24 spent its first few seasons as more of a cult hit/interesting experiment before breaking through with what they call a "non-stop season." Moving the show to midseason meant no reruns, thank Jack. Ratings and Emmys followed, it became a tentpole of the Fox schedule, and a movie is in the works. One of the few cons of the non-stop season is that it's gone for so long one almost forgets how good it is.Almost.
Watching 24 is like standing in a wind tunnel filled with marshmallows – good stuff comes at you faster than you can imagine. Some of those marshmallows are burnt, like when favorite characters get killed, but most of them are perfectly toasty. Jack Bauer, fresh from a 20-month torture jag in a Chinese prison, jumps back into action, breaking laws and legs with equal abandon.
Rather than being handcuffed by the real-time premise, 24 has managed to make it the most reliably thrilling hour on television. You've got 5 days before the next episode – take the week off, rent the DVDs and watch the first 5 seasons back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back. You may emerge a little tired, but the 5th episode of this season will wake you right back up. It's that good.
Welcome back, Jack.
No comments:
Post a Comment