8 Reasons ‘24′ Has Jumped the Shark
by Ben ShapiroI used to count myself among the biggest fans of 24. A friend recommended 24 during Season 2, and I went back and rented Season 1. It was addictive, fast-paced, genuinely adrenaline-pumping. The first half of Season 2 was almost as good. Season 3 was similarly excellent, and while Season 4 dropped off in quality a bit, it still kept the blood moving. The much-derided Season 5 was more than half decent, despite its Nixonian tinge. Season 6, of course, was a full scale disaster.
Ben Shapiro and Kiefer Sutherland
But I was hopeful that Season 7 would provide redemption. Tony Almeida was back. Sure, it was Joey Tribiani-esque soap opera reappearance, but Tony was Tony and I was happy to see him, even if they wheeled him in Bernie-style. Jack Bauer was back to his old ways, making impossible shots with a handgun while shouting brilliantisms like “Dammit!” and “We’re running out of time!” The Palmer family was gone, once and for all. So was the Bauer family, from James Cromwell’s insipid dad to Elisha Cuthbert’s horrifyingly dull daughter. Jon Voight would pop in. It was a recipe for a good time.
Well, not so much. I’m not going to pass judgment on the entire season just yet – I owe Jack and Tony that much. But I can say with complete certainty that so far this season, 24 isn’t just jumping the shark, it’s leaping the shark with a rocket-powered pogo stick. I offer the following compendium of complaints in an effort to steer the show in a better direction in future seasons:
1. President Allison Taylor. It was difficult to take a step down from Wayne Palmer, but somehow President Taylor manages to do it. Repeating over and over that you won’t negotiate with terrorists – and retaining advisors who keep telling you to do it – is boring. No, boring isn’t right. Drool-cup, soporific, double dose valium boring. Honestly, I found David Palmer boring as well. He never made a single tough decision in all his time as president. The best president on 24 was Keeler, and he was knocked off after a few episodes to make way for President Nixon-Lookalike. Can we have a president who isn’t either Nixon (Logan — pure evil) or Obama (Palmer – pure purity) or Hillary (Taylor — pure gumption)? How about a Clinton type (pure STDs)? Or a Bush type (sometimes makes mistakes, but does the right thing)? Or even a Carter type (surrender first)?
2. Sangala. No one has ever heard of this country, but Taylor’s spending all this time deciding whether to invade it. Can we start talking about real countries, please? Call this one Sudan, and at least you can get a good debate going. Or how about Iran, or Syria? There’s no apparent reason for this invasion of Sangala. It’s like Yugoslavia – which liberals think was the most moral war of all time, since it accomplished nothing that could remotely be said to redound to America’s benefit – except that it’s got a lot of cute African kids. It is, therefore, boring. As long as we’re invading random made-up countries, why don’t the writers just have Taylor embrace a full-scale invasion of Neverland to depose that dastardly Hook fellow?
3. First Gentleman Taylor. Allison Taylor is a whiny good-for-nothing, who so far this season has done nothing except ream out her advisors. And she’s the better half. Her husband is a pusillanimous little weasel of a fellow who goes around bullying his son’s ex-girlfriend and stupidly relying on the most transparent villain ever, Secret Service Agent GQ. The nice thing for First Gentleman Taylor is that Agent GQ is even dumber than Taylor is. Instead of just killing the ex-girlfriend and then shooting Taylor in the head at close range, he decides that the best way to fake a suicide is to hang Taylor from a lofty balcony. Naturally, he leaves himself wide open to First Gentleman Taylor, who suddenly becomes Ray Lewis and tackles Agent GQ over the balcony, killing him. This is about as convincing a set-up as Rosie O’Donnell playing a woman in A League of Their Own.
4. Janeane Garofalo. You knew I had to go here. I don’t mind Garofalo as an actress. I don’t even mind her idiotic attempts at political commentary – it’s actually rather amusing. To paraphrase Shaw, Garofalo’s preaching is like a dog walking on its hind legs; it is not done well, but you are surprised to find it done at all. What I do mind is her character, who is a Chloe-lite annoying bundle of neurosis. One Chloe per show is enough. And her bitchy slap-fight with Greasy-Looking Computer Guy Having an Affair With Blonde Computer Lady ain’t Edgar vs. Chloe. Make her the mole, and we can sleep happily tonight. Make her a likeable employee who takes one for the team (RIP Edgar) and we’ll be bored. Let her survive, and we’ll be weeping.
5. Tony Almeida. Sorry, Tony. I’m glad Tony’s alive. I really am. But they should give him something to do so that we can sense that he’s alive. He hasn’t gone off on anybody yet, which is ridiculous – after spending several years going after the American government for getting his wife killed, he’s certainly taking this whole “save the government” thing pretty well. I have hope that this will change, and that we will see Psycho Killer Tony some time in the future. If the little kickboxing match he had with Jack in the first couple of episodes was the extent of his comeback, they should have left him wandering around in 24 purgatory.
