24 (2001-2014)

Genre: TV / Thriller

Starring: Kiefer Sutherland, Mary Lynn Rajskub

Number of seasons: 9

It took me a long time, but I have finally made it through all of the many episodes of 24 and 24: Live Another Day. Eight seasons of 24 episodes and one season of 12 episodes; it is indeed a lot, but what a thrilling ride the whole thing is.

Every season of 24 is one day in the life of Jack Bauer, a special agent specialized in matters of terrorism. In the beginning, Bauer works for the Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU), but his status will change through the years. Though his situation varies and he often finds himself in trouble, with his people sometimes working against him, he always comes back to the rescue when needed. Every time, he has 24 hours to resolve the case and each episode is an hour shot in real time.

Jack Bauer is simply an amazing character, and Kiefer Sutherland portrays him with panache and realism. This TV land special agent feels real and you cannot help rooting for him to win. He will always be there for the good cause, even to the point of sacrificing himself if need be. His methods are not always approved of by the powers that be, and he often goes against the grain, but he gets results. His track record as far as relationships goes is not perfect, but, when he needs to get down to stopping criminals, he gets the job done.

The supporting cast changes through the years, and Sutherland is the only constant presence through all the episodes. There have been some cool cameos all the way through, Dennis Hopper and James Cromwell being two that comes to mind.

I highly recommend this show. There were some patterns through the years, in the story development department, but the action is so well played-out that we do not care. The pace is fast and we are made to care for what happens to the characters. Some seasons were better than others, but, overall, all of them are really solid. I also appreciated that the terrorists were not all of the same race. There are good and bad people of all colors, and I feel that 24 at least made an effort to show that.

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