[Despondent]

Does anyone care for that "24" program? I do, and look forward to the 4-hour season premiere this coming Sunday and Monday nights.

It's a good show, with quality production, editing, story, and acting. I'd suggest anyone give it a try.

[Xombie]

I dissent.

24 is the most ludicrous fucking show on the air. The show is built around a cool gimmick but that gimmick is violated practically each and every episode. "Real time" is nothing but lip serviced. Much is made of the fact that Jack Bauer never seems to need to go to the bathroom. Okay fine. What's more rediculous is that he never seems to need to eat or get a glass of water even after being up and literally running and fighting and torturing and getting tortured and coming back from the dead for 24 hours straight. Nobody else does either. Central headquarters for CTU seemingly has only one shift that can be worked 24 hours straight, apparently also without a need for food or beverages of any type. Tragedies that happen hours ago, might as well have been decades as they are completely forgotten. Coups against the President can happen because the president wants to wait a few hours before invading another nation. WTF?Cliffhangers from previous seasons are dropped. Plotlines are dropped. Characters are dropped. All in what's supposed to be a "Novel" for television. The writers have publically stated they don' work out the entire season in advance even though the format of the show would suggest the necessity of such a course.

24 does nothing but show complete and utter contempt for its audience.

[Despondent]

that's a funny post, and you're quite true with a lot of that.

but I still like the show. It's hokey how 25 minutes into nearly every episode they always plan some big climactic showdown to occur in 35 minutes. But if you know that already, you must be a fan.

The daughter gets in some stupid life threatening ordeal. Jack loses someone close to him and kills a new character every 3 hours. So John Wayne's been done, James Bond we don't have and this is something new. If anything, the first year was a lot like Die Hard.

But it was also a lot of the things you said. Regardless, you ought to admire the level of production. I'll give it another chance.

[Kirby]

Oh yes, the first season kicked terrorist ass. I just forgot to see the first 2 episodes of the 2nd season, so it fell apart for me. I don't have high hopes for the next season though, sorry.

[Despondent]

The second season started kind of slow, but Jack's love interest was a babe. She reminds me of Miranda Otto a little.

there was a great twist last year as the final episode ticked down. the virus releasing mechanism had been shackled to Jack's partner's (and his daughter's intended,) hand and was about to go off. So hard choices later, Jack uses the fireman's axe and chops off the hand, wisely putting it in an aquarium. virus goes off, safely underwater.

starts in 27 hours. doot- DEET, doot- DEET

[SimeSublime]

I thought the first half of the first season was good, but it went downhill from there. I stopped watching after the second season finished.

[Kirby]

CURSES I missed it again! Hopefully they'll rerun the first episode.

[Despondent]

well, they're only two hours in. They'll air hours three and four tomorrow night.

I believe in the past FX has aired the latest episode later the same week. I can't vouch for that. I'm sorry that you missed it.

[Xombie]

Just one week in and its confirmed that all the suck of the previous 24 seasons is back:

1) Real time is a joke: So a train hits a truck loaded with explosives in the middle of nowhere and in less than twenty minutes people are watching reporters broadcasting live from the site complete with quotes from interviewed sources? WHAT??!! "This reporter has confirmed that 24's writers think their viewers are complete morons. Back to you, John."

2) More byzantine terrorist motivations that will probably once again never be explained: The train attack was a DIVERSION so they could kidnapp the Secretary of Defense? Um...how does doing a terrorist attack make it EASIER to do another surprise attack an hour later?

3) Machiavellianism from Bizarroland: The Secretary of Defense is kidnapped. His son MAYBE MIGHT know something, so the feds decide to TORTURE him in case he possibly maybe might know something?!! Is this written by 12 year olds??

4) Oh look, Jack Bauer isn't trusted by his bosses. Guess he'll have to go rogue and his organization will treat him like an enemy...until they discover he's soooo incredibly right and they're so wrong. Wow, they've never done that before! (this week) Robert Bianco of USA Today is right on! This is the greatest show ever!

This show is absurd, poorly written, terribly paced, overly-hyped and not particularly well acted. Kiefer Sutherland is a one note actor in this series and that one note is getting old fast.

[Kirby]

I don't think Kieth is a one note actor. Sure he's maybe only known for 24 but he's still good at acting, just look at phone booth, it kicked ass. And the whole 20 minute report thing, well you do have to yeild a tiny bit of movie logic at times to make shows like this enjoyable. Everything else is probly right though.

[Despondent]

It's only a tv program. I'll keep watching, thanks.

[Xombie]

Well, maybe I overspoke when I said kiefer is a one-note actor. But Jack Bauer certainly is a one note character. I'm willing to blame some of that on slipshod writers but if I understand things right, Sutherland has a lot of producing power on this show. If he wanted to play a less ludicrous character, the writers would probably have to bend.

[Xombie]

No, Kirby I don't have to accept it. The show sells itself on the real time gimmick and then violates it constantly and not in little ways. The twenty minute time frame between a disaster in a remote location to onscene media reports is preposterous. This is shoved in our face every episode with rediculous travel times and events that would take days telesscoped into hours or minutes. Too much happens in one hour to be believable and then, because the dumbasses who write this show can't be bothered to storyboard, filler events have to be manufactured just to pad out the season leading to characters and subplots that go absolutely nowhere (amnesia and cougars come to mind).
This show is simply NOT good. And the reason can be summed up in two words: Bad writers.

[Despondent]

(with a hint of more respect for Jariten,)

I look forward to tonight's new episode.

[Despondent]

They're up to hour 12 now. It's still really good, (from a loyal fan's point of view. )


___


this year (day) all the president's scenes are on Air Force One.

(Take that: "west wing;" who use the set left over from The American President)