6. The Techniques. Stop setting up perimeters. Just stop it. They don’t work. Stop trying to track calls. It never works. You have a better shot at asking the villain politely where he is. Stop preventing Jack from beating up suspects. That always works, and you keep intervening. Dammit, we’re running out of patience!
7. The Writers. Okay, seriously guys, it’s time to trash your storyboard and come up with a new one. I can summarize your pattern every season. It’s the most predictable pattern on TV, outside of House (seizure, House bitches, makes a snide sexual reference, theory, failure, House bitches, makes an atheist reference, theory, failure, Cuddy and House fight, correct theory, House has snarky sign off). Here’s the underlying pattern to every season of 24: (1) Second-Tier Villain (STV) threatens attack. He is secretly working for someone else, the shadowy First-Tier Villain (FTV). Usually, the STV is of minority persuasion, and the FTV is a white corporate/political mastermind. (2) Jack prevents the attack, recognizes there is a mole in law enforcement. (3) STV threatens president’s family, President hesitates. (4) Jack tracks down STV, kills him, tries to find mole, fails, but finds a clue leading him to the “shocking” identity of FTV. (5) FTV activates “Plan B.” (6) Somebody we like dies (see George Mason, Edgar, Curtis). (7) Jack gets pissed, tracks down FTV, kills him, but does something bad in the process to tick somebody off, or leaves the Biggest Mastermind intact, who still wants to kill Jack in revenge. (8) Jack runs away and/or is depressed. Come on, now. Variety is the spice of entertainment. You have to stop writing the scripts as though you’re filling in a mad lib.
8. The Villains. Dubaku is right out of central casting, the kind of guy who kills kids for breakfast and then blows up planes for dessert. How about a villain with a complex motivation and/or personality rather than some evil dude who stands around and scowls? The best TV and movie villains either (a) are brilliant and/or have a sense of humor (Gene Hackman’s Lex Luthor, Alan Rickman’s Hans Gruber, Lost’s Ben Linus) or (b) have a motivation that is backed by an interestingly evil philosophy or a serious mental defect, or both (Heath Ledger’s Joker, Emperor Palpatine, Peter Lorre’s Hans Beckert, Angela Lansbury’s Mrs. Iselin). 24’s villains have typically been stock terrorists of all colors, and/or greedy scumsuckers of the upper crust. That’s fine, but there’s a way to make that compelling. 24 hasn’t done it.
I’m interested to hear what other people believe is going wrong with 24. Has it just played out its string?
I still hold out hope. If Jack can come back from the dead not once, but twice, there’s no reason the writers can’t resurrect the show. But they’d better hurry. We’re running out of time.
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86 Comments
I lost interest in the latest series after the first episode. First, they brought on this President Allison Taylor character – Jimmy Carter in a pantsuit – and her husband – Senator Charlie Schumer without the “snark”. Then, they brought on Janeane Garofalo as an FBI computer analyst; I found that more than a little hard to swallow (sort of like Alec Baldwin playing the heroic CIA agent in “The Hunt for Red October”). But when they brought back the brooding Tony Almeida as one of the bad guys who had a device that could magically breach all manner of computer security networks (such as air traffic control networks and nuclear power plant controls), I turned off my TV.
I love 24. It is kind of funny how this season’s villain is a poorly named African country, while in reality our biggest threats are from Islamic fundamentalist countries or groups.
Seeing as there’s no more CTU anyway, why limit your storylines to stopping terrorists? Speaking of Hans Gruber–they’ve freed themselves up to have Jack do a “Die Hard” save-the-day…if its different you want.
Ok … I see the points you make, but I still love the show! Maybe it is the campness of it, or maybe it is the comfort of being able to just know what is to come? I don’t know for sure but I love the show and I love Jack.
I would love to see Janeane Garofalo’s character be the mole. That would be greatness. I would also love to see a Chloe/Janice showdown. I think we all know who would walk away the victor.
How about an episode with Israeli terrorists making false flag attacks on the US AS THEY HAVE DONE SEVERAL TIMES IN THE PAST and gotten caught doing so. They have already threatened to do it again with their “Iran is gonna nuke the east coast on a ship” That makes no sense since Iran would have nothing to gain BUT ISRAEL WOULD.
I am still waiting to see where this season is going before I make a decision…season 6 was subpar, although still better than the majority of network tv. I would hate to see such a great show go down in flames…please keep it good!
After they nuked California, where could the show go from there? Crack In The World? Dr. Strangelove? Deep Impact? I do thank 24 for bringing us Chloe, the best pouting actress since Teri Garr.
Personally, I am enjoying this season. Not as much as the earlier ones, but still enjoying it.
I think Sangala is supposed to parallel Sudan/Darfur in real life. However, there is a country in Africa named Senegal that is predominately Muslim. It took me a minute to realize they weren’t referring to Senegal on the show.
Agree with most of your analysis-
Clearly the writers would have served all concerned by being locked in a room and forced to watch Seasons 1 and 2.
