajskub’s adorable tech-whizz, Chloe?
Jack Bauer
Kiefer Sutherland Chloe O’Brian
Mary Lynn Rajskub Tony Almeida
Carlos Bernard Michelle Dessler
Reiko Aylesworth Aaron Pierce
Glenn Morshower Bill Buchanan
James Morrison Edgar Stiles
Louis Lombardi President David Palmer
Dennis Haysbert Sherry Palmer
Penny Johnson Jerald Charles Logan
Gregory Itzin Martha Logan
Jean Smart Allison Taylor
Cherry Jones Olivia Taylor
Sprague Grayden Kim Bauer
Elisha Cuthbert Teri Bauer
Leslie Hope Audrey Raines
Kim Raver Nina Myers
Sarah Clarke Curtis Manning
Roger Cross Renee Walker
Annie Wersching
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The adventures of counter-terrorism agent Jack Bauer (Keifer Sutherland) – surely the world’s unluckiest man – unfolded in real time, with each episode filling in a full hour of his day.
In one story arc, Bauer, retired from counterterrorism and still grieving the loss of his wife, was brought back into the CTU by a personal phone call from the president.
Tough, unflinching and sometimes heartbreaking, it was relentless viewing.
