I know a lot of people like to talk about The Wire, or Breaking bad as being the greatest TV shows of all time, and that’s fine. I agree.
However, not every show needs to be the GOAT. Sometimes, a show can be pretty damn good, and that’s good enough. Such is the case with 24, which was a huge hit back in the early 2000s. The premise was simple, but amazing. For 24 episodes, Jack Bauer (Played by Kiefer Sutherland, who loved the series) was having the longest day of his life…times 8, since there were 8 seasons…plus two specials in 24: Redemption (which took place in 2 hours), and 24: Live Another Day.
But, while the show may have had some low-lows (Did somebody say something about a cougar?), when it had its high-highs, there was nothing else like it. Here’s why.
Oh, and major spoilers up ahead.
Jack Bauer Is Still One Of The Greatest Heroes/Anti-Heroes Of All Time
In arguably Kiefer Sutherland’s best role, Jack Bauer is one of TV’s greatest characters of all time, and a hero for the ages… right? I mean, he almost always saved the day, despite it totally destroying his personal life, and he made sure to put terrorists in their place.
That said, therein lies the issue, because even though Jack Bauer definitely had his heart in the right place, you often had to wonder whether he was using the most heroic means to get what he needed. Because in case you’ve forgotten, 24 was actually a bit of a controversial show back when it aired, as Jack Bauer often employed torture techniques to gather information.
Oftentimes, it would be very uncomfortable to watch, since we weren’t always sure if the person Bauer was torturing was even a terrorist or not. So, while the CTU often turned a blind eye to what Jack was doing, he would always be the one who pressed down on an open wound, or put a knife to somebody’s eye and threatened to cut it out.
And, I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound very heroic to me. Yes, almost all of the time, Jack Bauer was right, and the person he was threatening turned out to be a terrorist, but while he was threatening them, we didn’t know that for sure.
So, yes, Jack Bauer was a “hero” (or rather, a patriot, because there can be a difference), but at what cost? Well, I think the answer to that question says a lot more about the viewer than it does about Jack Bauer himself.
While It Had Its Missteps, 24 Was Often Peak TV When It Was At Its Best
Though it didn’t make our list of TV cliffhanger finales that drive us crazy, I can tell you that the end of Season 1 drove me absolutely mad when I first saw it. That’s because I did NOT see that death scene coming with Jack Bauer’s wife.
And so, I was just dying to know what was going to happen in Season 2, and had to wait a full year just to find out. It turned out that a lot happened, and a lot kept happening for 8 lopsided seasons. But, the series was at its absolute best in Seasons 2-5, with Season 5 even winning an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series, and a Golden Globe for Best TV Series Drama.
Yes, I know, I know. Season 2, while awesome, did have a bit of a weak moment with Kim being stalked by a cougar, but for the most part, 24 was a glorious show, at least for the first few seasons.
In fact, I’d call 24 peak TV when it was at its best. Unfortunately, like many shows, 24 went on a bit longer than it probably should have, and some of the storylines verged on being utterly ridiculous. Even so, if not for these missteps, I genuinely do think that 24 would be in the conversation as one of the other greatest TV shows of all time. It was honestly that good when it was at its zenith.
The Supporting Characters Were Incredibly Memorable As Well
Everybody remembers Jack Bauer, but I think it’s impossible to think back to 24 and not reminisce over its incredible supporting characters as well. You of course had Dennis Haysbert, who played arguably the best Black president put to screen, but you also had one of the greatest Black villains in history with his wife, Sherry Palmer, played by Penny Johnson Jerald.
You also had the memorable members of CTU, such as Tony Almeida, Bill Buchanan, Chloe O’Brien (Damn it, Chloe!), and Edgar Stiles (Poor, Edgar!), just to name a few.
But, all of these characters were super interesting, especially since you could tell which members of CTU were just Jack’s coworkers, and which were his true friends. Because after the death of his wife, it was clear that Bauer was very guarded in who he shared his heart with.
Which was why the death of or betrayal by a key character was all the more poignant. You knew Jack lost another part of himself whenever that happened. Thus is the power of an incredible supporting character.
Some Of The Twists Are Still Mind-blowing, Even Today
I still can’t, to this very day, believe that they killed off Jack Bauer’s wife at the end of Season 1. A lot of people want to talk about Ned Stark’s, or Glenn Rhee’s deaths on their respective shows, but I don’t think any death has truly rocked me to my very core like the death of Teri Bauer.
Okay, actually, I take that back, because the death of David Palmer truly left me shaken more than any other death in any other series.
No, wait, I take that back, because there was nothing sadder than watching poor Edgar dying on the floor due to nerve gas poisoning, all while his friends and coworkers watched him die.
Because I’ll tell you. Even though people love to proclaim that Game of Thrones had the best twists and turns, I honestly have to give that title to 24, which almost always surprised me (for better, and sometimes for worse), week after week, year after year. There really was no show more shocking than 24 back when it was in its prime. No show at all.
Lastly, It Feels Like A True Time Capsule To An Era
Finally, 24 feels like a true time capsule of the early 2000s. The show debuted back in 2002 during the Bush Administration, and it shows. Back then, due to 9/11, everybody was on high alert for terrorism.
This was a show that seemed to tackle topical issues, IN REAL TIME (which is only fitting, given how much time was always a factor in the show), and it made the series feel not only engaging, but vital.
This is a show that posed the question of whether torture can ever be justified, and put a big question mark behind the word “patriotism.” It was a show that had a respectable Black president before Barack Obama’s time in the White House, and displayed how corruption can slip into any field, even counter-terrorism.
24 is a show that feels like it was written with lightning, and while it kind of feels dated today, I don’t think there’s any other show that represents the 2000s more than 24. It just perfectly encapsulated that time period.
And, that’s the list. But, what do you think? Do you also look back fondly upon 24? For news on more modern TV shows, be sure to swing by here often!