I think the problem now resides simply within the evolving nature of the attention span of the consumer. We easily tire of the adoption of the predictable formula that spawned early success- and we want more of the elements that captured our attention in the first place; but we want it and have come to expect it to be delivered in surprising ways –
There are dozens of ways to enjoy watching the evolution of Jack Bauer and the intricacies of defending America- but neutering both in the interest of political correctness will unceremoniously jettison this once riveting series to the trash heap of tv mediocrity.
I am trying not to over-analyze this season of 24, so I can enjoy it. I think part of the problem is we have seen 6 seasons and the concept and plots are not new anymore.
Art seems to be imitating life here. New season–new President. New cast– new cabinet. New terrorist threats– new terrorist threats. Seems like 24 is just following the same old recipe that our gov’t seems to be following. Does no one learn from history anymore? Maybe we should have the writers sit through a marathon of the last 6 seasons and have the new Presidential cabinet look back at the last 6 presidencies. I think they would both see what mistakes seem to be repeating over and over again. I just hope Jack Bauer crosses over into our world to ’set a perimeter’ because ‘we Are running out of time’. ‘Dammit.’
I have to admit, I like this season a lot more than I liked season 6. I really like the chemistry between Jack and Renee (the FBI agent)…BIG improvement over Audrey (which is another reason this season is better…NO AUDREY!). For me, Garafalo is the big downer of this season; she’s a Chloe try-to-be and doesn’t come close. I’m hoping to see Chloe cyber kick her ass. I’d also like to see Tony do more, which may be forthcoming (I hope!).
Is it just me or does Dubaku sound exactly like the guy in the 7Up commercials of the 70s?
When jeanene Godawful showed up on West Wing you knew the show was running aground. Same here. The automatic weapons duels and explosions are over the top to the point of been here done dat. Nonsense plots and poor writing means I won’t make a point of tuning in. But I will be watching The Unit, this season is already a page turner.
If I had never seen the show before I probably would love season seven. But the formula has grown tired. There is nothing left that they can shock us with. For us oldtimers the show has run its course.
Good catch on the Dr. Johnson vs. Shaw. You’re absolutely right.
I’d say that President Palmer giving Bauer permission to kill his own boss in cold blood (in order to save thousands of lives) would qualify as a decisive action. Really, the only people who complain about 24 are the folks who can’t stop raving about how great “Lost” is; fine, you like a combobulated storyline and nonsensical banter wrapped around how-can-we-stretch-this-out scripts. Well, bully for you. I, for one, still remember when the show was pretending to be based on an island with dinosaurs. If you stayed after that debacle, then I can’t say I can respect your sense of drama and writing for action/thrillers. 24’s great.
Love Jack; hate the show.
KOOP, STEVEBROOKLINEMA,
Ditto on both posts!
Audrey and Janeane in a cage match! Winner faces Chloe!
I couldn’t tell… was that a silent clock at the end of your post?
24 has always had problems. Have you forgotten Chloe, the mountain lion and survivalist Kevin Dillon in an underground bunker in the woods? But even with its problems it is still better than most of what is on TV, and I still think Jack has a chance to break out again. I’m willing to keep watching and let it play out.
I am glad they got the show out of LA. I live there, and honestly, there is nothing here worth all the trouble of blowing up.
The biggest improvement this year is lil’ Jackie Bauer, the gorgeous FBI agent who really wants to be like Jack. She’s already tortured that guy in the hospital bed and was ready to let Jack off the chain on another suspect.
It could be a good transition, Keifer probably is tired of the show and they could make her the star next season. Did I mention she’s gorgeous?
This season is sooooo much better than last season. I’m not sure why people are bashing it, all those reasons seem pretty lammmmeeee to me. Cursory, especially so early in the season.
Last season started so awesomely but then it disappeared into crap ville. Give it a chance. Sheesh
I loved the first episode this year…. Jack gets hauled before a Senate committee investigating government torture by CTU. This scene made some nice political points about the silliness going on in DC right now. The real-life CIA guys who waterboarded the 9/11 Al Qaida planners were probably taking notes when Jack Bauer wearily dismissed the prissy Senator who was trying to score political points by getting Jack to admit he’d tortured the bad guys merely to save American lives. Then prigs in the justice department start investigating the FBI agent who is working with Bauer. The action is predictable…..but the politics still go beyond the usual PC straitjacket. Go Jack.
One of my biggest complaints about the show is the utter lack of humor. The CTU team work together in close quarters under enormous pressure, and nobody has a sense of humor about the job, nor engages in playful banter with colleagues? C’mon…
This is one of gthe htings I liked so much about Homicide, and what makes House work, despite the monotonous formula.
24 at it’s worst is better than 96% of all television shows.
PLEASE don’t let this great site become like Huff Post where people mock and criticize simply to mock and criticize.
There’s a lot of valuable stuff on this site. Let’s avoid whiney overanalyzing. The Lefties have that sewn up anyway.
Ben’s numbered storyline steps (under the Writers paragraph) were way more exciting than ANY thriller/drama on TV.
More steps please, Ben.
From the start, I always considered the show to be too calculated, and really kind of rope-a-dope on conservatives by the liberals who concocted the show. Kind of like, “we know how you lowbrows think, here’s some wish-fulfillment about killing terrorists after torturing them, go knock yourselves out while we take it to the bank.”
I have cringed while all the conservative hosts praised the show to the high heavens, knowing that liberals were all going “see what flaming a-holes they are?”
I won’t take part in this sham, knowing who’s behind it all.
my comment was unacceptable? wow.
My mistake. sorry. there must have been a delay.
As much as I love 24, I think maybe it has overstayed its welcome. Who gives a rat’s ass about the fictional Sangala? Perhaps, they should just end the series and make a movie every couple of years or so. Keep Jack, Tony, Bill, and Chloe, but, for the love of God, please get rid of Garofalo. Bring back Aaron, too.
I don’t think it’s time to write “24″ off by any means. So far it has been a mixed bag. Some elements have been disappointing, but overall, Season 7 has been as thought-provoking as any to date.
Addressing some of your specific criticisms:
#1: I’ve found President Taylor to be one of the most satisfying new characters this season. Her profound sense of isolation at being forced into making an impossible decision, plus the presence of a shadow government that is undermining her activities, are brilliantly subtle commentary on the considerable challenges with which George W. Bush was confronted throughout his presidency.
#4: No argument whatsoever. Garofalo’s presence is a constant reminder of everything that sucked about last season. Every scene she appears in is cringe-worthy.
#7: Again, spot on. What was fresh and new in the early seasons has become like worn-out brakes on the car that howl every time you touch the pedal. PLEASE… throw out the old plot manual and get a new one.
#8: The prequel movie last November gave some good insight into Dubaku, including his attempted coup in Sangala and his bitterness over the killing of his brother. It would definitely be nice to see some of this history played out in a way that makes him more than a one-dimensional caricature.
Finally, notably absent from your review is any mention of Renee Walker, who is relatively enjoyable to look at but possesses the personality of a department-store mannequin, delivers her dialogue with the subtlety of an AK-47, and whose implied romantic tension with Jack is laughably implausible. So far this character is a case of wasted potential. My fingers are crossed that she becomes the victim of a dirty nuke some time around 6pm.
How about an episode where Jack goes back in time and tortures the Israeli agents that were arrested while filming the WTC collapse and jumping for joy? Then he can track down the traitor inside the FBI that told them to let them go after the FBI arrested them. Bring some more factual events into the show.
I’m over Jack and 24….he’s been infiltrated by Democrats….
Hell, look at that picture above he’s not even aiming his gun….
he needs to trade in his expired “CommonSense” approach that he had for some Birkenstocks and a Prius….
Hope and Change (verp)
CommonSense – February 6th, 2009 at 10:48 am
“”ell, look at that picture above he’s not even aiming his gun….
Actually, all the obligatory and overly posed shots of him waving a gun around makes me cringe. What anderbilt said above rings true.
Zapp called me from Canada. He wants you to lighten up on Bauer. Give him a break and I’ll send you a signed photo.
lar
To the point of a rope a dope – I have no addition
As a Conservative gun owner I only observed that he should aim in lieu of randomly blasting – don’t want the libs to acuse him of friendly fire incidents…
And yes, I know the show is make believe – LOL!
Whatever happened to Kojak? Or at a minimum Lee Marvin “circa Dirty Dozen/Big Red 1″ They could teach a few lessons to these modern day terrorists….
How about real life Liberal Kiefer Sutherland making $$$ off being renegade anti-liberal Jack Bauer? He must laugh at us everyday.
I wish Jack would have to disappear and re-emerge with extensive plastic surgery and be played by a real conservative actor.
Just give us Chloe (hottest geek chick in history) pulling off her usual dramatic techno wizardry with a chance for her to kick the bad guys ass and doing it with her deadeye frown and the aplomb that is her style . . .
BTW, the current President character reminds me of Obama, all talk and no action.
I still like the show. It’s always required a suspension of disbelief. What makes 24 great for me are the characters, and I find this season’s new additions welcome. Why should we complain about Janine Garafalo’s political views? I think it’s kinda cool she’s on the show. Maybe some lefties will actually watch it because of her being on it and have their minds opened to the difficulty of treating terrorism simply as a matter for law enforcement. Heck, maybe Garafalo will have some second thoughts about her diehard pacifism! That scene where she was coaching the chemical plant manager — even though it was implausible that she would know so much about chemical plants, I found it compelling. Here was a guy from the “heartland” of America, using totally un-PC talk (repeatedly calling her “honey”) and yet she was profoundedly touched by his sacrifice, and in the end, she won respect for him, and perhaps the demographic he represents.
I think that’s what 24 is all about. It’s always had elements of conservative and liberal thought, and transcends politics. It’s characters are always flawed people. But there is usually a transformation that takes place. People see another point of view by the end of the “day.”
I have been intrigued by the development of Renee’s character. You can see that she is torn between the FBI “by the book” approach — and her instincts about the real need for aggressive interrogation to save lives. Her boss and Jack represent the Ego and the Id in all of us. Ha!
Same goes for President Taylor. She is idealistic about protecting millions of Sangalans, but is torn by her duty to protect Americans first. This conflict illustrates a recurring challenge in our foreign policy: do we pursue only our own best interests, or save the world?
Maybe I find deeper meaning in 24 because I have been on both sides of the political spectrum, and I can see that life is always a balancing act. I find the ongoing dilemmas in 24 quite appealing.
I do not care about the plot any more. As long as they keep that smokin hot red head agent around I am in. Shallow and lovin it!! And by the way, Chloe actually looks hot with the brown hair but Bill needs to stoip the Queer Eye look. 24 rocks!!
The Unit is a better show because of David Mamet’s influence. I think he’s using it to voice his position now that he’s persona non grata after his Village Voice “Why I’m No Longer A Braindead Liberal” piece that transformed him instantly from the Left’s darling braindead liberal to a blacklisted target of abuse. The show’s on Sunday night to kill it.
The Unit is also technically more accurate, as it relies on actual military hardware, comm gear and equipment limitations. Not to mention it shows ops going horribly wrong because s**t happens.
24 is fun to watch but is simply too hard to swallow sometimes: instant access to online schematics of every building in the country down to individual control valves whose operation and sequencing is understandable by a puffy-lipped Janine Garafalo is a real howler.
I’m also tiring of the conspiracy inside the Secret Service and how easy it appears to be to get to the “First Gentleman.” A larger question is: how did a backwater African nation so screwed up they don’t know who even runs the country generate such devoted treason in the Secret Service?
And why has the idiot daughter of Jack Bauer been morphed into the idiot husband of the president?
I also agree that the existence of a single super-device that can take over the air traffic control system and steer airplanes into each other in one minute, then override safety valve systems in the next is just too much. Government systems simply aren’t that smart or up to date.
But I still watch because we want a man like Jack Bauer (or The Unit’s Snake Doctor Blane, or Die Hard’s John McClane or Dirty Harry or any given John Wayne character) to exist.
“We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.” – Winston Churchill
As bad as “24″ has gotten, it’s not nearly as mind-numbingly insipid and stupid as “Heroes.” Nor has it quite fallen to the ultra-liberal depths of “ER” where, if I’m not mistaken, I half-watched William H. Macy administering death to an Alzheimer’s addled Ron Howard’s dad! The other half of my viewing was concentrated on the Utah Jazz destroying the hated Mark Cuban’s Dallas Mavericks. Maybe somebody could verify my “ER” impressions–that is if anybody really watches anymore.
Yes 24 had a baseline script that is followed every season with incompetent and evil government officials.
Yes Jack is the most incredible man with a hand gun at ridiculous ranges.
Yes there’s a mole in law enforcement.
Yes characters I like are killed off.
This is why I’ve like 24 since Day 1 and through the current Day.
Why would any past viewer be surprised?
One thing that I really like about this season which is a new concept is the notion that CTU has been shut down yet the President is fixing to find out why that was a “Bad” idea. Does anyone see the relation between the closing of CTU and the closing of Guantanamo Bay’s Prison Camp? DAMMIT people, there is great potential for this show and the timing couldn’t be better. I hope President Obama and/or Rahm Emanuel are closet viewers of the show. DAMMIT!
Someone here just said they wish Jack would need extensive plastic surgery and return as a conservative actor instead of Keiffer. Agreed.
I WOULD watch the show if a Gary Sinese or someone like that was the lead.
I have been a 24 fan since the beginning and I still enjoy it (even with the lib leaning and the “you got to be kidding me” moments). Monday night is 24 and Tuesday night is NCIS for me. The rest of shows are a hit or miss for me (it’s not like there is much on the boob tube). I like that the President is sticking by her guns (so to speak) on not backing down even her advisors are pushing for her too! I’m a huge Kiefer fan and I get a big kick out of the Cloe character, so I will be a fan till next year which it has been reported as the last year.
OMG – I just read “MIKE D’VIRGILIO” comment “I just can’t quit Jack!” and I about fell out of my chair laughing. ME TOO! My wife complains about my loyalty to this show and chides me about wanting to join Jack on Brokeback Mountain, LOL! Honestly, I don’t crave Jack that much, but there is nothing that gets in the way of 24. It doesn’t matter that I’m DVRing it, I still much watch it live and I watch every episode a second time, because the action is sooo fast that I will invariably miss something I didn’t catch with the first viewing. Additionally, it’s the one show – THE ONE SHOW – that my wife allows me to crank the volume on my TV to ridiculous levels. I do turn down the volume for the commercials, but not too much because I want to hear the clock ticking. Mike you hit the nail on the head. I JUST CAN’T QUIT JACK!
I like Gary Sinese too and I’m a conservative, but as a person who appreciates the Fine Arts, I don’t let an actor’s politics get in the way of enjoying their craft. Sure Kiefer is a Canadian Lib as was his Dad, but both men are excellent actors. Kiefer’s performance as Lieutenant Kendrick in A Few Good Men was as riveting to me as Nicholson’s Colonel Jessup. If Kiefer ran for office in my home state he wouldn’t earn my vote, but if I had an Emmy ballot to cast he wins hands down for Best Drama every day of the week and Twice on Mondays “and God was watchin.”
24 is the best show on TV and has been since its start. I love that Tony’s back and only wish that the character of Michelle — the most butt-kickingest chick ever — was back, too. I can’t stand Garofalo, so it’s tough for me to accept her as anything but a creep. But still, I’m in a great mood all day Monday just in anticipation of seeing Jack at 9 pm.
Joe, I agree on Sutherland in “A Few Good Men,” but the part he played in that film was radically different than Jack Bauer, as was the point of the film very different than the vicarious enjoyment people get from “24.”
I need to like the people I get vicarious thrills from.
Yes on flaws but still one of the few worth watching. BTW, that’s Samuel Johnson you’re paraphrasing, not GBS.
i like it. every year is different. i agree with some of your assessments, but still think it’s some of the most exciting tv on these days. sheesh. so much junk.
A lot of conservatives will decry it as moral relativism, but make Jack the villain. Or, if you don’t want him to be the “villain” villain, put him in a foreign country and have him break their laws. Maybe the EU has been done with Bourne, but why not stick Jack as a terror consultant to the South Korean government with a North Korean plot to nuke Seoul as the first step to a mass invasion? NK spies are all over. Maybe the SK gov’t has some new Sunshine policy and wants to use diplomacy, but Jack just wants to find the bomb and starts kicking ass. Then SK asks the U.S. to help them bring Jack to justice, and they agree. Jack’s got U.S., ROK, and DPRK on his ass, and he’s running around with a Korean agent also following his gut instincts. Then bring the Japanese in as a backer for Jack, and throw in nationlistic tensions between the Korean & Japanese characters. Also provides a good excuse for lots and lots of gadgets. You’ve also got the potential to bring in the Russians and Chinese at any time. Plot twists galore. Maybe the Chinese are having their own tensions between hardliners and reformers. And why does it have to have a happy ending? Maybe Jack saves the day by entering North Korea and triggers a international military confrontation. The show ends with the start of a limited naval engagement between China and the U.S. in the Sea of Japan. tick-tick-tick-see you next year.
This is why they will never erect a statue of Ben. They never put up statues of critics. Create something Ben otherwise you do not exist.
A regular series rarely makes it past the 5th season still giving us a thrill like the previous ones. The Shield was starting to get a little “routine” but went out with a bang before it started to smell. The Sopranos really stunk up the place. Mainly I am talking about drama, a good comedy is a little easier to keep going. Seinfeld had a pretty good quality run and The Office seems to keep getting better. I still like 24 but not nearly as much as the previous seasons. When they kept killing regular players, I didn’t really know what to expect next. Now the “mad lib” formula is getting to easy to predict. Just by this formula, actor Bob Gunton is the mole. He screamed “Call back the troops!” once too many.
Reasonsjester – February 6th, 2009 at 9:44 am
…. hand-wringing over invading some imaginary country that was making me hungry (Marsala, Sangria, Shangri-la?)
That is the funniest thing I have read this year. I was tearing up for five minutes.
I find it a little sad that you people are so easily hoodwinked into welcoming and even cheering for a band of henchmen like “The Unit.” Meanwhile you furrow your brow in mock concern, though you really have no inkling about it, Saddam’s sons in Iraq and gossip you heard they were somehow “bad” (brought to you by the same people who said we were attacked in the Gulf of Tonkin.)
This nation was built on rule of law and what you are embracing is in direct opposition to that.
I almost forgot. The horrible Gene Roddenberry acolyte Brannon Braga (yes, one of the people responsible for the slow-hacking-cough death of Star Trek) is writing most of the “24″ episodes.
Mr. Shapiro, it’s hard to disagree with, let alone debate your points. In the end, however, that doesn’t matter to me. I still enjoy the show very much and can’t wait for the upcoming episode Monday night.
About the Sengala thing, I find it interesting how the writers show a President who is willing to go into another country simply because of a genocide. We went into Iraq because of the threat of WMDs; we didn’t go into either Rwanda or Sudan because of the genocides there. And yet, these writers project the idea of going into this fictional country because of genocide as a good thing. I find it interesting because of the seeming lack of logic here considering the arguments given in the past.
By the way, phreshone, here’s another solution: The Beast on A&E, also Thursday at 10PM.
AlexaShrugged – February 6th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
“Also, I like the fact that the villain is just pure evil. It makes it more true-to-life, this is what the dictators in Africa and terrorists are like. No need to search for the “Why do they hate us?””
LOL! Yeah, network television entertainment shows are very complex compared to the real world, right?
The CIA (real organization, not some silly made up show) places importance on why we are creating enemies.
But… they get double bonus points this year for placing the story outside of Los Angeles. It was beginning to be a liiiiiiitle weird that, season after season, the president of the United States seemed to have a catastrophic global crisis whenever he spent the day in LA. The same kind of weird as the old woman on Murder She Wrote continually finding dead bodies in her small town. I think some of your complaint is that you forget — all this takes place in a single day. Our poor new president isn’t having meeting after meeting after meeting with her disagreeable cabinet. She is having the same long and somewhat repetitive meeting with them in the course of an afternoon. They disagreed with her at 2 p.m., they still disagreed with her at 4 p.m. As in real life, such high-level conversations might go on for 12 hours, on and off, in the course of a crisis.
“One other thing. Dump the 24 hour premise. If forces the writers into a box. Call the show “Jack Bauer”.”
RobertT, that makes it too conventional. The main appeal of 24 in the first place is the real time premise. It heightens the intensity and the suspense. Dump the premise, and the show will no longer be worth it.
24 = Lost. Garafalo is just painful to watch. The storyline is getting sillier by the minute. I hope it improves!
It’s ok mindless entertainment, though the implausibility factor is sometimes a turn off. A much better, and more realistic show like this is a BBC production called Spooks. (In the US it’s called MI-5). If you can download the torrents, it is a fantastic show.
So far the best thing this season is when Jack says, “Was that a question Senator?”. And they had to kill off a cute girl early on.
Missing an important element of 24 formula: The American President invariably attempts to have Jack killed, agrees to allow someone else to kill Jack, or gives Jack to other nations for years of constant torture, even though he’s given everything to defend the nation. POTUS is always giving up on, or giving up, Jack!
Ben sometimes you just gotta go with it… television is suppose to be escapist and for me ‘24′ fills the bid…
This year the the writers on “24″ are the same guys that road the “Star Trek” franchise into the ground.
Although I did like some of the writing Manny Cato did on “Enterprise”… Brannon Braga is the hack that gave us Katherine Hepburn in space “capt. Janeway of Voyager” and now he is writing the voice of Jack Bauer…
Braga is like the Ted McGinley of writers, he comes on to a show and the show gets canceled.
I am so sick of the Hollywood penchant for painting our own military and intelligence personnel, not to mention businessmen, as evil, mercenary killers, willing to help with any terrorist act they are ordered or paid to commit. The 24 bad guys have no problem hiring unlimited henchmen as fodder, and none of them ever shows any doubt or conscience about what they are ordered to do. (Sounds like real-life Al Queda/Islamic fanatic terrorists, but we wouldn’t want to stereotype THEM.)
Jerry … LOL! I actually remember Happy Days, and have been a fan of jumptheshark.com … Happy Days DID jump the shark because
Bottomline: I do NOT think 24 has jumped the shark.
But admittedly, I was late to the 24 fan club. I watched 6 seasons of 24 in 2007 just to get ready for season 7. Then, boom, writers’ strike. So, after more than a year of waiting, my hubby and I are enjoying EVERY minute of 24.
Plus, we’re both recovering Democrats. I don’t have a problem with some of the liberal intrusions into the show. I’m happy to see a female president, as well.
I think they will eventually provide more depth to the Dubaku character.
I am enjoying this season.
Sorry that others have unmet expectations.
I’m in “7th” Heaven …
Guys: I have always wished the format would be changed & the show changed from ‘24′ to ‘Seven Days’; what the heck if you break each day into 4 parts (morning, afternoon, evening, night) & it would STILL run for the whole season; at least THAT way things would be more plausible, time wise—I mean heck you can’t even get from one side of LA to the next in 24 hours.
This column is unfair, because you can do this sort of thing with any show. Seinfeld: Jerry dates an attractive woman with a peculiar characteristic, Elaine puts up with crazy people at work, George suffers some sort of injustice, and Kramer has a theory. All four plot-lines spin themselves together with the help of humorous coincidences. South Park: A bunch of adults overreact to a situation, and the town is divided in two. The boys must go on an adventure where they discover that the solution is that both sides are right. ER: People with medical emergencies come to the ER. Did all those shows jump the shark, too?
Macnamara, I think you were referring to Kate Mulgrew as Capt. Janeway of Voyager.
Overall, 24 is better than 99.9% of what’s out there on the barren wasteland that is TV. The best season was when radical Muslims were portrayed as the enemy. Hopefully, Surnow will return next season to replace that hack Braga.
24 is still very entertaining and if it were not it would loose its viewers. I usually understand the complaints about TV shows and agree in most cases. The complaints about 24 are interesting, but do not change my mind about 24.
24 is a TV show about conservatives written and acted by liberals who hate conservatives. Like “All in the Family” that causes most of it’s problems. If the Hollywood crowd could stop hating Americans long enough they might be able to to a TV show about real heroes protecting us against real enemies. Instead they build a fantasy world where we are always “our own worst enemy”.
It’s OK as entertainment, but it would help if it wasn’t also propaganda.
I tried to be come a fan and made myself watch an entire season of 24 last year. I don’t watch it now. Too many cliches- ‘we’re running out of time’, Jack Bauer is never seen sleeping or picking up his dry cleaning or making a sandwich, his gun never needs maintenance and his cell phone is never on a charger. Plus, Bauer’s America seems to be one long running coast-to-coast gun battle. Seems far-fetched.
Janis Gold Must Die!
http://rightwingnuthouse.com/archives/2009/02/03/janis-gold-must-die/
Plus, an updated body count.
Agree with a few earlier posts that Renee is going to be a star in this series….Jack needs a companion that ‘gets him” and she is much more like him than not.
There will be plenty of episode building regarding this budding relationship and many ways for these two to “get each others back” – her current love interest is toast..
Big fan of the show – and can get past the redundant nature of a series that is this far into annual success –
The fact that it is contemporary in it’s portrayal of threat is enough to keep me entranced. My wish for next year will be that they simply get on to the inevitable and bring in the Taliban or Al Qaeda as the real world enemy -it will provide an opportunity to further demonize the radical sect of Muslem.
I agree with everything Ben wrote (except for his criticisms of David Palmer’s character, whom I thought was great). You nailed the tired “24″ formula on the head. I’d add that I’m still puzzled as to why they bothered to replace CTU with the FBI, which seems exactly the same as CTU (a huge office filled with people busily working who never actually seem to add anything to the investigation), except that they feel bad about it when they torture terrorists, and that their office looks much less cool. And ALL of the FBI characters thus far have been about as interesting as cardboard cutouts. I’m also tired of the fact that all Chloe and Buchanan get to do is stare at computer screens and talk to Jack on the phone. If you’re going to bother to bring them back, give them something to do! Lastly, along the lines of what Ben wrote, I’d like to see realistic terrorists for a change, as opposed to mercenaries for hire working for a shadowy master who all look as if they had just come from a snazzy club on Sunset Boulevard just before launching their attack. The “24″ writers should try watching the great Showtime series, “Sleeper Cell,” sometime, which actually depicted terrorists in a more realistic light (fanatics motivated by deep personal flaws who are constantly short of cash), as opposed to portraying them as stylish mavericks who are only out to make money.
Why did the show creators bother to announce a “reboot” of the show only to fall back into all the same tropes within the first couple of hours? The rest of the season had better be a RADICAL departure from the usual cliches if it’s to be salvaged. Personally, I’m still hoping that we’re going to find out that Tony is still working for the bad guys.
QUOTE: Russ – February 6th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
“I almost forgot. The horrible Gene Roddenberry acolyte Brannon Braga (yes, one of the people responsible for the slow-hacking-cough death of Star Trek) is writing most of the “24″ episodes.”
O
M
G
that seals the deal. no way am I watching this.
Does anybody else see 24 as simply a “metaphor”?
Time pressure is real. Decisions have to be made. Consequences are dire. No, we don’t really believe that all this could happen in 24 hours. It is ridiculous. But time is not absolute, anyway. An hour is arbitrary to begin with, as is a day.
I think it’s really cool that an entire season of a program takes place in ONE FREAKING DAY! One spin of the earth. There’s never been anything quite like 24, never will be. Keep the format. Let the haters hate. Those who love the show will not be bothered one bit.
I guess I’m just seeing this 24 thing as a loose version of reality … it’s an art form.
24 is fun. It’s a TV show. It’s escape from hyped slope shouldered leaders and transparent media types who got into news ‘to make a difference’. Good guys battling bad guys…and the good guys always win. Sooner or later, the good guys win. That’s enough for me. If I want a serious downer story or performance, I will rent a Will Ferrel movie.
Seriously.Everyone here needs to #1 read Dave Barry as they watch 24. It makes it so much more interested and #2 watch Heroes first….
Actually, a lot of people thought Season 5 was the best of all of them, not much-derided.
"It is TV" has to be the most insepid response I can think of. So, you sit and stare at static, because it is "TV". TV can be light and absurd, that is why we tune in.
However, the absurdity has to be well written, which this drivel is not. I was the HUGEST 24 fan from season 1. I have warmed a bit, but tonight I turned it off halfway through the White House attack because I just couldn't take the stupid anymore. That isn't fair, I shouldn't put stupid in the same category with this. These people should be outright embarrased.
Jack Bauer can do anything. Unfortunately I just watched him jump the shark.
Oh…and "its still better than the rest of TV"…
A less smelly pile of &*%$ is still a stinking pile of &*%$
I for one am not gonna pick it up and eat it just because it is less smelly than the neighbor's dog's pile. Apparently, others will eat anything.
[...] Season 5 was more than half decent, despite its Nixonian tinge. Season 6, of c source: 8 Reasons 24 Has Jumped the Shark, Big [...]
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